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Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 
in  2011  witii  funding  from 
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PRESENTATION    OF   FLAGS   TO   THE   NATIONAL   O0ARDS. 


I  ^ 


{k: 


Urn 


OIV 


CURIOSITIES 


OF 


NATURE   AND   ART, 


'mfmi  Km  m&6Mmj, 


'^  ^clu  (T-Mtion,  tuitlj  ,|iu|]i:ob(iiuuts  la  lljc  htcst  batr. 


r.DITKI)    BY    S.    G.    GOODRICH 


801.1)  ONLY   IIV  SIIIISCUIPTION. 


SOCrAL   CfROLE,   GA.: 

K.    N  K  I!  II  I!  r    A-     i;  i:  o  t  II  RRS. 


r- 


k-V^^M^^'C 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction,     .     .  ....  .7 

CJkological  Wonders, .8 

The  Hanks  of  the  Nile, 10 

The  Chinese  Wall, 1- 

The  Kagle, 13 

The  Grand  Chartreuse,  .     .     .     .     •     .  IT) 

The  Condor, 10 

IJats, 17 

'I'he  Flamingo, IH 

Skkpknts, 1!) 

The  American  Panther, -0 

The  \\'alriis, t21 

The  British  Museum, "'2 

The  Iguanodon 2'.i 

Loitii  Hacon, 21 

Chivalry, -('< 

The  Lion 2S 

Charlks  11.  OF  England .'JO 

The  Pelican, 3S 

Strasrurg  Cathedral, 30 

The  Patagonians, 37 

The  Spectre  of  the  Brocken 38 

Diogenes, 39 

The  Locust, 41 

Great  Britain, 42 

Hauoun  al  Kaschid, 43 

The  Crane 41 

The  Giant's  Causeway, 4.'> 

The  Maelstrom 40 

The  Manna  Tree 47 

Leaning  Tower, 48 

Stonehenge, 49 

India  Rubber  Tree, 50 

Fenelon, 51 

The  Passion-flower, 52 

The  French  in  Egypt, 53 

The  Mule 56 

Mahomet,      , 57 

The  Flat-headed  Indians, 58 

Saladin, 59 

The  Areopagus, 60 


John  Wesley,    .........  61 

.Iacoh's  Well, 62 

Lafayette 63 

Otho, 63 

The  Crucifixion, 64 

Bethesda, 65 

Mi(;ration  of  Birds, 66 

Peter  Butte's  Mountain  ....  68 

Taou  Kwang, 69 

M.  Dl'CORNET 79 

The  Alligator, 71 

Bells, 72 

73 

74 

76 


The  Hialto,  .  .  . 
The  Tiger,  .  .  . 
Fingal's  Cave,  .  . 
President's  House, 
Talleyrand,  . 


The  Tiivffle, 79 

The  White  Ass, 80 

Grotto  of  Antiparos, 81 

The  Crusades, 82 

Magna  Charta, 84 

\oHLE  Deeds  of  Women, 85 

The  Wild  Turkey, 89 

The  Moose, 00 

The  Zebra,    .     .     .     .  ■ 91 

The  Tapir, 92 

The  Mustard  Plant, 93 

Marie  Antoinette, 94 

The  Druids, 96 

The  Opossum, 98 

Benjamin  Franklin, 99 

The  Steeple-chase, 100 

Round  Towers  of  Ireland, 101 

The  Great  Crater  in  the  Moon,  .     .     .  102 

The  Humble-bee, 103 

The  Mamertink  Prison 104 

Robin  Goodfellow, 105 

Water, 106 

Neptune, Iii7 

Matthew  Hopkins 108 


IT 


CONTENTS. 


Gassfndi, 109 

The  Polygars, 110 

ApoLLONius  Tyan-eus Ill 

Gall  Insects, 114 

Ancient  Castles, 115 

The  Press, 110 

The  Afghans, 118 

Kosciusko, 119 

The  Maple-tree  Temple, 120 

The  Elephant, 121 

English  Loyalty  and  Royalty,  .     .     .  122 

Jerusalem, 124 

Moscow  AND  St.  Petersburg,       .     .     .  127 

Chinese  Emperor's  Barge,       ....  128 

Elizabeth  of  England, 129 

New  Zealand 131 

Valley  of  Jkhoshaphat, 132 

Savages  of  Brazil, 133 

JoppA,  or  Jaffa, 134 

Shakspeare, 135 

Monkey  Orators, 130 

Seeing, 137 

Hearing, 138 

Tasting 139 

Touch, ,140 

Smelling, 141 

Mount  Carmel, 142 

Mocking-bird, 143 

Oliver  Goldsmith, 144 

Isabella  of  Spain,     145 

Bethlehem, 150 

Mrs.  Washington, 151 

Joan  of  Arc, 155 

Mount  Vesuvius, 157 

ASKELON, 158 

Mehemet  Ali, 159 

Orang-outang, 160 

Red  Jacket, 161 

,   Frogs, 164 

I  The  Zebu, 165 

Varieties  of  Dogs, 166 

The  Date-tree 167 

Logan, 168 

Jericho, 171 

Patient  Grissel, 172 

ychoalay, 174 

The  Meteor  Monks, J~6 

Constantinople, 1  '' 

The  Zodiac, 178 

The  Indians  of  Nootka  Sound,    .     .     .  179 

The  Royal  Oak, 180 

The  Mines  of  PoTOSi, 181 

The  Beaver, 182 

Ingenious  Contrivances  of  Nature,     .  183 

The  Indian  Voltaire, 185 

The  Palisadoes 189 

Quetzalcoatl,       ........  190 

The  Star-fish, '  .     .     .  191 

The  Bheels 192 

The  Alps, 193 

The  Monkey  Beggar, 195 

Shops  in  London 196 

Guy  Fawkes, 197 

Landseer's  Dogs, 199 

Pierre  Ramus, 200 

Punch  and  Judy, 202 

Toad-stools  and  Mushrooms,  ....  203 

Comparative  Size  of  Animals,    .     .     .  204 


!  Perils  of  the  Wilderness,     .     .  .  209 

The  Prophet  Jeremiah,      ...  .  200 

The  Otter, 207 

The  Sugar-cane, .  209 

Solon, 210 

The  Stag, ,  211 

The  Pyramids  OF  Egypt,     ...  .  214 

The  Snail, .  215 

Ale.xander  Selkirk, 216 

Sea-weed, 219 

The  Monkey  Family,     ....  .  220 

The  Banana, .  227 

Napoleon's  last  Funeral, 228 

Gaza 230 

City  of  Ancient  Babylon, 231 

Walled  Cities, 233 

The  Bi'CCANEERS, 233 

Skeleton  of  a  Bird, 237 

Martin  Luther, .     .  238 

Frederick  the  Great, 246 

Arnold's  March  to  Quebec,    ....  250 

ToussAiNT  L'Ouverture,    .     .  .     .  254 

El  Dorado, 258 

Pope  Julius  II., 263 

Tippoo  Saib, 264 

Migration  of  Wild  Geese 265 

Sources  of  History,       ....  .  266 

Passage  of  Mountains  in  India,  .     .     .  268 

Eugene  Aram, 269 

Genghis  Khan, 274 

The  Giraffe, 275 

Heathen  Mythology, 276 

London, 279 

Saint  Rosalia, 280 

Constantinople, 281 

Wonders  within  a  Plant,      .     .  .  282 

Bolivar 284 

The  Rock  of  Gibraltar, 289 

Mineral  Coal, 290 

Brussels, •     ....  291 

The  Nests  of  Birds, 292 

Adventure  with  a  Lion, •  293 

Artesian  Wells, 295 

Francia,  the  Dictator, 296 

An  Indian  Giant, 302 

Tecumseh, 303 

Abyssinia, 304 

Falls  of  Niagara 305 

The  Sloth, 307 

The  Scorpion, 308 

The  Rhinoceros, 309 

The  Bamboo, 310 

The  Crocodile 311 

The  Spider, 312 

Pocahontas, 313 

The  Juniper-tree, 315 

Siamese  Twins ;  316 

Pascal, 317 

Caspar  Hauser, 319 

Daniel  Lambert, 321 

The  Leopard, 322 

The  Asp, 

Luminous  Plants  and  Animals,  . 
Deserts  of  Africa  and  Asia, 
The  Prong-horned  Antelope, 
Covent-Garden  Flower-market, 
The  Leming, 


.  323 

.  324 
327 

.  328 

.  329 

.  330 

The  Indian  Dandy 331 


WV^/^>^^i^)|| 


CONTENTS. 


The  Chinchilla 332 

The  Ocelot, 333 

Charlotte  (^orday, 334 

Chinese  Dandy, 330 

Jdhn  Howard, 337 

The  Desman, 338 

Amusing  Anecdotes, 339 

The  Conjusiitiiis  Diitcliman,  ....  33!) 

The  Duke  of  Norfolk, 340 

A  Child's  Answer, 340 

Benevolent  Singer 341 

Too  Late, 341 

Ciiiiine  Pride, 341 

The  Deaf  Mother 341 

Rcadinn-, 341 

Witty  Thief, 34 1 

Cnrions  Excise  Entry, 341 

Advertisement, 341 

Tobacco, 342 

A  Simple  Question, 342 

A  Pun, 342 

Chester  in  an  Uproar, 342 

Patrick  Henry, 343 

Hirrhwayinan  and  Sailor, 343 

Four  Merry  Fellows, 313 

Lnuchter  no  Proof  of  a  Merry  Heart,  .  313 

Mosiinilocs 344 

Superstition  of  Sailors, 3  I'l 

Georse  IV., 3I.''> 

Georfje  HI., 310 

Marshal  Tnrenne, 34(i 

Cyrus  of  Persia, 340 

Gen.  Wolfe 31G 

Forcible  Argument, 340 

Louis  XVL, 347 

Ronaparte, 347 

Magnanimity  of  Frederick  the  Great,    .  347 

A  French  Minister 317 

Henry  IV 347 

CHANnALAH.S, 348 

Carrier  Dove, 34!t 

Coral, 350 

Camphor  Tree, 3.')I 

The  Nilo.meter, 3.12 

H011ILLA.S, S.'iS 

The  Dodo S.'il 

Fakirs  OF  HiNDOSTAN 3o5 

The  Seal, 3.50 

Tree  House  in  Caefraria, 357 

The  Dalmatian  Dog, 358 

Lady  Hester  Stanhope, 350 

Indian  Fishino  in  South  America,  .     .  300 

Sir  Christopher  Wren,      .....  301 

Queen  Margaret  and  the  Robber,    .     .  302 

January, 304 

February, 365 

March, 260 

April, 367 

May, 308 

JlNE 300 


July,  . 
Au(;usT, 


370 

371 

September, 372 

October, 373 

November, 374 

December 375 

William  Tell, 370 

Fairies,  .     .  377 


The  Chiefs  of  Scinde,   .     .     . 

Paul,  the  Apostle 

The  Coney, 

The  Princess  RosETTA, .  .  . 
Mount  St.  Bernard,      .     .     . 

Barnacles, 

The  ('hamois, 

The  Owl, 

Hindoo  Jugglers, 

Hawking  in  the  Middle  Ages, 
Boa  Constrictor,      .... 

Hippopotamus, 

The  Great  Bustard,      .     .     . 

Christmas, 

Great  Trees, 

Lord  Byron, 

Papua, 

The  Use  of  Telescopes,  .  . 
The  Water-spout,  .... 
Spectral  Illusions,  .... 
A  Monster  of  the  Deep,    .     . 

Robert  Fulton, 

The  Domestic  Buffalo,      .     . 

The  Llama, 

Tournaments, 

California 

The  First  French  Revolution, 

Montezuma, 

.•\ttila, 


John  Marshall, 

Aqueducts, 

A  Swiss  Girl, 

The  Deluge, 

The  Blue  Jay, 

Mount  Auburn, 

The  Nautilus, 

The  Horse, 

The  Javanese  Tiger-beetle,  .... 

Daniel  Webster 

J(HiN  Caldwell  Calhoun, 

The  City  of  Bagdad, 

The  Smithsonian  Institute,   .... 

Marco  Bozzaris, 

The  Kamtskadales, 

Comets, 

Railways, 

Ruins  of  Central  America,     .... 

Louis  Philippe, 

The  Hotel  de  Ville  of  Paris,     .     .     . 

The  French  Revolution  of  1848,     .     . 

The  President  of  the  French  Republic, 

Snow  Crystals, 

Knowledge  of  the  Inferior  Animals,  . 

Mountains, 

Heidelberg, 

John  Hampden, 

Faneuil  Hall, 

The  Musk-o.v, 

Greenwood  Cemetery, 

.\dventures  in  India, 

Frankincense, 

The  Colosseum  at  Rome, 

King  Alfred's  Seal 

The  Balloon, 

Peter  the  Hermit, 

Ship-building, 

1  The  Mammoth  Cave,  Kentucky,  .  . 
I  The  American  Revolutionary  War,  . 


378 
379 
380 
381 
385 
386 
387 
388 
300 
392 
393 
394 
395 
396 
397 
398 
400 
401 
402 
403 
404 
405 
406 
407 
408 
409 
419 
422 
423 
424 
425 
428 
429 
431 
432 
439 
440 
440 
441 
445 
446 
446 
448 
449 
450 
452 
454 
456 
460 
463 
478 
480 
481 
482 
483 
484 
485 
487 
488 
489 
490 
490 
491 
492 
496 
497 
499 
502 


CONTENTS. 


The  Northmen  in  America,    .... 

POTOSI, 

Hunting  Wild  Animals,  on  the  Pampas, 

The  Dead  Sea, 

George  Washington, 

John  Adams, 

Thomas  Jefferson, 

James  Madison, 

JiMEs  Monroe, 

John  Qi'iNCY  Adams 

Andrew  Jackson, 

Martin  Van  Buren, 

William  Henrv  Harrison,      .... 

John  Tyler, 

James  Knox  Polk, 

Zachary  Taylor, 

Shipwrecks, 

War  of  1812  with  England,  .... 
Wonders  of  the  Honey-bee,   .... 

Thl  War  with  Mex.ico, 

Murder  of  Miss  Macrea, 

Fernando  Cortez, 

Chevy-Chase, 

St.  Peter's  Church,  at  Rome,     .     .     . 

Henry  Clay, 

The  Esquimaux, 

Ruins  ok  Ancient  Cities, 

The  Eastern  War, 

Ten  Thousand  Facts,  of  Memorabilia 
WoKDERS  OF  Half  a  Centuky,   .     .     . 


511    Dreams, 548 

513  The  Thames  Tunnel, 549 

514  The  Nyl-ghau, 550 

515  The  Iron  Mask, 551 

51fi    Walter  Scott, 552 

518  Mary,  Queen  OF  Scots, 654 

519  Alexander  the  Great, 556 

520  Cromwell, 558 

521  The  Pearl  Fishery, 559 

521  Queen  Victoria, 5fi0 

522  Hotanical  Wonders, 561 

523  Lamartine, 602 

523  Pitcairn's  Island,      . 563 

524  Pompeii, 564 

525  Miscellaneous  Curiosities,     ....  565 

526  Curiosities  ok  Geology, 569 

527  Manias, 671 

529    Father  Mathew, 572 

534    Abd-el-Kader, 574 

537    Thiers, 575 

540  The  Vulture 570 

541  Cleopatra's  Needle, 677 

542  Whales, 578 

543  The  Ant-eater, 580 

544  The  Palace  ok  Fontaineeleau,    .     .     .  581 

545  Pope  Pius  IX., 582 

546  The  Colossus  of  Rhodes, 583 

584 

OE  THE  Nineteenth  Century, 583 

604 


^  i^»av%%/w^'^^^K^^^^'v^^.'^  ^ 


CURIOSITIES  OF  NATURE  AND  ART, 

lEIirS^OiaY  AHID   BltDdiaAlPIEIY. 


INTRODUCTION. 


It  lias  been  oftnn  said  that  truth  is  more 
won(]crfnl  than  fiction.  The  force  of  this 
nhscrvation  is  manifest  to  tlioso  who  iiave 
a  liheral  acquaintanre  with  hoolis,  or  have 
otherwise  stored  their  minds  from  the  £jreat 
treasuries  of  human  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience. 

To  the  i<Tnorant,  trifles  often  appear  mys- 
terions  and  wonderful  ;  while  thinirs  really 
amazino;  are  viewed  with  indifference.  To 
a  child,  the  blaze  of  a  candle  is  an  object 
of  intense  admiration.  When  it  appears, 
it  excites  delight ;  when  it  vanishes,  it 
creates  wonder.  But  the  moon,  which  to 
the  instructed  mind  suggests  ideas  of  the 
most  lofty  and  sublime  nature,  excites  in 
the  infant  only  a  transient  and  vague  emo- 


[tinn,  to  be  replaced  by  images  of  toys  and 
baubles. 

It  is  thus,  in  proportion  as  the  mind  is 
cultivated  and  enlarged,  that  the  wonders 
of  Nature  and  Art,  of  History  and  Biog- 
raphy, become  topics  of  interest,  and  sources 
of  reflection  and  enjoyment.  The  more  of 
truth  there  is  in  the  mind,  the  more  does 
truth  itself  become  attractive.  The  appe- 
tite for  knowledge  knows  no  satiety ;  it 
increases  as  it  is  fed  ;  its  relish  is  the  keener 
in  proportion  as  it  is  indulged. 

In  this  view  of  the  subject,  we  have  col- 
lected a  variety  of  remarkable  facts,  calcu- 
lated to  gratify  curiosity,  and  impart  instruc- 
tion. Our  design  is  to  make  it  a  complete 
circle  of  curiosities,  drawn   from  the  great 


|8 


GEOLOGICAL   WONDERS. 


store-house  of  human  knowledge,  each  topic 
being  presented  in  a  manner  to  convey  ac- 
curate, vivid  and  pleasing  impressions.  The 
work  is  intended  for  the  general  reader, 
for  families,  and  especially  for  the  younger 
members  of  families.     It  is  intended  as  a 


means  of  counteracting  the  vicious  taste  for 
fiction  which  has  of  late  come  into  vogue. 
It  is  believed  that  truth  is  the  proper  anti- 
dote to  this ;  and  that  while  it  may  be 
made  as  attractive,  it  is  infinitely  more  in- 
structive and  gratifying  to  the  mind. 


GEOLOGICAL   SECTION    OF   THE    EARTH. 


GEOLOGICAL  WONDERS. 


After  mankind  had  provided  for  their 
physical  wants,  it  was  natural  for  them  to 
begin  to  exercise  their  minds  in  matters  of 
speculation.  History  informs  us  that,  at  an 
early  date,  there  were  philosophers  who 
directed  their  attention  to  the  phenomena 
of  nature  —  the  succession  of  day  and  night 
—  the  clouds,  the  seasons,  and  the  heavenly 
bodies. 

In  due  time  the  question  of  the  origin  of 
the  earth  arose,  and  numberless   theories 


were  proposed  as  a  solution.  For  many 
centuries  learned  men  involved  themselves 
in  the  mists  of  mere  speculation,  and  what 
was  at  first  mysterious,  bec;ime  at  last  mar- 
vellous. Within  two  centuries,  a  new  turn 
has  been  given  to  philosophy,  and  instead 
of  inventing  theories,  as  the  means  of  as- 
certaining truth,  scholars  have  looked  to 
facts,  and  from  these  have  sought  to  de- 
velop the  principles  of  philosophy. 

In  endeavoring  to  make  out  the  physical 


GEOLOGICAL    WONDERS. 


9 


history  of  cur  earth,  therefore,  they  begun 
to  study  the  structure  of  its  surface ;  they 
looked  at  its  mountains,  hills,  and  valleys, 
they  investigated  the  craters  of  volcanoes, 
and  the  wrecks  of  earthquakes ;  they  ob- 
served the  phenomena  presented  by  caves 
and  the  deep  shafts  of  mines  ;  they  pondered 
upon  the  scenes  presented  along  the  sea- 
shore. Having  thus  collected  a  large  mass 
of  facts,  the  principles  of  geology  began 
to  develop  themselves.  The  process  was 
like  that  of  the  chemist,  who  puts  into  his 
crucible  a  mass  of  chaotic  earths,  and 
after  boiling  and  cooling,  he  discovers,  with 
surprise  and  admiration,  the  briglit  crystals 
of  a  new  salt  —  destined  to  become  tlie 
mightiest  engine  of  power  known  to  man 
—  the  element  of  gunpowder  itself.  And 
thus,  from  scattered  observations,  brought  at 
last  together  and  properly  digested,  the  mod- 
ern science  of  geology,  so  certain,  yet  so 
starllii'.g,  in  its  revelations,  is  established. 

We  do  not  propose  here  to  give  even  an 
outline  of  this  wonderful  science.  Our 
present  object  is  to  present  a  very  general 
idea  of  the  structure  and  constitution  of  the 
globe,  which  Providence  has  assigned  to 
us  as  our  dwelling-place. 

That  the  earth  is  a  vast  globe  or  ball,  is 
proved  beyond  doubt.  That  its  surface  is 
distributed  into  mountains  and  valleys, 
plains  and  deserts,  seas  and  oceans,  every- 
body knows.  The  exterior  part  of  the  globe, 
called  the  crust,  is  the  only  portion  wliich 
is  within  the  scope  of  human  investigation. 
The  whole  diameter  of  the  earth  is  yUOO 
miles,  while  the  deepest  artificial  perfora- 
tions have  reached  but  a  few  hundred  feet. 
If  we  compare  tlie  deepest  shaft  sunk  by 
iTian  —  the  Artesian  well  at  Grenelle,  near 
Paris  —  with  the  bulk  of  the  earth,  it  is 
relatively  hardly  more  than  a  scratch  through 
the  enamel  of  an  artificial  globe. 

Still,  so  industrious  have  been  the  labors 
of  geologists,  that  the  general  structure  of  the 
rocks  and  soils  comprising  the  crust  of  the 
earth  is  well  known,  and  the  materials,  so 
multifarious  and  confused  to  the  eye  of  a 
common  observer,  are  reduced  to  regular 
scientific  classification.  Going  even  beyond 
the  limits  of  actual  observation,  scientific 
men  have  been  able,  from  the  great  mass 
of  evidence  now  before  them,  to  make  out 
a  very  plausible  and  probable  theory  as  to 
the  constitution  of  the  interior  of  the  earth. 

It  is  evident  that  the  entire  surface  of  the 
globe  has  been,  in  ages  past,  the  theatre  of 
many  revolutions.  It  is  certain  that,  in 
former  ages,  the  distribution  of  seas  and 
continents  has  been  dilferent  from  as  present 


exists  :  it  is  certain  that  mountains,  now 
lifting  their  tops  to  the  clouds,  have  been 
the  beds  of  oceans  ;  it  is  certain  that  land, 
now  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  has  been,  in 
former  times,  cast  into  mountains.  So 
extensive  have  been  these  changes,  as  to 
alter  the  climates ;  for  we  find  in  Siberia 
and  all  along  the  north  of  Europe,  the  bones 
of  animals,  and  the  vestiges  of  trees  and 
plants,  which  we  know  can  only  exist  in 
hot  countries ;  facts  which  prove  that  the 
climate  of  the  tropics  must  once  have  pre- 
vailed in  these  regions,  now  given  up  to 
the  perpetual  dominion  of  winter. 

Now  we  know  that  Providence,  in  its 
mighty  works,  employs  means.  What,  then, 
are  the  means  bj'  which  the  face  of  the 
earth  has  thus  been  convulsed  and  changed  ? 
The  answer  seems  easy  ;  for  we  see  that 
volcanic  fires,  in  our  own  day,  are  fre(juently  1; 
turning  and  overturning  whole  tracts  of 
territory,  sometimes  leagues  in  length  and 
breadth.  From  this  fact,  and  many  others 
tending  to  the  same  point,  the  opinion  is 
now  pretty  well  established  that  the  entire 
central  mass  of  the  earth  is  in  a  state  of  in- 
candescence. The  cut  at  the  head  of  this 
article  gives  a  representation  of  this  theory. 
It  presents  the  crust  of  the  earth,  thrown 
into  irregular  strata  of  rocks  and  soils,  with 
the  superincumbent  oceans  and  seas ;  and 
it  shows  the  melted  matter,  occupying  the 
centre  of  the  globe.  The  relative  tliickness 
of  the  crust  of  the  earth  is  of  course  exag- 
gerated in  this  drawing,  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  its  composition  more  clearly. 

The  conclusions  to  which  geology  thus 
brings  us  are  indeed  startling.  The  sur- 
face of  the  globe  isa  vast  sepulchre,  entomb- 
ing the  remains  of  generations  and  races  of 
animals  and  plants  long  since  perished  and 
forgotten  :  a  large  portion  of  the  very  sur- 
faces of  mountains,  rocks  and  soils,  are  but 
the  accumulated  bones  of  extinct  races  of  an- 
imals, the  vestiges  of  trees  and  plants,  whose 
species  are  looked  for  in  vain  in  the  present 
vegetable  kingdom. 

And  beside  this,  these  materials  seem, 
in  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  to  have  been 
subjected  to  the  heat  of  volcanic  fires.  It 
is  hardly  possible  to  take  a  walk  into  the 
fields,  without  discovering  rocks  which  have 
evidently  been  melted  as  in  some  mighty 
crucible. 

All  around  Boston  the  rocks  present  in- 
contestible  evidence  of  fusion,  by  which 
heaps  of  pebbles  have  been  made  into  what 
is  called  pudding  si  one  —  the  whole  scenery 
thus  bringing  to  the  mind  of  every  observer 
the  familiar  process  of  boiling  in  a  pot. 


10 


THE    BANKS    OF    THE    NILE. 


We  have  reason,  then,  to  believe  that 
the  land  upon  which  we  dwell,  and  which 
seems  to  us  so  firm,  is  in  truth  but  the  shell  of 
a  globe  of  fire,  cooled  by  exposure  to  the  at- 
mosphere. Volcanoes  are  the  pipes  by  which 
the  melted  matter,  in  the  form  of  lava,  is 
occasionally  poured  out.  This  idea  is  indeed 
startling ;  a  thousand  millions  of  human 
beings,  and  countless  numbers  of  other  liv- 
ing things,  occupying  a  globe  of  fire,  from 
which  their  feet  are  only  separated  by  a 
crust,  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  rent  asun- 
der—  is  one  of  those  amazing  facts,  which 
calls  upon  man  to  reflect  at  the  same  time 
upon  the    insignificance    of  man  and    the 


might,  majesty,  and  dominion  of  the  Creator. 
It  should  be  remarked,  also,  that  stupendous 
as  are  the  works  of  God  —  fearful,  terrific, 
awful  as  they  might  seem,  if  we  could  im- 
agine him  indifferent  to  the  happiness  of  his 
creatures  —  they  are  all  marked  with  benef- 
icent design.  Even  the  central  fires  of  the 
earth,  supposing  our  theory  to  be  established, 
maybe  believed  to  be  necessary  to  maintain 
a  due  degree  of  heat,  for  the  preservation  of 
life  ;  and  what  might  seem  a  cause  of  dread, 
be  in  reality  the  means  by  which  the  sea  is  pre- 
vented from  being  a  rock  of  ice  and  the  whole 
surface  of  our  planet  from  becoming  a  scene 
of  universal  winter,  desolation,  and  death ! 


THE   BANKS   OF   THE   NILE. 


There  is  no  portion  of  the  globe  more 
calculated  to  carry  the  mind  backward  into 
the  depths  of  past  history,  than  the  country 
along  the  river  Nile.  Here,  in  ages  so  re- 
mote as  to  be  veiled  in  mist,  we  can  see,  by 
the  faint  light  of  history,  the  shadows  and 
ghosts  of  kings  and  emperors,  bearing  the 
suggestive  and  portentous  names  of  Isis, 
Horos,  Osiris,  Menes,  Bochos,  Biphis,  and 
Sesostris.     If  we  open   our  eyes  and  look 


around,  we  discover  the  pyramids  —  works 
of  unknown  hands,  yet  such  as  befit  races 
of  monarchs,  half  gods  and  half  men  ;  we 
see  the  wrecks  of  cities,  so  grand,  even  in 
ruins,  as  to  recall  the  age  of  giants ;  we 
meet  with  obelisks,  statues,  monuments,  of 
such  vast  proportions  as  to  realize  the  my tho-  i 
logical  dreams  of  the  Cyclops  and  the  Titans. 
And  over  all,  are  those  mysterious  writings 
pictures  —  hieroglyphics  —  which  so  long  ; 


THE    BANKS    OF    THE    NILE. 


11 


defie-l  scrutiny,  but  which  are  now  begin- 
ning to  speak  and  reveal  the  buried  secrets 
ol  centuries. 

But  of  all  the  wonders  of  Egypt,  the 
sepulchral  chambers  are  the  most  astonish- 
ing There  are  several  of  these,  some  hav- 
ing the  walls  covered  with  sacred  paintings, 
and  others  with  objects  and  scenes  taken 
from  the  manners,  customs  and  history  of 
the  country.  Madden,  in  his  travels,  thus 
describes  his  entrance  into  one  of  these  mys- 
terious chambers. 

"  Considerably  below  the  surface  of  the 
adjoining  buildings,  the  guide  pointed  out 
to  me  a  chink  in  an  old  wall,  which  he  told 
me  I  should  creep  through  on  my  hands  and 
feet;  the  aperture  was  not  two  feet  and  a 
half  high,  and  scarcely  three  feet  and  a  half 
broad.  My  companion  had  the  courage  to 
enter  first,  thrusting  in  a  lamp  before  him. 
I  followed,  and  after  me  the  son  of  the  old 
man  crept  also.  The  passage  was  so  narrow 
that  my  mouth  and  nose  were  sometimes 
buried  in  the  dust,  and  1  was  nearly  suffo- 
cated. After  proceeding  about  ten  yards,  in 
utter  darkness,  the  heat  became  excessive, 
breathing  was  laborious,  the  perspiration 
pourea  down  mj'  face,  and  I  would  have 
given  the  world  to  have  got  out ;  but  my 
companion,  whose  person  I  could  not  distin- 
guish, though  his  voice  was  audible,  called 
out  to  me  to  crawl  a  few  feet  further,  and 
that  I  should  find  plenty  of  space.  I  joined 
him  at  length,  and  had  the  inexpressible 
satisfaction  of  standing  once  more  on  rny 
feet.  We  found  ourselves  in  a  splendid 
apartment,  of  great  magnitude,  adorned  with 
sacred  paintings  and  hieroglyphics." 

An  English  poet,  who  visited  the  sepul- 
chral chambers  of  Egj'pt,  thus  describes  the 
paintings. 

" in  the  ranq:e 

Oflheso  iloep-caverned  sepillclires  aiu  found, 
Till*  wiliicsi  iiniii,'es  —  utilieard  of.  ^tra^:?e, 
Siriknii;,  tinconlh,  odd,  pK'lnres((ne,  proiouiid  — 
TItal  evur  pnzzU'd  antiquarian's  lirain. 
Prisnnprs  ol'  ditft-ront  nalious,  hound  and  slain, 
Genii  Willi  Iieads  ofliinis,  iiawks,  ibis,  dralves, 
Of  liiuis,  foxes,  cals,  lish,  froi;,  and  snakes. 
Bulls,  rams,  and  monkeys.  hi]»i)o|»oianii, 
With  knife  in  paw,  suspended  from  the  sky  ;  — 
Vasl  scaraliei,  globes  by  hands  upheld, 
Fron»  chaos  sprin;.;in^,  'mid  an  eniiless  field 
Of  forms  ;;roies<pie,  llie  sphynx,  the  crocodile, 
And  inlier  reptiles,  from  the  slime  of  Nile.** 

It  would  seem  that  similar  representations 
of  sacred  objects  are  alluded  to  in  the  Bible, 
and  we  may  infer  that  thsy  were  objects  of 
idolatrous  worship  among  the  Egyptians. 
From  these  it  is  probable  the  Israelites  de- 
rived the  practice,  rebuked  in  the  book  of 
Ezekiel,  ch.  viii.  7 — 13,  where  we  read  as 
follows  — 


"  And  he  brought  me  to  the  door  of  the 
court,  and  when  I  looked,  behold  a  hole  in 
the  wall.  Then  said  he  unto  me.  Son  of 
man,  dig  now  in  the  wall  ;  and  when  I  had 
digged  in  the  wall,  behold  a  door.  And 
he  said  unto  me.  Go  in,  and  behold  the 
wicked  aboniinations  that  they  do  here.  So 
I  went  in  and  saw;  and  behold  every  form 
of  creeping  things,  and  abominable  beasts, 
and  all  the  idols  of  tiie  house  of  Israel,  por- 
trayed upon  the  wall  round  about.  And 
there  stood  before  them  seventy  men  of  the 
ancients  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  in  the 
midst  of  them  stood  Jaazaniah  the  son  of 
Shaphan,  with  every  man  his  censer  in  his 
hand;  and  a  thick  cloud  of  incense  went 
up.  Tlien  said  he  unto  me.  Son  of  man, 
hast  thou  seen  what  the  ancients  of  the 
house  of  Israel  do  in  the  dark,  ever^'  man 
in  the  chambers  of  his  imagery?  for  tliey 
say.  The  Lord  seeth  us  not ;  the  Lord  hath 
forsaken  the  earth." 

Beside  these  objects  which  we  have  men- 
tioned, travellers  tell  us  of  the  ruins  of  cities 
along  the  borders  of  the  Nile,  wliich  strike 
the  beholder  with  amazement,  on  account 
of  their  mairnitude.  The  ruins  of  a  single 
temple,  called  Karnac,  in  Upper  Egypt, 
are  three  miles  in  circuit  They  are  de- 
scribed by  a  traveller,  as  follows  : 

"  Most  points  of  view  present  oidy  the 
image  of  a  general  overthrow,  rendering  it 
dilFicult  to  distinguish  Karnac  as  a  series  of 
regular  edifices.  Across  these  vast  ruins, 
appear  onl\  fragments  of  architecture; 
trunks  of  broken  columns;  mutilated  colos- 
sal statues;  obelisks  —  some  fallen  and 
some  n;ajestically  erect ;  immense  halls, 
whose  roofs  are  supported  bj'  parts  of  col- 
umns, portals  and  pillars,  surpassing  in 
magnitude  all  similar  structures.  From  the 
west,  this  chaos  assumes  an  orderly  ajipear- 
ance ;  and  the  almost  endless  series  of  por- 
tals, gates,  and  halls,  ajipear  ranged  in  reg- 
ular succession,  and  harmoniziiiir  with  each 
other.  When  the  plan  is  thoroutjlily  un- 
derstood, its  regularity  appi'ars  wonderful  ; 
and  the  higliest  admiration  is  excited  by 
the  arrangement  and  symmetry  of  all  the 
parts  of  this  vast  edifice." 

These  ruins  are  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Nile,  and  near  by  are  those  of  the  tem- 
ple of  Luxor,  which,  though  hardly  equal 
to  Kaniac  in  magnitude,  even  suipass  it 
in  beauty  of  design  and  execution. 

On  the  western  side  of  the  Nile,  and  at 
no  great  distance,  are  the  ruins  of  the  an- 
cient city  of  Thebes,  said  to  have  had  a 
hundred  gates,  in  its  days  of  prosperity  — 
some  thousands  of  years  ago. 


THE   CHINESE   WALL. 


This  work  may  be  considered  as  one  of 
ftie  greatest  of  human  constructions.  It  ex- 
tends 1500  miles,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
built  in  live  years,  several  millions  of  per- 
sons being  emploved  upon  it.  It  was  built 
205  years  before  Christ,  under  the  Emperor 
Chi-hoang-ti,  who  is  famous  for  having  had 
all  the  Chinese  books  burned,  and  for  found- 
ing the  dynasty  of  Tsin. 

The  object  of  this  wall  was   to  keep  off 
the  Tartans,  who  were  very  troublesome  to 
the  Chinese,   making  frequent   inroads  up- 
on  them,  for  the   purpose  of  plunder.     In 
order  to  build  the  wall,  a  conscription  was 
made,  and  every  third  laboring  man,  in  the 
empire,  was  called  upon  and  oblig-ed  to  work, 
having  no  other  pay  than  his  food. 
J        This  wall  is  carried  over  mountains  and 
!   across  valleys  and  rivers.    Where  required, 
J   it  rests  upon  arches.     At  distances  of  about 
i  a  hundred  yards,  it  has  high  fortified  tow- 
'  ers,  for  defence ;   it  has  also  gates,  around 
s   which   there  are,  usually,  villages.      In   its 

<  strongest  parts,  and  for  hundreds  of  miles 
5  in  extent,  this  wall  is  so  thick  as  to  allow 
I  six  men  on  horseback  to  ride  upon  it.  The 
I   structure  consists  of  two  parallel  walls  of 

<  solid  masonry,  filled  in  between  with  earth; 
5    the  top  is  paved  with  stone. 

J  In  many  places  this  wall  was  less  lofty  and 
5   of  inferior  thickness;  and  for  many  years 


it  has  in  parts  so  fallen  into  decay  as  to  be 
easily  passed.  The  Tartan  districts  on  the 
north  of  China  having  been  long  incor- 
porated into  that  empire,  it  has  been  un- 
nocessarj'  to  keep  up  this  formidable  bul- 
wark. 

Though  this  work  displays  no  great  me- 
chanical skill,  yet  the  vastness  of  the  design 
and  the  great  amount  of  labor  required  foi 
its  completion,  give  us  a  high  idea  of  the 
patience  and  perseverance  of  the  Chinese 
nation.  They  have  other  works,  which  serve 
to  strengthen  this  view  of  their  character. 
And  it  is  proper  to  observe  that  these  are, 
generally,  of  a  useful  nature.  Egypt  reared 
mighty  monuments,  but  they  were  mere 
displays  of  vain  and  superstitious  pomp; 
while  the  public  works  of  China  are  de- 
signed to  benefit  the  country. 

Ne.xt  to  the  Great  Wall,  which  we  have  just 
described,  the  Grand  Canal  deserves  to  be 
mentioned.  This  furnishes  an  uninterrupted 
water  communication  from  Pekin  to  the 
Yang-tse-kiang  —  a  distance  of  500  miles. 
By  its  connection  with  rivers,  this  canal  af- 
fords an  inland  navigation  of  1000  miles, 
with  only  a  short  interruption.  The  labor 
and  ingenuity  displayed  in  this  work  are 
the  greater,  as  the  Chinese  are  unacquainted 
with  locks  and  other  means  by  which  a 
stationary  supply  of  water  may  be  insured. 


THE   EAGLE. 


Theee  are  several  species  of  the  eagle, 
but  all  bearing  a  stronrr  familj''  likeness. 
Taken  as  a  whole,  we  may  call  them  the 
lions,  tigers,  and  leopards  of  the  feathered 
race.  They  live  by  slaughter ;  they  carry 
on  a  w^r  of  ruthless  extermination,  and 
surround  their  lonely  nests  with  the  relics 
of  many  a  bloody  feast.  Their  port  is  free 
and  noble,  their  eyes  piercing,  their  body 
firm  and  compact,  their  flight  rapid  and  im- 
petuous, their  beak  and  talons  are  hooked, 
sharp,  and  formidable.  They  live  alone,  or 
in  pairs  ;  some  on  the  clifis  of  the  seashore, 
some  on  the  highest  mountains,  some  among 
the  secluded  recesses  of  the  woods,  and  some 
on  wide  heaths  and  moors.  All  are  busy 
and  active  in  the  destruction  of  life.  Some, 
perched  on  a  rocky  height,  or  on  the  top- 
most branches  of  a  tree,  mark  their  prey  at 
a  distance,  and,  rapid  as  an  arrow,  launch 
upon  the  fated  quarry ;  some  skim  over 
fields  and  woods,  and  pounce  suddenly  and 
silently  upon  the  unsuspecting  victim  ;  some 
soar  aloft  and  sweep  down  like  a  thunder- 
bolt upon  their  prey  while  in  the  air;  some 
glide  upon  it  obliquely,  and  thus  skim  it  from 


the  surface  of  the  earth.  All,  however,  are 
not  equal  in  courage  ;  some  attack  birds  and 
quadrniieds  larger  than  themselves,  and 
capable  of  making  resistance  ;  others  con- 
tent themselves  with  feeble  animals,  lizards, 
snakes,  frogs,  mice,  and  the  like.  The 
females  exceed  the  males  in  size  and  power. 

Many  are  the  allusions  in  the  Scriptures 
to  the  eagle  and  the  hawk,  having  an  ex- 
press reference  to  their  ferocity,  power,  and 
rapidity  of  flight ;  one  of  the  most  lieautifiil 
is  in  Job  xxxix.  26  :  "  Doth  the  hawk  fly  by 
thy  wisdom,  and  stretch  her  wings  toward 
the  south  ?  Doth  the  eagle  mount  up  at 
thy  command,  and  make  her  nest  on  high  ? 
She  dwelletli  and  abideth  on  the  rock,  upon 
the  crag  of  the  rock,  and  the  strong  place. 
From  tlience  she  sceketh  the  prey,  and  her 
eyes  behold  afar  off.  Her  young  ones  also 
suck  up  blood:  and  where  the  slain  are, 
there  is  she." 

The  perso?!{d  appearance  of  the  eagle  is 
striking.  The  eye  is  large  and  fiery,  and 
meets  with  u  nquenched  lustre  and  undimmed 
gaze  the  blaze  of  the  meridian  sun  ;  the 
sight  is  piercmg  and  clear.     The  flight  is 


14 


THE    EAGLE. 


soanng  and  majestic,  the  fatal  swoop  im- 
petuous and  irresistible,  and  the  beak  and 
talons  are  efficient  weapons  for  the  work  of 
carnage.  Every  attitude  indicates  power 
and  resolution  —  from  the  calm,  statue-like 
posture  of  repose,  the  eye  alone  betraying 
the  fire  within,  to  the  gladiator-like  e.xhibi- 
tion,  when,  sternly  grasping  the  prostrate 
victim,  the  bloody  feast  commences. 

The  white-headed  eagle  is  not  one  of  the 
largest  species,  but  it  is  common  in  the  U. 
States,  and  is  emblazoned  on  our  national 
standard.  The  food  of  this  greedy  bird 
consists  of  fish,  pigs,  lambs,  fawns,  water- 
fowl, and  putrid  carcasses.  Wilson  says, 
"  We  have  seen  the  Bald  Eagle,"  its  com- 
mon name  in  America,  "  while  seated  on 
the  dead  carcass  of  a  horse,  keep  a  whole 
flock  of  vultures  at  a  respectful  distance, 
until  he  had  fully  sated  his  own  appetite ;" 
and  he  also  mentions  an  instance  in  which 
flocks  of  vultures,  feeding  on  some  thousands 
of  squirrels,  drowned  in  attempting  to  pass 
the  Ohio,  during  one  of  their  migrations, 
were  all  dispersed  b)'  a  Bald  Eagle,  who 
drove  them  from  the  feast,  of  which  he  kept 
sole  possession  for  several  successive  days. 

"  To  give  you  some  idea,"  says  Audubon, 
"  of  the  nature  of  this  bird,  permit  me  to 
place  you  on  the  Mississippi,  on  which  you 
may  float  gently  along,  while  approaching 
winter  brings  millions  of  waterfowl,  on 
whistling  wings,  from  the  countries  of  the 
north,  to  seek  a  milder  climate  in  which  to 
sojourn  for  a  season.  The  eagle  is  seen 
perched  in  an  erect  attitude  on  the  highest 
summit  of  the  tallest  tree,  by  the  margin  of 
the  broad  stream.  His  glistening  but  stern 
eye  looks  over  the  vast  expanse;  he  listens 
attentively  to  every  sound  that  comes  to  his 
quick  ear  from  afar,  glancing  now  and  then 
on  the  earth  beneath,  lest  even  the  light 
tread  of  the  fawn  may  pass  unheard.  His 
mate  is  perched  on  the  opposite  side,  and, 
should  all  be  tranquil  and  silent,  warns  him 
by  a  cry  to  continue  patient.  At  this  well 
known  call  the  male  parily  opens  his  broad 
wings,  inclines  his  body  a  little  downwards, 
and  answers  to  her  voice  in  tones  not  unlike 
the  launh  of  a  maniac.  The  next  moment 
he  resumes  his  erect  attitude,  and  again  all 
around  is  silent. 

"  Ducks  of  mar>y  species  —  the  teal,  the 
widgeon,  the  mallaid,  and  others  —  are  seen 
passing  with  great  rapidity,  and  following 
the  course  of  the  current ;  but  the  eagle 
heeds  them  not ;  they  are  at  that  time  be- 
neath his  attention.  The  next  moment, 
however,  the  wild,  trumpet-like  sound  of  a 
yet  distant  but  approaching  swan  is  heard. 


A  shriek  from  the  female  eagle  comes  across 
the  stream  ;  for,  she  is  fully  as  alert  as  her 
mate.  The  latter  suddenly  shakes  the  whole 
of  his  body,  and  with  a  few  touches  of  his 
bill,  aided  by  the  action  of  his  cuticular  mus- 
iles,  arranges  his  plumage  in  an  instant. 
The  snow-white  bird  is  now  in  sight;  he! 
long  neck  is  stretched  forward  ;  her  eye  is 
on  the  watch,  vigilant  as  that  of  her  enemy , 
her  large  wings  seem  with  difficulty  to  sup- 
port the  weight  of  her  body,  although  they 
flap  incessantly.  So  irksome  do  her  exer- 
tions seem,  that  her  very  legs  are  spread 
beneath  her  tail  to  aid  her  flight.  She  ap- 
proaches. The  eagle  has  marked  her  for  his 
prey.  As  the  swan  is  passing  the  dreaded 
pair,  the  male  bird  starts  from  his  perch,  in 
full  preparation  for  the  chase,  with  an  awful 
scream,  that  to  the  swan's  ear  brings  more 
terror  than  the  report  of  the  large  duck-gun. 

"  Now  is  the  moment  to  witness  the  eagle's 
powers.  He  glides  through  the  air  like  a 
falling  star,  and  like  a  flash  of  lightning 
comes  upon  the  timorous  quarry,  which  now, 
in  agony  and  despair,  seeks  by  various  ma- 
noeuvres to  elude  the  grasp  of  his  cruel  tal- 
ons; it  mounts,  doubles,  and  would  plunge 
into  the  stream,  were  it  not  prevented  by  the 
eagle,  which,  long  possessed  of  the  knowl- 
edge that  by  such  a  stratagem  the  swan 
might  escape  him,  forces  it  to  remain  in  the 
air,  by  attempting  to  strike  it  with  his  talons 
from  beneath.  The  hope  of  escape  is  soon 
given  up  by  the  swan.  It  has  already  be- 
come much  weakened,  and  its  strength  fails 
at  the  sight  of  the  courage  and  swiftness  of 
its  antagonist.  Its  last  gasp  is  about  to 
escape,  when  the  ferocious  eagle  strikes  with 
his  talons  the  under  side  of  its  wing,  and 
with  unresisted  power  forces  the  bird  to  fall 
ina  slanting  direction  upon  the  nearestshore. 

''  It  is  then  that  you  see  the  sjiirit  of  this 
dreaded  enemy  of  the  feathered  race,  whilst, 
exulting  over  his  prey,  he  for  the  first  time 
breathes  at  ease.  He  presses  down  his 
powerful  feet,  and  drives  his  shai-p  claws 
deeper  than  ever  into  the  heart  of  the  dying 
swan.  He  shrieks  with  delight  as  he  feels 
the  last  convulsions  of  his  prey,  which  has 
now  sunk  under  his  unceasing  efforts." 

Fish,  as  we  have  said,  forms  no  incon- 
siderable part  of  the  diet  of  the  White-headed 
Eagle ;  not  that  he  often  procures  it  by  his 
own  honest  exertions,  though  occasionally 
he  manages  to  obtain  a  few  in  shallow  creeks; 
but  he  lives  by  the  "  law  of  might,"  availing 
himself  of  the  labors  of  others,  and  especially 
of  the  osprey,  or  fish-hawk  —  an  assiduous 
and  patient  fisher.  Wilson  describes  this 
act  of  marauding  violence  with  a  master's 


BATS. 


17 


his  brood,  and  looks  down  upon  the  plains 
beneath,  yet  far  away,  for  food.  Like  the 
rest  of  its  family,  it  subsists  on  carrion,  and 
gorges  itself  to  disgusting  repletion,  so  as 
to  become  incapable  of  flight.  In  this  state 
it  is  often  captured,  and  tlie  Indians  are  ac- 
customed to  e.\pose  the  dead  body  of  a  cow 
or  horse,  so  as  to  attract  the  notice  of  these 
birds  as  they  are  seen  sailing  in  the  sky. 
Down  they  sweep,  and  glut  themselves  with 
the  luxurious  banquet,  when  lo  !  the  Indians 
appear  with  their  lassos,  throw  them  with 
unerring  certainty,  and  gallop  away,  drag- 
ging after  them  the  ensnared  victims.  These 
gigantic  birds,  contrary  to  what  has  been 
asserted,  are  far  from  being  formidable  ;  they 
are  not  ferocious,  and  their  talons  are  too 
feeble  to  lacerate ;  neither  can  they  carry 
away,  from  this  cause,  weights  which  prove 
no  impediment  to  the  eagle.  The  natives 
do  not  fear  tliem,  and  are  accustomed,  with 
their  clildren,  to  sleep  near  their  resort, 
exposed  to  attack,  were  such  ever  to  be 
apprehended. 

Of  the  strength  of  the  Condor,  and  its 
tenacity  of  life,  we  have  many  authentic 
accounts.  Captain  Head  gives  the  narrative 
of  a  struggle  between  one  of  his  Cornish 
miners  and  a  Condor,  gorged   too   heavily 


for  flight,  and  therefore  not  in  the  best  state 
for  the  fray.  The  miner  began  by  grasping 
the  neck  of  the  bird,  which  he  tried  to  break ; 
but  the  bird,  roused  by  the  unceremonious 
attack,  struggled  so  violently  as  to  render 
that  no  easy  matter;  nor  after  an  hour's 
wrestling,  though  the  miner  brought  away 
several  of  the  wing  feathers  in  token  of 
victory,  does  it  appear  that  the  bird  was 
despatched. 

M.  Humboldt  relates,  "that,  during  his 
stay  at  Kiobamba,  he  was  present  at  some 
experiments  which  were  made  on  one  by 
the  Indians,  who  had  taken  it  alive.  They 
first  strangled  it  with  a  lasso,  and  hanged 
it  on  a  tree,  pulling  it  forcibly  by  the  feet 
for  several  minutes ;  but  scarcely  was  the 
lasso  removed,  when  the  bird  arose  and 
walked  about,  as  though  nothing  had 
happened  to  it.  It  was  then  shot  with 
three  balls,  discharged  from  a  pistol  at  less 
than  four  paces,  all  of  which  entered  its 
body,  and  wounded  it  in  the  neck,  chest, 
and  abdomen ;  it  still,  however,  kept  its 
legs;  another  ball  struck  its  thigh,  and  it 
fell  to  the  ground,  but  it  did  not  die  of  its 
wounds  until  after  an  interval  of  half  an 
hour." 


BATS. 


\ 


These  creatures,  partaking  both  of  the 
nature  of  quadrupeds  and  birds,  have  excited 
the  wonder  of  mankind  in  all  ages.  There 
is  a  great  variety  of  species,  from  the  com- 
mon bat  of  our  climate  to  the  vampyre  of 
I  South  America,  whose  wings  stretch  to  the 


extent  of  two  feet.  These  animals  live  in 
caves  and  crevices  during  the  day,  and  sally 
forth  at  evening  to  catch  their  prey.  For 
this  reason,  there  is  a  popular  disgust  of 
the  whole  tribe ;  yet  the  species  among  us 
are  a  harmless  race.     We  cannot  say  as 


18 


THE    FLAMINGO. 


much  of  the  larger  kinds,  which  sometimes 
darken  the  air,  by  their  abundance,  in  hot 
climates.  One  species,  already  mentioned, 
is  a  formidable  animal. 

Captain  Stedman,  in  his  "  Narrative  of  a 
Five  Years'  Expedition  against  the  revolted 
Negroes  of  Surinam,"  relates  that,  on  awak- 
ing about  four  o'clock  one  morning  in  his 
hammock,  he  was  extremely  alarmed  at 
finding  himself  weltering  in  congealed  blood, 
and  without  feeling  any  pain  whatever. 
"  The  mystery  was,"  says  Captain  Sted- 
man, "  that  I  had  been  bitten  by  the  vam- 
pyre,  or  spectre  of  Guiana,  which  is  also 
called  the  Flying-Dog  of  New  Spain;  and 
by  the  Spaniards,  perrovolador.  This  is  no 
other  than  a  bat  of  monstrous  size,  that 
sucks  the  blood  from  men  and  cattle,  while 
they  are  fast  asleep,  even,  sometimes,  till 
they  die  ;  and,  as  the  manner  in  which  they 
proceed  is  truly  wonderful,  I  shall  endeavor 
to  give  a  distinct  account  of  it. 

"  Knowing,  by  instinct,  that  the  person 
they  intend  to  attack  is  in  a  sound  slumber, 
they  generally  alight  near  the  feet,  where, 
while  the  creature  continues  fanning  with 
his  enormous  wings,  which  keeps  one  cool, 
he  bites  a  piece  out  of  the  tip  of  the  great 
toe,  so  very  small,  indeed,  that  the  head  of 
a  pin  could  scarcely  be  received  into  the 
wound,  which  is,  consequently,  not  painful; 
yet,  through  this  orifice,  he  continues  to 
suck  the  blood,  until  he  is  obliged  to  dis- 
gorge. He  then  begins  again,  and  thus 
continues  sucking  and  disgorging  until  he 
is  scarcely  able  to  fly,  and  the  sufferer  has 
often  been  known  to  pass  from  time  to  eter- 
nity. Cattle  they  generally  bite  in  the  ea.-, 
but  always  in  places  where  the  blood  flows 
spontaneously.  Having  applied  tobacco 
ashes  as  the  best  remedy,  and  washed  the 
gore  from  myself  and  hammock,  I  observed 
several  small  heaps  of  congealed  blood,  all 
round  the  place  where  I  had  lain,  upon  the 
ground  ;  on  examining  which,  the  surgeon 
judged  that  I  had  lost  at  least  twelve  or 
fourteen  ounces  of  blood." 

"  Some  years  ago,"  says  Mr.  Waterton, 
in  his  "  Wanderings  in  South  America,"  "I 
went  to  the  river  Paumaron,  with  a  Scotch 
gentleman,  by  the  name  of  Tarbet.  We 
hung  our  hammocks  in  the  thatched  loft  of 
a  planter's  house.  Next  morning,  I  heard 
thi.'!  gentleman  muttering  in  his  hammock, 
and  now  and  then  letting  fall  an  impreca- 
tion or  two,  just  about  the  time  he  ought  to 
have  been  saying  his  morning  prayers. 
'  What  is  the  matter,  sir  ? '  said  I,  softly ; 
'  is  anything  amiss  ? '  '  What 's  the  matter  ? ' 
answered  he,  surlily ;  '  why,  the  vampyres 


have  been  sucking  me  to  death.'  As  soon 
as  there  was  light  enough,  I  went  to  his 
hammock,  and  saw  it  much  stained  with 
blood.  '  Tiiere,' said  he,  thrusting  his  foot 
out  of  the  hammock,  '  see  how  these  infernal 
imps  have  been  drawing  my  life's  blood.' 
On  examining  his  foot,  I  fo'irid  the  vampj're 
had  tapped  his  great  toe.  There  was  a 
wound  somewhat  less  than  that  made  by  a 
leech.  The  blood  was  still  oozing  from  it. 
I  conjectured  he  might  have  lost  from  ten 
to  twelve  ounces  of  blood.  Whilst  examin- 
ing it,  I  think  I  put  him  into  a  worse  humor, 
by  remarking  that  a  European  surgeon 
would  not  have  been  so  generous  as  to  have 
blooded  him  without  making  any  charge. 
He  looked  up  in  my  face,  but  did  not  say  a 
word.  I  saw  he  was  of  opinion  that  I  had 
better  have  spared  this  piece  of  ill-timed 
levity." 


THE   FLAMINGO. 

This  bird  resembles  the  family  of  cranes 
in  its  long  neck  and  legs  ;  but  in  many  other 
respects  it  is  quite  diflcrent.  It  is  taller  and 
larger,  and  being  of  a  bright  scarlet  color,  is 
more  gaudy.  Its  body  is  about  the  size  of  a 
swan,  but  such  is  the  enormous  length  of  its 
neck  and  legs,  that  when  it  stands  upright, 
it  is  six  feet  and  a  half  high. 

This  strange  bird  was  formerly  '.bund  in 
Europe,  but  its  beauty,  size,  ant'  delicate 
flesh,  caused  it  to  be  hunted  so  riuch,  that 
it  has  nearly  disappeared  there.  Alor.g  the 
southern  waters  of  the  United  StaU.s,  and 
around  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  it  is  common. 
It  has,  however,  become  very  ^atc'iful,  and 
is  not  easily  killed. 


SERPENTS. 


Serpents  are  not  favorites ;  they  appear, 
HI  all  countries  and  all  ap-es,  to  be  hatcil 
by  man.  This  arises,  donbtless,  from  the 
.'iteaJthy,  gliding  character  of  the  race,  and 
from  the  venomous  qualities  which  belong 
to  a  large  part  of  the  species.  Perhaps, 
too,  wo  owe  these  creatures  a  grndge,  from 
the  trick  which  was  played  olT  upon  our 
mother  Eve,  by  a  certain  personage,  who 
took  the  guise  of  a  serpent.  At  all  events, 
no  expression  of  detestation  can  be  stronger 
than  that  conveyed  by  the  proverb,  —  "A 
\  snake  in  the  grass  ! " 

/  Nevertheless,  an  amusing  chapter  might 
<  be  made  upon  serpents.  For  the  present, 
>  however,  we  content  ourselves  with  a  few 
I  extracts,  remarking,  by  the  way,  that  no 
5  department  of  nature  seems  more  varied 
5  than  this,  as  we  have  serpents  of  all  colors, 
{  and  all  sizes,  from  an  inch  to  fifty  feet  in 
length.  It  is  probable,  in  early  times,  when 
the  arts  were  little  known,  and  mankind 
were  but  thinly  scattered  over  the  earth,  that 
serpents  —  continuing  undisturbed  possess- 
ors of  the  forest — grew  to  an  amazing  mag- 
nitude, so  that  every  other  tribe  of  animals 
fell  before  them.  We  have  many  histories 
';'  of  antiquity,  presenting  us  such  u  picture  ; 
'■    and  exhibitinrr  a  wliole  nation  sinking  under 


the  ravages  of  a  single  serpent.     We  are 
told,  that  while  Rpgulus  led  his  army  along 
the  banks  of  the  river  Bagmda,  in  Africa, 
an  enormous  serpent  disputed  his  passage 
over  !     We  are  assured  by  Pliny,  wiio  says 
that  he  himself  saw  the  skin,  that  it  wfis  a   i 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  long,  and  that  it  < 
had  destroyed  many  of  the  army.     At  last,   > 
however,  the  battering  engines  were  brought   | 
r-ut  against  it,  and  these  assailing  it  from  a   t 
distance,  it  was  soon  destroyed.  { 

Leguat  assures  us  that  he  saw  a  serpent  i 
in  Java  that  was  fifty  feet  long     and  Carli   > 
mentions  their  growing  to  above  forty  feet.   5 
Mr.  Wentworth,  who  had  large  concerns  in   | 
Guiana,  assures   us   that   in   that   country   5 
they  grow  to  an  enormous  length.     He  one   j 
day  sent  out  a  soldier  with  an  (ndian  to  kill 
a  wild  fowl,  for  the  table  ;  and  they  accord- 
ingly went  some  miles  from  the  fort.     In 
pursuing  their  game,  the  Indian,  who  gen- 
erally  marched   before,   beginning   to  tire, 
went  to  rest  himself  upon  the  f.illen  trunk 
of  a  tree,  as  he  supposed  it  to  be  ;  but  when 
he  was  just  going  to  sit  down,  the  enormous 
monster  began  to  move,  and  the  poor  sav- 
age, perceiving  that  he  had  approached  a 
Liboya,  the  greatest  of  all  the  serpent  kind, 
dropped  down  in  an  agony  of  fear. 


20 


THE    AMERICAN    PANTHER. 


The  soldier,  who  perceived  at  some  dis- 
tance what  had  happened,  levelled  at  the 
serpent's  head,  and,  by  a  lucky  aim,  shot 
it  dead.     However,   he  continued   his  fire 
until  he  was  assured  that  the  animal  was 
killed  ;   and   then,  going  up  to  rescue  his 
i   companion,  who  was  fallen  motionless  by 
5   its  side,  he,  to  his  astonishment,  found  him 
I   dead  likewise,  being  killed  by  the  fright  ! 
J   Upon  his    return    to  the    fort,   and   telling 
what   had    happened,  Mr.  Wentworth   or- 
dered the  animal  to  be  brought  up,  when 
it  was  measured,  and  found  to  be  thirty-si.x 
feet  long. 

In  the  East  Indies  serpents  grow  also  to 
an  enormous  size  ;  particularly  in  the  island 
of  Java,  where  we  are  assured  that  one  of 
them  will  destroy  and  devour  a  buflalo.  In 
a  letter  printed  in  the  German  Epheme- 
rides,  we  have  an  account  of  a  combat  be- 
tween an  enormous  serpent  and  a  buffiilo, 
by  a  person  who  assures  us  that  he  was 
himself  a  spectator.  The  serpent  had  for 
some  time  been  waiting  near  the  brink  of 


a  pool,  in  expectation  of  its  prey,  when  a 
buffalo  was  the  first  that  ofTered.  Havnig 
darted  upon  the  affrighted  animal,  it  in- 
stantly began  to  wrap  it  round  with  its 
voluminous  twistings  ;  and  at  every  twist 
the  bones  of  the  buffalo  were  heard  to  crack 
almost  as  loud  as  the  report  of  a  cannon. 
It  was  in  vain  that  the  poor  animal  strug- 
gled and  bellowed ;  its  enormous  enemy 
entwined  it  too  closely  to  get  free  ;  till  at 
length  all  its  bones  being  mashed  to  pieces, 
like  those  of  a  malefactor  on  the  wheel,  and 
the  whole  body  reduced  to  one  uniform 
mass,  the  serpent  untwined  its  folds  to 
swallow  its  prey  at  leisure.  To  prepare 
for  this,  and  in  order  to  make  the  body  slip 
down  the  throat  more  readily,  it  was  seen 
to  lick  the  whole  body  over,  and  thus  cover 
it  with  its  mucus.  It  then  began  to  swallow 
it  at  that  end  that  offered  least  resistance, 
while  its  length  of  body  was  dilated  to  re- 
ceive its  prey,  and  thus  it  took  in  at  once  a 
morsel  that  was  three  times  its  own  thick- 
ness ! 


{ 


THE   AMERICAN   PANTHER. 


This  animal  goes  under  the  various 
names  of  the  American  lion,  the  Ameri- 
can panther,  the  puma,  the  cougar,  the 
catamount,  and  the  painter.  He  is  peculiar 
to  this  continent,  roaming  over  the  woods 
of  both  North  and  South  America.  He 
ha.->  great  strength,  being  able  to  carry  off" 
a  slieep  or  deer  at  a  gallop  ;  but  he  prefers 
rather  to  live  ty  his  wit  than  his  povifer. 
He  always  creeps  upon  his  victim  with  a 
sly   and    noiseless    step,    and    when    at   a 


proper  distance,  rushes  upon  it  with  a 
bound,  and  grapples  it  with  his  formidable 
claws  and  teeth.  The  panther  was  once 
common  in  New  England ;  but  he  has  now 
emigrated  westward. 

A  great  many  adventures  have  taken  place 
with  this  creature  in  the  woods.  We  can 
give  but  one  of  the  stories  told  of  it. 

"  Two  hunters,  accompanied  by  two  dogs, 
went  out  in  quest  of  game,  near  the  Catskill 
Mountains.    At  the  foot  of  a  large  hill,  they 


THE    WALRUS. 


21   i 


agreed  to  go  round  it  in  opposite  directions, 
and  when  either  discharged  his  rifle,  the 
other  was  to  hasten  towards  him,  to  aid  in 
securing  the  game.  Soon  after  parting, 
the  report  of  a  rifle  was  heard  by  one  of 
them,  who,  hastening  towards  the  spot, 
after  some  search,  found  nothing  but  the 
dog,  dreadfully  lacerated  and  dead.  He 
now  be;ame  much  alarmed  for  the  fate  of 
his  companion,  and  while  anxiously  look- 
ing around,  was  horror-struck  by  the  harsh 
growl  of  a  cougar,  which  he  perceived  on  a 
large  limb  of  a  tree,  crouching  upon  the 
body  of  his   friend,  and  apparently  medi- 


tating an  attack  on  himself.  Instantly  he 
levelled  his  rifle  at  the  beast,  and  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  wound  it  mortally,  when  it 
fell  to  the  ground,  along  with  the  body  of 
his  slaughtered  companion.  His  dog  then 
rushed  upon  the  wounded  cougar,  which 
with  one  blow  of  its  paw  laid  the  poor 
animal  dead  by  its  side.  The  surviving 
hunter  now  left  the  spot,  and  quickly  re- 
turned with  several  other  persons,  when 
they  found  the  lifeless  cougar  extended 
near  the  dead  bodies  of  the  hunter  and  the 
faithful  dog." 


■^A 


THE  WALRUS. 


There  is  only  one  species  of  this  re- 
;:  niarkabie  animal,  yet  the  singularity  of  its 
appearance  has  procured  for  it  a  variety 
of  names,  as  the  morse,  the  sea-cow,  the 
sea-horse,  &c.  The  only  animal  which  it 
resembles  is  the  seal.  It  has  two  large  tusks 
growing  out  of  the  upper  jaw,  directed  down- 
wards. From  the  high  latitudes  to  which 
the  walrus  is  chiefly  couiincd,  there  has 
been  but  little  ascertained  respecting  it.  It 
is  not  even  known  with  certainty  upon  what 
it  feeds.  Some  suppose  its  food  to  be  en- 
tirely animal ;  whilst  others  have  represented 
it  as  feeding  upon  sea-weed.  It  is  probable, 
however,  that  it  may  turn  over  the  sea-weed 
with  its  long  tusks,  to  dislodge  the  animals 
upon  which  it  feeds  from  the  rocks. 

The  walrus  is  sometimes  found  eighteen 
feet  long,  with  tusks  about  two  feet  in 
length.    Its  general  color  is  brown.     It  is  a 


social  animal,  and  resorts  in  gTe?.t  number* 
to  favorite  places  on  the  far  northern  coast, 
where  it  lies  on  rocks  and  icebergs,  till 
hunger  compels  it  to  resort  to  the  water 
for  food.  It  is  not  active  on  land,  but  it> 
tusks  enable  it  to  climb  up  high  banks  with 
facility. 

The  walrus  is  esteemed  for  the  oil  which 
it  afl!l)rds.  Their  tusks  also  are  very  valu- 
able. They  are  hunted  for  these  articles, 
the  ivory  being  harder  and  whiter  than 
that  of  the  clepliant.  When  one  of  these 
animals  is  encountered  on  the  ice,  or  in  the 
water,  the  h\mtcr  strikes  him  with  a  strong 
harpoon  made  expressly  for  this  purpose. 
The  animal  is  then  drawn  to  the  nearest 
flat  iceberg.  They  then  flay  him,  separate 
the  two  tusks  from  the  head,  cut  out  the 
fat,  and' carry  it  to  the  vessel.  A  walrus 
will  furnish  half  a  ton  of  oil. 


^~»« 


THE   BRITISH   MUSEUM. 


This  vast  establishment  is  situated  in 
Great  Russell  street,  Bloomsbury,  London. 
It  consists  of  an  immense  collection  of 
specimens  in  natural  history,  ancient  coins 
and  medals,  ancient  manuscripts,  paintintjs, 
sculptures,  and  antiquities,  Grecian,  Roman,  | 
Egyptian,  &c.  This  institution  originated, 
many  years  since,  in  individual  and  private 
collections  ;  these  were  purchased  by  gov- 
ernment, and  the  establishment,  having 
become  a  national  one,  has  been  liberally 
endowed,  and    is  now  the   most   splendid 


assemblage  of  curiosities  in  the  world.  It 
consists  of  a  sufficient  number  of  rooms 
almost  to  make  a  village,  and  in  these  the 
specimens  are  arranged  in  the  manner 
deemed  most  convenient  for  public  exhibi- 
tion and  the  use  of  persons  who  wish  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  collection  for  study. 
It  is  open  to  the  public,  and  is,  in  fact,  a 
great  resort,  not  only  for  the  learned,  but 
for  the  people  at  large,  from  the  nobleman  i 
to  the  mechanic.  ' 

Another  institution  of  great  interest,  and   | 


THE    IGUANODON. 


23 


01  similar  design,  is  the  Sloanean  Museum, 
devoted  to  architecture.  The  engraving  at 
the  head  of  this  article  presents  one  of  the 
rooms  in  this  edifice,  which  in  fact  is  the 
former  residence  of  Sir  John  Sloan,  the 
originator  of  the  institution.  It  is  situated 
in  Lincoln's  Inn  fields,  and  is  fitted  np  with 
great  skill  and  spendor  for  its  present  object. 
The  apartment  represented  in  the  en- 
graving is  called  the  sarcopha^is  room,  on 
account  of  its  being  the  place  of  deposit  for 
the  celebrated  alabaster  colhn,  brought  from 


is  covered  inside  and  out  with  hieroglyhic 
paintings. 

This  curiosity  was  brought  from  the  caves 
of  Gournon,  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and 
no  doubt,  from  the  vast  labor  bestowed 
upon  its  construction,  was  the  sepulchre  of 
some  rich  and  famous  person.  When  dis- 
covered, however,  it  was  vacant  —  the  re- 
mains which  it  once  enclosed  having  been, 
doubtless,  carried  away.  The  price  paid 
for  this  specimen  of  art  was  ten  thousand 
dollars !     It   has   been    called    Alexander's, 


Egypt  by  the  renowned  traveller  and  ex-  lonrb,  but  there  are  no  grounds  for  such  a 
plorer,  Belzoni.     It  is  finely  chiselled,  and  designation. 


THE   IGUANODON. 


We  have  already  mentioned  this  mon- 
ster, of  which  the  race  is  now  extinct.  His 
bones  were  discovered  in  the  south  of  Eng- 
land, by  Dr.  Rlantel,  a  celebrated  geologist. 

From  an  examination  of  tlie  teeth,  the 
iguanodon  must  have  lived  upon  vegetables. 
He  was  in  fact  an  immense  lizard,  70  feet 
in  length,  and  14  in  circumference.  Though 
his  legs  were  short,  the  thigii-bone  was  22 
inches  round,  at  the  smallest  part.  On  the 
nose  the  animal  had  a  horn,  something  like 
that  of  a  rhinoceros.  Along  his  back  was  a 
row  of  spines,  like  those  of  the  iguana,  found 
in  South  America  and  the  West  Indies. 

We  can  conceive  of  nothing  more  terrible 
than  the  appearance  of  this  creature,  when 
alive.  A  crocodile  or  alligator  is  a  frightful 
object,  especially  when  roused   to  action  ; 


but  how  much  more  so  must  have  been  tho 
iguanodon,  with  his  enormous  teeth,  his 
bristling  spines,  and  his  horned  snout,  con- 
sidering also  that  he  was  five  times  larger 
than  the  largest  crocodile  ever  known. 

Although  few  specimens  of  the  bones  of 
the  iguanodon  liave  been  found,  we  know 
that  at  a  former  age  of  the  world  there  must 
have  been  many  of  these  creatures;  and  at 
the  same  time  there  were  other  wonderful 
animals,  fit  to  be  neighbors  and  companions 
of  such  monsters.  Indeed,  ages  ago,  the 
world  seems  to  have  been  filled  with  strange, 
uncouth  creatures.  Jlost  of  these  disap- 
peared before  the  creation  of  man,  (hough 
some  remained  to  a  later  period.  Of  the 
latter,  we  may  mention  the  Mastodon,  re 
sembling  the  elphant. 


LORD  BACON. 


This  celebrated  man  was  bom  at  York-  j, 
House,  in  the  Strand,  London,  January 
22,  1561.  His  father,  Nicholas  Bacon, 
was  an  eminent  lau'yer,  and  lord-keeper 
of  the  great  seal,  during  the  first  twenty 
years  of  Elizabeth's  reign. 

In  boyhood,  Francis  Bacon  was  remark- 
able for  sprightliness,  and  the  smartness 
of  his  observations.  The  queen,  who  was 
much  taken  with  him,  used  to  try  him  with 
questions  on  various  subjects.  Upon  one 
occasion,  she  asked  him  how  old  he  was  ; 
his  reply  conveyed  an  ingenious  compli- 
ment. "  I  am  just  two  years  younger 
than  your  majesty's  happy  reign,"  said  he. 
This  occurred  when  he  was  about  six  years 
old. 

We  know  little  of  Bacon's  early  educa- 
tion ;  but  as  his  father  was  a  distinguished 


.statesman,  and  his  mother  a  woman  of 
superior  mind,  as  well  as  of  learning  and 
piety,  there  is  little  doubt  that  he  had  every 
advantage.  In  his  thirteenth  year,  he  was 
sent  to  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  where 
he  studied  with  diligence  and  success. 

On  leaving  Cambridge,  Bacon  entered 
Gray's-Inn,  as  a  student  at  law.  He  soon 
after  went  to  Paris,  in  the  suite  of  the 
British  ambassador,  and  travelled  in  several 
countries  on  the  continent.  His  father  died 
in  1579  ;  he  then  returned  to  London,  and 
found  that  he  was  the  only  one  of  the 
family  unprovided  for.  This  compelled 
him  to  rely  upon  his  ovni  efforts.  He  de- 
voted himself  earnestly  to  the  study  of  the 
law  ;  but  yet  the  love  of  philosophy  was  m 
him,  and  at  this  early  period  he  planned 
his  great  work,  the  Orgaium,  and  which, 


LOED   BACON. 


25 


in  the  exultation  of  his  youthful  fancy, 
he  proposed  to  call  The  greatest  Birth  of 
Time. 

In  1592,  Bacon  was  returned  to  parlia- 
ment for  tlie  county  of  Middlesex,  and  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  the  debates  by  taking 
the  popular  side.  In  1596,  he  published 
his  "  Essays,  or  Counsels,  Civil  and  Jloral," 
a  work  full  of  profound  thought  and  useful 
observation.  He  was  now  in  very  embar- 
rassed circumstances,  and  sought  to  mend 
them  by  a  rich  marriage.  In  this  he  failed, 
and  was  twice  arrested  for  debt. 
;  Upon  the  accession  of  James  I.,  in  1603, 
;  his  fortunes  brightened.  He  had  taken  un- 
wearied pains,  by  writing  to  various  indu- 
ential  persons  in  Scotland,  to  have  himself 
recommended  to  the  king ;  and  in  this  he 
was  successful.  His  majesty  came  to  Lon- 
don prepossessed  in  his  favor,  and  soon  be- 
stowed upon  him  the  honor  of  knighthood. 
He  now  rose  rapidly,  as  well  in  his  profession 
as  in  preferment.  He  was  made  solicitor- 
general,  and  held  other  offices.  About  1607, 
he  married  Alice  Barnum,  daughter  of  a 
rich  alderman  of  London. 

Determined  to  lose  no  opportunity  to  pay 
his  court  to  the  king,  and  now  being  attor- 
ney-general, he  took  measures  for  the  con- 
viction of  an  aged  minister  of  the  gospel,  by 
tlic  name  of  Peacham,  whicii  has  stamped 
his  memory  with  indelible  shame.  This 
clergyman  was  apprehended  for  having  in 
his  possession  a  written  sermon,  in  which 
it  was  alleged  there  were  some  treasonable 
passages.  It  was  desired  by  the  court  that 
he  should  be  punished,  but  the  proof  was 
inadequate.  The  practice  of  torture,  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  evidence,  had  been 
common  in  the  civil  courts  of  England, 
though  it  was  not  theoretically  avowed  by 
the  law.  Bacon,  however,  gave  his  opinion 
in  favor  of  torture  in  the  present  case,  and 
the  old  minister  was  put  to  the  rack.  He, 
however,  would  confess  nothing,  and  Bacon 
complained  to  the  king  that  he  had  a  "dumb 
devil."  The  proof  being  insuflicient,  the 
attorney-general  did  not  now  hesitate  to 
tamper  with  the  judges,  and  attempt  to 
persuade  them  to  convict  the  prisoner.  In 
this  he  failed,  and  accordingly  the  brave 
old  man,  not  being  ex-ocuted,  was  permitted 
the  grace  of  drawing  out  his  miserable 
existence  in  gaol.  What  tales  of  horror 
linger  in  the  prisons  of  pious  kings  and 
holy  judges ! 

Though  involved  in  politics,  and  a  sedu- 
lous courtier,  as  well  as  an  active  lawyer, 
Bacon  still  found  time  to  cultivate  philoso- 
phy, and  at  dilferent  periods  published  sev- 


eral works,  all  displaying  wonderful  powers 
of  mind,  and  seeming  to  show  habits  of 
thought,  and  a  current  of  feeling,  utterly  at 
variance  with  the  life  he  led.  He  passed 
through  various  stages  of  preferment,  and 
in  1617  was  made  lord-chancellor,  and  in 
1619  received  the  title  of  Viscount  St.  Al- 
bans. He  had  now  reached  the  pinnacle 
of  his  wishes  and  the  acme  of  his  fame.  In 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1620,  he  kept  his 
birth-day  with  great  state,  at  York-House, 
the  place  of  his  birth. 

Bacon's  literary  reputation  was  not  less 
brilliant  than  his  political  and  professional 
fame.  He  was  aware  that  his  great  work, 
the  Orga/ion,  in  which  he  set  forth  prin- 
ciples of  philosophy  which  were  to  guide 
future  ages,  was  one  which  would  startle 
the  world  by  the  novelty  of  its  doctrines, 
and  perhaps  subject  him  to  temporary  re- 
proach. He  elaborated  it  with  the  utmost 
care,  and  copied  and  revised  it  throughout 
no  less  than  twelve  times.  Taking  advan- 
tage of  his  present  elevated  position,  he 
ventured  upon  its  publication. 

This  work  has  now  taken  its  rank  among 
the  highest  productions  of  the  human  mind  ; 
but  it  was  at  first  received  with  mingled 
sneers  and  admiration.  Wits  and  geniuses 
turned  it  into  ridicule.  Dr.  Andrews,  a 
wag  of  the  time,  wrote  some  doggerel  lines, 
in  which  he  spoke  of  St.  Albans,  which  fur- 
nished Bacon  his  title,  as  on  the  high  road 
to  Duncctablc,  —  that  is,  Dunstable!  The 
pedantic  king,  who  was  sadly  bothered  with 
the  book,  said  it  was  "  like  the  peace  of 
God  —  that  passeth  all  understanding  !  " 
Sir  Edmund  Coke  wrote,  in  the  title-page, 
under  the  device  of  a  ship, 

"  It  dcscrveth  not  to  he  read  in  schools, 
Hut  to  lie  freighted  in  the  ship  of  fools." 

Bacon  was,  however,  iniderstood  by  some. 
Ben  Jonson,  soon  after  his  lordship's  death, 
spoke  of  the  work  in  exalted  terms  ;  and 
Sir  Henry  Walton,  who  had  received  a 
copy  from  tlie  author,  wrote  to  him  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Your  lordship  hath  done  a  great 
and  everlasting  benefit  to  all  the  children 
of  nature  and  to  nature  herself —  who  never 
before  had  so  noble  and  so  true  an  interpre- 
ter." On  the  continent  the  work  was  still 
more  favorably  received  tiian  at  home. 

But  from  this  point  the  sun  of  Bacon 
declined,  and  soon  set  forever.  While  he 
was  seeking  with  anxious  care  and  patient 
toil  to  establish  his  literary  reputation,  he 
was  laying  the  train  which  would  ere  long 
explode,  and  blacken  his  name  with  ever- 
lasting infamy.  He  had  run  into  a  course 
of  lavish  expenditures,  and  though  his  in- 


26 


CHIVALRY. 


come  was  enormous,  it  was  still  insufficient 
to  supply  his  wants.  He  became  unscrupu- 
lous as  to  tlie  means  in  which  he  obtained 
money  ;  his  principles  were  undermined  ; 
and  at  last  he  did  not  scruple  to  use  his 
official  power  to  replenish  his  purse. 

Inquiry  into  these  practices  was  set  on 
foot,  and  Lord  Bacon  was  found  guilty. 
He  was  stripped  of  his  offices,  and  impris- 
oned for  a  time  in  the  Tower.  He  now 
returned  to  private  life,  and  devoted  him- 
self to  study,  till  his  death,  in  1626.     He 


was  one  of  the  greatest  of  English  philoso- 
phers, and  his  works  have  had  a  prodigious 
effect  on  mankind.  He  was  the  first  writer, 
in  modern  times,  to  point  out  clearl)'  and 
distinctly  the  true  principles  of  philosophy, 
or  the  rule  for  the  discovery  of  truth.  His 
malversations  in  office  were  great,  but  it 
is  perfectly  well  known  that  they  were  of 
a  kind  common  in  his  day,  and  we  may, 
therefore,  plead  this  as  some  alleviation  of 
the  heavy  sentence  which  has  been  passed 
upon  him. 


CHIVALRY. 


The  institution  and  spirit  of  chivalry 
form  a  prominent  and  important  feature  of 
history,  and  have  been  regarded  by  writers 
and  men  of  erudition  in  various  points  of 
view ;  while  some  have  condemned  it 
as  altogether  injurious  and  absurd,  others 
have  dignified  it  with  the  title  of  sublime  ! 
There  have  been  found  men  of  modern 
days,  and  those  the  fortunate  possessors  of 
more  than  common  abilities,  who  could 
sigh  over  the  degeneracy  of  the  times,  and 
lament  that  the  age  of  chivalry  is  gone. 
But  if  the  material  and  least  worthy  part 
of  it  has  passed  away,  its  spirit  still  re- 
mains, still  invites  men  to  high  and  honor- 
able deeds,  and  is  indeed  imperishable  and 


immortal.  The  vows  of  knighthood,  the 
ceremonials  of  installations,  the  pomp  and 
ceremony  of  knightly  feats,  have  gone;  but 
the  devotion  of  the  patriot,  the  ardor  of  the 
warrior,  the  warmth  of  the  lover,  the  fidelity 
of  the  friend,  the  loyalty  and  truth  of  the 
man  of  honor,  do  not  sleep  in  the  graves  of 
Charlemagne,  Roland,  and  Bayard. 

In  seeking  for  the  origin  of  chivahy,  we 
are  led  back  to  the  feudal  ages,  and  the  con- 
sideration of  the  condition  of  the  Geomanic 
tribes,  when  its  peculiar  spirit  first  bea-an  to 
display  itself.  The  tribes  were  composed, 
not  of  superiors  and  inferiors,  but  of  masters 
and  slaves  ;  of  men  whose  birthright  was 
ease  and  honor,  and  of  others  who  inherited  ;| 


27 


the  bond  of  ceaseless  toil.  By  the  noble- 
bom,  labor  of  any  kind  was  considered  dc- 
gradmg,  and  the  profession  of  arms  alone 
worthy  of  being  followed  ;  so  that  the  lords 
of  the  soil  were  a  race  of  independent  war- 
riors, whose  thirst  for  fame  was  a  continual 
excitement.  The  different  feudal  sovereigns 
were  nominally  subject  to  a  legitimate 
prince,  and  were  bound  to  follow  his  banner 
into  battle,  at  the  head  of  their  vassals,  and 
to  respond  to  his  call,  by  bringing,  at  a 
moment's  warning,  an  armed  force  to  his 
support.  Still,  when  removed  from  the 
presence  of  his  sovereign,  the  feudal  lord 
was  a  petty  despot,  whose  vassals  felt  that 
he  possessed  absolute  power  of  life  and 
death  over  them. 

Unlimited  authority  gave  rise  to  various 
abuses,  and  it  was  well  that  chivalry,  with 
its  high  tone  of  honor  and  morality,  sprang 
up  in  ages  of  general  darl;noss,  fraud,  and 
oppression.  Great  enterprises  contributed 
to  bind  numbers  of  knights  together,  and 
led  to  the  formation  of  various  societies  and 
orders;  and  when  these  military  adventurers 
were  not  leagued  together  in  any  of  the 
Holy  Wars,  a  reciprocity  of  principle,  and 
an  identity  of  religion,  held  them  in  a  com- 
mon chain.  Animated  by  a  love  of  justice, 
a  veneration  for  the  fair  sex,  a  high-minded 
regard  for  truth,  a  thirst  for  military  glory, 
and  a  contempt  for  danger,  the  knights  went 
forth,  to  brave  peril,  to  rescue  the  unfortunate, 
and  to  crush  the  oppressor.  Numerous  in- 
dividuals set  forth  with  no  fixed  purpose  but 
that  of  discovering  some  wrong  f.nd  right- 
ing It,  and  these  wandering  champions  were 
called  Knights  Errant,  and  their  exploits 
sang  in  camp  and  court  by  the  minstrels, 
whose  lays  immortalized  the  sons  of  chival- 
ry. Chivalry  degenerated,  but  not  rapidly. 
After  the  lapse  of  many  years  from  its 
foundation,  the  number  of  its  ceremonials 
increased,  its  pageantry  was  disgraced  by 
frippery  and  folly,  its  vows  were  unobserved ; 
a  devotion  to  the  sex  was  succeeded  by 
boundless  licentiousness,  and  the  wandering 
spirit  of  knight-errantry  was  displaced  by 
an  affectation  of  eccentricity. 

In  the  fourteenth  century,  the  honors  of 
knighthood  were  restricted  to  the  nobilit}', 
and  then  arose  the  various  forms  and  cere- 
monies, which  at  length  concealed  the 
original  design  of  chivalry,  and  brought  on 
a  premature  decline.  The  knightly  educa- 
t'on  of  a  yo\ith  generally  commenced  with 
his  twelfth  year,  when  he  was  sent  to  the 
court  of  some  noble  pattern  of  chivalry,  to 
learn  dancing,  riding,  the  use  of  his  weapon, 
&c.,  and  where  his  chief  dutj-  was  assiduous 


attention  to  the  ladies  in  the  quality  of 
page.  According  to  his  progress  in  years 
and  accomplishments,  he  became  squire  to 
some  knight,  and  when  he  fairly  merited 
the  distinction,  he  was  himself  knighted. 
This  honor  was  not  conferred  upon  a  youth 
before  his  twenty-first  year,  unless  high 
birth,  or  extraordinary  valor  and  address, 
seemed  to  warrant  the  setting  aside  of  the 
usual  regulation.  Sometimes  the  honor 
was  won  by  many  a  field  of  bloody  toil, 
with  many  drops  of  sweat  and  gore,  and 
not  unfrcquently,  one  daring  achievement, 
artfully  planned,  and  gallantly  carried  into 
execution,  procured  the  wished-for  spurs, 
and  the  anticijiated  accolade. 

The  ceremony  of  conferring  knighthood 
was  often  performed  on  the  field  of  battle, 
where  the  honor  had  been  earned  ;  often  it 
required  and  received  the  most  imposing 
preparations  and  ceremonies.  The  young 
candidate  guarded  his  arms  for  a  night,  and 
this  was  called  the  vigil  of  arms.  In  the 
morning,  he  bathed  in  water,  which  was 
the  emblem  of  the  truth  and  purity  which 
he  swore  to  preserve  sacred.  Clad  in  spot- 
less garments,  he  kneeled  before  the  altar 
of  the  nearest  church,  and,  having  presented 
his  sword  to  the  olliciating  priest,  received  it 
again  with  the  benediction  of  the  reverend 
man.  After  taking  the  oaths  of  allegiance, 
he  knelt  before  his  sovereign,  who  gave  him 
the  accolade,  or  blow  upon  the  neck'  with 
the  flat  of  his  sword,  saluted  the  young 
warrior,  and  said:  "In  the  name  of  God 
and  St.  Michael,  (or,  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,)  I  dub  thee  a 
knight.     Be  loyal,  brave,  and  fortunate." 

It  was  customary  for  two  knights  of  the 
same  age  and  congenial  tempers  to  form  a 
friendship,  and  this  brotherhood  in  arms 
lasted  generally  until  one  of  the  two  was 
laid  in  the  grave.  The  courtesy  of  chivalry 
softened  the  asperity  of  war,  gave  charms 
to  victory,  and  assuaged  to  the  vanquished 
the  pain  of  a  defeat.  All  that  ingenuity 
could  plan,  and  wealth  produce,  to  give 
siilondor  to  knighthood,  was  displayed  in 
the  age  of  chivalry.  Magnificent  tourna- 
ments were  held,  where  even  kings  entered 
the  lists,  and  contended  for  the  prize  of 
valor,  before  the  eyes  of  thousands  of  spec- 
tators, among  whom  beautiful  ladies  ap- 
peared the  most  deeply  interested.  In  fact, 
the  kniglits  often  contended  about  the  charms 
of  tlieir  lady-loves,  and  wore  their  favors  in 
their  helmets.  If  the  ladies  of  Kome  at- 
tended gladiatorial  shows  in  throngs,  we 
cannot  wonder  that  the  beauties  of  the  age 
of  chivalry  looked  forward  to  a  tournament 


28 


with  great  impatience,  and  eagerly  strove 
for  the  honor  of  filling  the  post  of  temporary 
queen  and  distributer  of  the  prizes. 

Chivalry  exerted  a  powerful  influence  on 
poetry,  and  formed  the  subjects  of  the  poems 
of  the  trouhadoiirs,  of  the  south  of  France, 
as  weL  as  supplied  themes  for  the  poetical 
controversies  of  the  knights,  which  were  de- 
cided at  the  cours  d'amour,  (courts  of  love,) 
first  established  in  Provence.  Even  after 
chivalry  had  died  away,  its  influence  was 
not  unfelt  by  poetry,  which  retained  the 
tone  it  had  imparted  for  many  centuries. 
The  songs  of  the  troubadours  were  divided 
into  amatory  songs,  duets,  pastorals,  sere- 
nades, ballads,  poetical  colloquies,  &c. 

In  the  romances  of  chivalry  we  behold 
paladins  and  peers,  sorcerers,  fairies,  winged 
and  intelligent  horses,  invisible  or  invulner- 
able men,  magicians,  who  are  interested  in 
the  birth  and  education  of  knights,  enchant- 
ed palaces ;  in  a  word,  the  creation  of  a  new 
world,  which  leaves  our  vulgar  planet  far 
beneath  it.  Paladins,  never  without  arms, 
in  a  country  bristling  with  fortresses,  find 
their  delight  and  honor  in  punishing  injus- 
tice and  defending  weakness.  The  chiv- 
alric  romances  may  be  divided  into  three 
classes  ;  —  those  of  the  Round  Table,  those 
of  Charlemagne,  and,  lastly,  those  of  Ama- 
dis,  which  belong  to  a  later  century.  It  will 
suffice  to  speak  of  the  former.  The  ro- 
mances of  the  Round  Table  recount  tales  of 
the  cup  from  which  Jesus  Christ  drank  with 
Joseph,  of  A-rimathea  !  This  cup  had  per- 
formed such  prodigies,  that  we  are  not  as- 


tonished that  those  valorous  knights  of  the 
Round  Table,  Lancelot,  Perceval,  and  Perce- 
forest,  are  united  with  the  determination 
to  recover  it.  These  pmix  chevaliers  are 
the  perpetual  heroes  of  these  romances. 
Lancelot  is  attached  to  Genicore,  the  wife 
of  King  Arthur,  and  his  marvellous  exploits 
excited  the  admiration  of  contemporaries. 
Three  centuries  after,  lords  and  ladies  were 
still  delighted  at  the  recital  of  "  the  very 
elegant,  delicious,  mellifluous,  and  very 
pleasant  historie  of  the  very  noble  and 
very  victorious  Perceforest."  Amidst  many 
pages  of  wearisome  insipidity,  we  find  some 
happy  descriptions  and  situations  detailed, 
and  graphic  portraits  of  feudal  men  and 
manners. 

The  absurdities  of  chivalry  afforded  scope 
for  the  satirical  and  comic  powers  of  Cer- 
vantes, and  the  adventures  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Don  Quixote  are  read  with  an  interest 
which  few  works  of  similar  character  in- 
spire. Every  feature  of  chivalry  is  happily 
burlesqued,  and  the  Don  goes  through  all 
the  ceremonials  with  a  ludicrous  gravity 
which  is  perfectly  irresistible.  The  perti- 
nacity with  which  the  knights  maintained 
the  preeminence  of  the  ladies  of  their  affec- 
tions, is  finely  satirized  in  the  election  which 
Don  Qui.xote  makes  of  a  hideous  countrj'- 
wench,  whose  charms  he  celebrates  after 
the  most  approved  fashion,  and  with  un- 
ceasing devotion.  Few  ladies  of  chivalric 
romance  have  attained  a  degree  of  repu- 
tation comparable  to  that  of  the  immortal 
Dulcinea  del  Toboso. 


THE   LION. 


This  animal  stands  at  the  head  of  the 
numerous  family  of  cats,  and  has  often  been 
ranked  by  naturalists  as  the  lord  of  the 
brute  creation,  and  holding  the  same  rela- 


tion to  quadrupeds  as  the  eagle  does  to 
birds. 

Like  all  the  rest  of  his  genus,  the  lion   < 
steals  upon  his  prey,  and,  when  at  a  proper  \ 


29 


distance,  rushes  upon  it  with  a  bound,  se- 
curing- it  with  his  sharp  claws.  In  general 
he  is  cowardly ;  but,  in  pursuit  of  his  prey, 
he  is,  to  tlie  last  degree,  fearless  and  fero- 
cious. His  strength  is  so  great  that  he  can 
break  a  man  3  skull  with  the  stroke  of  his 
paw,  and  can  drag  the  body  of  a  cow  over 
the  ground  at  a  gallop.  His  roar  is  terrific, 
and  when  heard,  the  animals  around  seem 
agitated  with  the  wildest  terror.  The  lion 
is  common  in  the  hot  parts  of  Africa,  and  is 
occasionally  found  in  India. 

It  is  probable  that  the  lion  does  not  usual- 
ly venture  upon  any  one  who  puts  himself 
in  a  posture  of  defence.  The  following 
anecdote  would  seem  to  show  that  this  is 
the  case.  A  young  man  was  walking,  one 
day,  on  his  lands  in  the  southern  parts  of 
Africa,  when  he  unexpectedly  met  a  large 
lion.  Being  an  excellent  shot,  he  thought 
himself  sure  of  killing  him,  and  therefore 
fired.  But,  unfortunately,  the  charge  had 
been  in  the  piece  for  some  time,  and  the 
ball  fell  before  it  reached  the  animal.  The 
young  man,  seized  with  panic,  now  took  to 
his  heels  ;  but  being  soon  out  of  breath,  and 
closely  pursued  by  the  lion,  he  jumped  upon 
a  little  heap  of  stones,  and  there  made  a 
stand,  presenting  the  butt-end  of  his  gun  to 
his  adversary,  fully  resolved  to  defend  his 
life  as  well  as  he  could.  This  movement 
had  such  an  effect  upon  the  lion,  that  he 
likewise  came  to  a  stand  ;  and,  what  was 
still  more  singular,  laid  himself  down  at 
some  paces'  distance  from  the  stones,  seem- 
ingly quite  unconcerned.  The  sportsman, 
in  the  mean  while,  did  not  dare  to  stir  a 
step  from  the  spot ;  besides,  in  his  flight,  he 
iiad  lost  his  powder-horn.  At  length,  after 
waiting  a  good  half  hour,  the  lion  rose  up, 
and  retreated  slowly,  step  by  step,  as  if  it 
had  a  mind  to  steal  otf ;  but  as  soon  as  it 
got  to  a  greater  distance,  it  began  to  bound 
away  with  great  rapidity. 

To  the  traveller  in  Africa,  the  lion  is  for- 
midable not  at  night  only  ;  he  li(^s  in  his 
path,  and  is  with  difficulty  disturbed,  to 
allow  a  passage  for  his  wagons  and  cattle, 
even  when  the  sun  is  shining  with  its  utmost 
brilliancy  ;  or  he  is  roused  from  some  bushy 
place  on  the  road-side  by  the  indefatigable 
dogs,  which  always  accompany  a  caravan. 
Mr.  Burch:ll  has  described,  with  great 
spiiit,  an  eu-ounter  of  this  nature  :  — 

"  The  day  was  exceedingly  pleasant,  and 
not  a  cloud  was  to  be  seen.  For  a  mile  or 
two  we  travelled  along  the  banks  of  the 
river,  which  in  this  part  abounded  in  tall 
mat-rushes.  The  dogs  seemed  much  to 
<-njoy  prowling  about,  and  examining  every 


bushy  place,  and  at  last  met  with  some  ob- 
ject among  the  rushes  which  caused  them 
to  set  up  a  most  vehement  and  determined 
barking.  We  explored  the  spot  with  cau- 
tion, as  we  suspected,  from  the  peculiar  tone 
of  their  bark,  that  it  was,  what  it  proved  to 
be,  lions.  Having  encouraged  tlie  dogs  to 
drive  them  out,  a  task  which  they  pcrfonned 
with  great  willingness,  we  had  a  full  view  of 
an  enormous  black-maned  lion  and  lioness. 
The  latter  was  seen  only  for  a  minute,  as 
she  made  her  escape  up  the  river,  under 
concealment  of  the  rushes  ;  but  the  lion 
came  steadily  forward,  and  stood  still  to 
look  at  ns.  At  this  moment  we  felt  our 
situation  not  free  from  danger,  as  the  ani- 
mal seemed  prepared  to  spring  upon  us, 
and  we  were  standing  on  the  bank  at  the 
distance  of  only  a  few  yards  from  him, 
most  of  us  being  on  foot  and  unarmed, 
without  any  visible  possibility  of  escaping. 
I  had  given  up  my  horse  to  the  hunters, 
and  was  on  foot  myself;  but  there  was  no 
time  for  fear,  and  it  was  useless  to  attempt 
avoiding  him.  I  stood  well  upon  my  guard, 
holding  my  pistols  in  my  hand,  with  my 
finger  upon  the  trigger;  and  those  who  had 
muskets  kept  themselves  prepared  in  the 
same  manner.  But  at  this  instant  tlie  dogs 
boldly  flew  in  between  us  and  the  lion,  and 
surrounding  him,  kept  him  at  bay  by  their 
violent  and  resolute  balking.  The  courage 
of  these  faithful  animals  was  most  admirable; 
they  advanced  up  to  the  side  of  the  huge 
beast,  and  stood  making  the  greatest  clamor 
in  his  face,  without  the  least  appearance  of 
fear.  The  lion,  conscious  of  his  strength, 
remained  unmoved  at  their  noisy  attempts, 
and  kept  his  head  turned  towards  ^t 

one  moment,  the  dogs,  perceiving  his  eyes 
thus  engaged,  had  advanced  close  to  his 
feet,  and  seemed  as  if  they  would  actually 
seize  hold  of  him  ;  but  they  paid  dearly  for 
their  imprudence  ;  for,  without  discompos- 
ing the  majestic  and  steady  attitude  in 
which  he  stood  fixed,  he  merely  moved  his 
paw,  and  at  the  next  instant  I  beheld  two 
lying  dead.  In  doing  this,  he  made  so 
little  exertion,  that  it  was  scarcely  percep- 
tible by  what  means  they  had  been  killed. 
Of  the  time  which  we  had  gained  by  the 
interference  of  the  dogs,  not  a  moment  was 
lost.  We  fired  upon  him  ;  one  of  the  balls 
went  through  his  side,  just  between  the 
short  ribs,  and  the  blood  immediately  began 
to  flow ;  but  tlie  animal  still  remained  stand- 
ing in  the  same  position.  We  had  now  no 
doubt  that  he  would  spring  upon  us ;  every 
gun  was  instantly  reloaded  ;  but,  happily, 
we  were  mistaken,  and  were  not  sorry  to 


%%^.'%^(%/V'W^  X 


30 


CHARLES    11.,    OF    ENGLAND. 


see  him  move  quietly  away  ;  thoug-h  I  had 
hoped  in  a  few  minutes  to  have  been  ena- 
bled to  take  hold  of  his  paw  without  danger. 
"  This  was  considered  by  our  party  to  be 
a  lion  of  the  largest  size,  and  seemed,  as  I 
measured  him  by  comparison  with  the  dogs, 
to  be,  though  less  bulky,  as  heavy  as  an  ox. 
He  was  certainly  as  long  in  body,  though 
lower  in  stature;  and  his  copious  mane! 
gave  him  a  truly  formidable  appearance. 
He  was  of  that  varietj'  which  the  Hottentots 
and  boirs  distinguish  by  the  name  of  the' 


black  lion,  on  account  of  the  blacker  color 
of  the  mane,  and  which  is  said  to  be  alwaj's 
larger  and  more  dangerous  than  the  other, 
which  they  call  the  yale  lion.  Of  the  cour- 
age of  a  lion  I  have  no  very  high  opinion  ; 
but  of  his  majestic  air  and  movements,  as 
exhibited  by  this  animal,  while  at  liberty 
in  his  native  plains,  I  can  bear  testimony, 
Notwithstanding  the  pain  of  a  wound,  of 
which  he  must  soon  afterwards  have  died, 
he  moved  slowly  away,  with  a  stately  and 
measured  step." 


111  Iff  I  ^  f>     '     ^^ 


Charles  reluming  to  England,  in  1660,  as  king. 

CHARLES   II.,   OF   ENGLAND. 


This  individual  was  born  in  1630,  and 
was  at  the  Hague  when  his  father,  Charles 
I.,  was  executed.  He  lived  upon  the  conti- 
nent, going  from  one  country  to  another,  de- 
vising schemes  for  succeeding  to  the  throne 
of  England.  The  Scots,  who  had  betrayed 
the  father,  invited  the  son  to  come  there, 
which  he  did,  and  was  crowned  king  in 
16-51.  He  marched  with  an  army  into 
England,  but  was  defeated,  and  obliged  to 
fly  for  his  life.  After  many  perilous  adven- 
tures, he  escaped  to  France. 

In  1660,  Cromwell  being  dead,  and  his 
son  Richard  having  resigned  the  office  of 
Protector,  Charles  was  invited  to  return  by 
General  Monk,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
army.  This  he  did,  and  was  received  with 
demonstrations  of  joy  and  rejoicing  by  the 
people  at  large.  With  him,  licentiousness,  , 
infidelity,  and  frivolity,  returned  to  the  court,  : 
and  infected  the  upper  classes  in  England. 


[He  lived  in  the  unbridled  indulgence  of  his 
appetites  and  passions,  taking  little  interest 
in  public  affairs,  except  to  sell  the  interests 
of  his  country  for  money.  He  was,  hov/- 
ever,  affable  and  witty;  and  by  going  abroad 
without  ostentation,  and  mixing  with  the 
lowest  of  his  subjects,  Charles  obtained  a 
certain  degree  of  popularity,  and  the  name 
of  the  merry  monarch  distinguished  him 
during  his  life.  His  wit  was  ready  and 
pleasant,  as  Rochester,  whose  disposition 
much  resembled  the  monarch's,  happily  ex- 
pressed in  the  epigram  in  which  he  .speaks 
of  Charles  as  one 

"  Who  never  said  a  foolish  thing, 
And  never  did  a  wise  one." 

Charles  and  his  courtiers  being  one  day 
present  at  the  exhibition  of  a  man  who 
daringly  climbed  to  the  spire  of  Salisbury 
cathedral,  and  planted  a  flag  there — the  king 
said  to  his  favorite,  "Faith,  Rochester,  this 


--« 


CHARLES    II.,    OF    ENGLAND. 


31 


man  shall  have  a  patent,  that  no  one  may 
di>  this  but  him?elf !" 

There  never  was  a  more  corrupt,  selfish, 
and  unprincipled  ruler  than  Charles  II.;  yet 
at  his  death,  the  people  seemed  to  mourn 
for  him,  as  if  he  had  been  a  benefactor, — 
such  is  the  seductive  and  alluring  power  of 
monarchy  over  an  ignorant  and  besotted 
nation.  The  closing  scene  of  Charles'  ca- 
reer is  tluis  described  by  Macauley. 

"  The  death  of  King  Charles  II.  took  the 
nation  by  surprise.  His  frame  was  natu- 
rally strong,  and  he  did  not  appear  to  have 
suffered  from  excess.  He  had  always  been 
mindful  of  his  health,  even  in  his  pleasures  ; 
and  his  habits  were  such  as  promise  a 
long  life  and  a  robust  old  age.  Indolent  as 
he  was  on  all  occasions  which  required  ten- 
sion of  the  mind,  he  was  active  and  perse- 
vering in  bodily  exercise.  He  had,  when 
young,  been  renowned  as  a  tennis-player, 
and  was,  even  in  the  decline  of  life,  an 
indefatigable  walker.  His  ordinary  pace 
was  such,  that  those  who  were  admitted  to 
the  honor  of  his  society  found  it  dillicult 
to  keep  up  with  him.  He  rose  early,  and 
generally  passed  three  or  four  hours  a  day 
in  the  open  air.  He  might  be  seen,  before 
the  dew  was  ofT  the  grass,  in  St.  James' 
Park,  striding  among  the  trees,  playing 
with  his  spaniels,  and  flinging  corn  to  his 
ducks  ;  and  these  exhibitions  endeared  him 
to  the  common  people,  who  always  love  to 
see  the  great  unbend. 

"At  length,  towards  the  close  of  the 
year  1681,  he  was  prevented,  b}'  a  slight 
attack  of  what  was  supposed  to  be  gout, 
from  rambling  as  usual.  He  now  spent 
his  mornings  in  his  laboratory,  where  he 
amused  himself  with  experiments  on  the 
properties  of  mercury.  His  temper  seemed 
to  have  suflered  from  confinement.  He  had 
no  apparent  cause  for  disquiet.  His  king- 
dom was  tranquil ;  he  was  not  in  pressing 
want  of  money  ;  his  power  was  greater  than 
it  had  ever  been  ;  the  party  which  had  long 
thwarted  him  had  been  beaten  down  ;  but 
the  cheerfulness  which  had  supported  him 
against  adverse  fortune  had  vanished  in 
this  season  of  prosperity.  A  trifle  now  suf- 
ficed to  depress  those  elastic  spirits,  which 
had  borne  up  against  defeat,  exile,  ar>d 
penury.  His  irritation  frequently  shovyed 
itself  by  looks  and  words,  such  as  could 
hardly  have  been  expected  from  a  man  so 
eminently  distinguished  by  good  humor 
and  good  breeding.  It  was  not  supposed, 
however,  that  his  constitution  was  seriously 
impaired. 

"  His   palace    had   seldom    presented   a 


CTiyer  or  a  more  scandalous  appearance 
than  on  the  evening  of  Sunday,  the  first 
of  February,  16S5.  Some  grave  persons, 
who  had  gone  thither,  after  the  fashion  of 
that  age,  to  pay  their  duty  to  their  sove- 
reign, and  who  had  expected  that,  on  such  a 
day,  his  court  would  wear  a  decent  aspect, 
were  struck  with  astonishment  and  horror. 
The  great  gallery  of  Whitehall,  an  admira- 
ble relic  of  the  magnificence  of  the  Tudors, 
was  crowded  with  revellers  and  gamblers. 
The  king  sat  there,  chatting  and  toying 
with  three  women,  whose  charms  were  the 
boast,  and  whose  vices  were  the  disgrace, 
of  three  nations.  Barbara  Palmer,  Duchess 
of  Cleveland,  was  there,  no  longer  )'oung, 
but  still  retaining  some  traces  of  that  superb 
and  voluptuous  loveliness,  which,  twenty 
years  before,  overcame  the  hearts  of  all  men. 
There,  too,  was  the  Duchess  of  Ports- 
mouth, whose  soft  and  infantine  features 
were  lighted  up  with  the  vivacity  of  France. 
Hortensia  IMancini,  Duchess  of  Mazarin, 
and  niece  of  the  great  Cardinal,  completed 
the  group.  She  had  been  early  removed 
from  her  native  Italy,  to  the  court  where 
her  uncle  was  supreme.  His  power,  and 
her  own  attractions,  had  drawn  a  crowd  of 
illustrious  suitors  around  her.  Charles, 
himself,  during  his  exile,  had  sought  her 
hand  in  vain.  No  gift  of  nature  or  of  for- 
tune seemed  to  be  wanting  to  her.  Her 
face  was  beautiful  with  the  rich  beauty  of 
the  South,  her  understanding  quick,  her 
manners  graceful,  her  rank  exalted,  her 
possessions  immense  ;  but  her  ungovernable 
passions  had  turned  all  these  blessings  into 
curses.  She  had  found  the  misery  of  an 
ill-assorted  marriage  intolerable,  had  fled 
from  her  husband,  had  abandoned  her  vast 
wealth,  and  after  having  astonished  Rome 
and  Piedmont  by  her  adventures,  had  fixed 
her  abode  in  England.  Her  house  was  the 
favorite  resort  of  men  of  wit  and  pleasure, 
who,  for  the  sake  of  her  smiles  and  her 
table,  endured  her  frequent  fits  of  insolence 
and  ill-humor.  Rochester  and  Godolphin 
sometimes  forgot  the  cares  of  state  in  her 
company.  Barillon  and  Saint  Evremond 
found  in  her  drawing-room  consolation  for 
their  long  banishment  from  Paris.  The 
learning  of  Vossius,  the  wit  of  Wallei,  were 
daily  employed  to  flatter  and  amuse  her. 
But  her  diseased  mind  required  stronger 
stimulants,  and  sought  them  in  gallantry, 
in  basset,  and  in  usquebaugh.  While 
Charles  flirted  with  his  three  sultanas, 
Hortensia's  French  page,  a  handsome  boy, 
whose  vocal  performances  were  the  delight 
of  Whitehall,  and  were  rewarded   by  nu- 


32 


CHARLES    U.,    OF    ENGLAND. 


merous  presents  of  rich  clothes,  ponies,  and 
guineas,  warbled  some  amorous  verses.  A 
party  of  twenty  courtiers  were  seated  at 
cards  around  a  large  table  on  which  gold 
was  heaped  in  mountains.  Even  then  the 
king  had  complained  that  he  did  not  feel 
quite  well.  He  had  no  appetite  for  his 
supper;  his  rest  that  night  was  broken  ;  but 
on  the  following  morning  he  rose,  as  usual, 
early.  To  that  morning  the  contending 
factions  in  his  country  had,  during  some 
days,  looked  forward  with  anxiety.  The 
struggle  between  Halifax  and  Kochester 
seemed  to  be  approaching  a  decisive  crisis. 
Halifax,  not  content  with  having  already 
driven  his  rival  from  the  board  of  treasury, 
had  undertaken  to  prove  him  guilty  of  such 
dishonesty  or  neglect  in  the  conduct  of  the 
finances  as  ought  to  be  punished  by  dismis- 
sion from  the  public  service.  It  was  even 
whispered  that  the  lord-president  would 
probably  be  sent  to  the  Tower  before  night. 
The  king  had  promised  to  inquire  into  the 
matter.  The  second  of  February  had  been 
fixed  for  the  investigation,  and  several  ofli- 
cers  of  the  revenue  had  been  ordered  to 
attend  with  their  books  on  that  day.  But 
a  great  turn  of  fortune  was  at  hand. 

"  Scarcely  had  Charles  risen  from  his 
bed  when  his  attendants  perceived  that 
his  utterance  was  indistinct,  and  that  his 
thoughts  seemed  to  be  wandering.  Several 
men  of  rank  had,  as  usual,  assembled  to  see 
their  sovereign  shaved  and  dressed.  He 
made  an  effort  to  converse  with  them  in 
his  usual  gay  style  ;  but  his  ghastly  look 
surprised  and  alarmed  them.  Soon  his 
face  grew  black ;  his  eyes  turned  in  his 
head  ;  he  uttered  a  cry,  staggered,  and  fell 
into  the  arms  of  Thomas,  Lord  Bruce,  eldest 
son  of  the  Earl  of  Ailesbury.  A  physician 
who  had  charge  of  the  royal  retorts  and 
crucibles  happened  to  be  present.  He  had 
no  lancet,  but  he  opened  a  vein  with  a  pen- 
knife. The  blood  flowed  freely,  but  the 
king  was  still  insensible. 

"  He  was  laid  on  his  bed,  where,  during 
a  short  time,  the  Duchess  of  Portsmouth 
hung  over  him  with  the  familiarity  of  a 
wife.  But'the  alarm  had  been  given.  The 
queen  and  the  Duchess  of  York  were  has- 
tening to  the  room.  The  favorite  concubine 
was  forced  to  retire  to  her  own  apartments. 
Those  apartments  had  been  thrice  pulled 
down  and  thrice  rebuilt  by  her  lover,  to 
gratify  her  caprice.  The  very  furniture  of 
the  chimney  was  massy  silver.  Several 
fine  paintings,  which  properly  belonged  to 
the  queen,  had  been  transferred  to  the 
dwelling  of  the  mistress.     The  sideboards 


were  loaded  with  richly  wrought  plate.  In 
the  niches  stood  cabinets,  the  masterpieces 
of  Japanese  art.  On  the  hangings,  fresh 
from  the  looms  of  Paris,  were  depicted,  in 
tints  which  no  English  tapestry  could 
rival,  birds  of  gorgeous  plumage,  land- 
scapes, hunting-matches,  the  lordly  terrace 
of  St.  Germain's,  the  statues  and  fonntains 
of  Versailles.  In  the  midst  of  this  splendor, 
purchased  by  guilt  and  shame,  the  unhappy 
woman  gave  herself  up  to  an  agony  of  grief, 
which,  to  do  her  justice,  was  not  wholly 
selfish. 

"  And  now  the  gates  of  Whitehall,  which 
ordinarily  stood  open  to  all  comers,  were 
closed.  But  persons  whose  faces  were 
known  were  still  permitted  to  enter.  The 
antechambers  and  galleries  were  soon  filled 
to  overflowing;  and  even  the  sick  room  was 
crowded  with  peers,  privy  councillors,  and 
foreign  ministers.  All  the  medical  men  of 
note  m  London  were  summoned.  So  high 
did  political  animosities  run,  that  the  pres- 
ence of  some  Whig  physicians  was  regarded 
as  an  extraordinary  circumstance.  One 
Roman  Catholic,  whose  skill  was  then 
widely  renowned,  Dr.  Thomas  Short,  was 
in  attendance.  Several  of  the  prescriptions 
have  been  preserved.  One  of  them  is 
signed  by  fourteen  doctors  !  The  patient 
was  bled  largely.  A  loathsome  volatile 
salt,  extracted  from  human  skulls,  was 
forced  into  his  mouth.  He  recovered  his 
senses  ;  but  he  was  evidently  in  a  situation 
of  extreme  danger. 

"  The  queen  was  for  a  time  assiduous  in 
her  attendance.  The  Duke  of  Vork  scarce- 
ly left  his  brother's  bedside.  The  primal^ 
and  four  other  bishops  were  then  in  Lon- 
don. They  remained  at  Whitehall  all  day, 
and  took  it  by  turns  to  sit  up  all  night  in 
the  king's  room.  The  news  of  his  illness 
filled  the  capital  with  sorrow  and  dismay ; 
for  his  easy  temper  and  aflable  manners 
had  won  the  affection  of  a  large  part  of  the 
nation  ;  and  those  who  most  disliked  him 
preferred  his  unprincipled  levity  to  the  stern 
and  earnest  bigotry  of  his  brother. 

"  On  the  morning  of  Thursday,  the  fifth 
of  February,  the  London  Gazette  announced 
that  his  majesty  was  going  on  well,  and 
was  thought  by  the  physicians  to  be  out  of 
danger.  The  bells  of  the  churches  rang 
merrily  ;  and  preparations  for  bonfires  were 
made  in  the  street.  But  in  the  evening  it 
was  known  that  a  relapse  had  taken  place, 
and  that  the  medical  attendants  had  given 
up  all  hope.  The  public  mind  was  greatly 
disturbed  ;  but  there  was  no  disposition  to 
tumult.     The  Duke  of  York,  who  had  al- 


^11 


CHAKLES    U.,    OF    ENGLAND. 


33 


ready  taken  on  himself  to  give  orders,  as- 
certained that  the  city  was  perfectly  quiet, 
ind  that  he  might,  without  difficulty,  be 
proclaimed  as  soon  as  his  brother  should 
expire. 

"  The  king  was  in  great  pain,  and  com- 
plained that  he  felt  as  if  a  fire  was  burning 
within  him.  Yet  he  bore  up  against  his 
sufferings  with  a  fortitude  which  did  not 
seem  to  belong  to  his  soft  and  luxurious 
nature.  The  sight  of  his  misery  affected 
his  wife  so  much  that  she  fainted,  and  was 
carried  senseless  to  her  chamber.  The  pre- 
lates, who  were  in  waiting,  had,  from  the 
first,  e.xhorted  him  to  prepare  for  his  end. 
They  now  thought  it  their  duty  to  address 
him  in  a  still  more  urgent  manner.  Wm. 
Sancroft,  Archbishop  of  Canterburj-,  an 
honest  and  pious,  though  narrow-minded 
man,  used  great  freedom.  '  It  is  time,'  he 
said,  '  to  speak  out ;  for,  sir,  you  are  about 
to  appear  before  a  Judge  who  is  no  respecter 
of  persons.'  The  king  answered  not  a  word. 
"  Thomas  Ken,  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells, 
then  tried  his  powers  of  persuasion.  He 
was  a  man  of  parts  and  learning,  of  quick 
jensibility  and  stainless  virtue.  His  elab- 
orate works  have,  long  been  forgotten  ,  but 
his  morning  and  evening  hymns  are  still 
repeated  daily  in  thousands  of  dwellings. 
Though,  like  most  of  his  order,  zealous  for 
monarchy,  he  was  no  sycophant.  Before  he 
became  a  bishop,  he  had  maintained  the 
lienor  of  his  gown  by  refusing,  when  the 
court  was  at  Winciiestcr,  to  let  Eleanor 
Gwynn  lodge  in  the  house  which  he  occu- 
pied there  as  a  prebendary.  The  king  had 
sense  enough  to  respect  so  manly  a  spirit. 
Of  all  the  prelates  he  liked  Ken  the  best. 
It  was  to  no  purpose,  however,  that  the  good 
bishop  now  put  forth  all  his  eloquence. 
His  solemn  and  pathetic  exhortation  awed 
and  melted  the  bystanders  to  such  a  degree, 
that  some  among  them  believed  him  to  be 
filled  with  the  same  spirit  which,  in  the  old 
time,  had   by  ihe   mouths  of  Nathan  and 

5  Elias  called  sinful  princes  to  repentance. 
Charles,  however,  was  unmoved.  He  made 
no  objection,  indeed,  when  the  service  for 
the  Visitation  of  the  Sick  was  read.  In 
reply  to  the  pressing  questions  of  the  divines, 
he  said  that  he  was  sorry  for  what  he  had 
done  amiss  ;  and  he  suffered  the  absolution 
lo  be  pronounced  over  him  according  to  the 
forms  of  the  Church  of  England  ;  but  when 
he  was  urged  to  declare  that  he  died  in  the 
communion  of  that  church,  he  seemed  not 
to  l>ear  what  was  said  ;  and  nothing  could 
induce  him  to  lake  the  Eucharist  froin  the 

;    hands  of  the  bishops.     A  table  with   bread 


and  wine  was  brought  to  his  bedside,  but 
in  vain.  Sometimes  he  said  that  there  was 
no  hurry,  and  sometimes  that  he  was  too 
weak. 

"  Many  attributed  this  apathy  to  contempt 
for  divine  things,  and  many  to  the  stupor 
which  often  precedes  death.  But  (hcie 
were  in  the  palace  a  few  persons  who  knew 
better.  Charles  had  never  been  a  sincere 
member  of  the  Established  Church.  His 
mind  had  long  oscillated  between  Hobbism 
and  poperj'.  When  his  health  was  good 
and  his  spirits  high,  he  was  a  scoffer.  In 
his  few  serious  moments  he  was  a  Roman 
Catholic.  The  Duke  of  York  was  aware 
of  this,  but  he  was  entirely  occupied  with 
the  care  of  his  own  interests.  He  had  or- 
dered the  outposts  to  be  closed.  He  had 
posted  detachments  of  the  guards  in  different 
parts  of  the  city.  He  had  also  procured  the 
feeble  signature  of  the  dying  king  to  an  in- 
strument, by  which,  some  duties,  granted 
only  till  the  demise  of  the  crown,  were  let 
to  farm-for  a  term  of  years.  These  things 
occupied  the  attention  of  James  to  such  a 
degree,  that,  though,  on  ordinary  occasions 
he  was  indiscreetly  and  unseasonably  eager 
to  bring  over  proselytes  to  his  church,  he 
never  reflected  that  his  brother  was  in  dan- 
ger of  dying  without  the  last  sacraments. 
This  neglect  was  the  more  extraordinary, 
because  tlie  Duchess  of  York  had,  at  the 
request  of  the  queen,  suggested,  on  the 
morning  on  which  the  king  was  taken  ill, 
the  propriety  of  procuring  spiritual  assist- 
ance. For  such  assistance  Charles  was  at 
last  indebted  to  an  agency  very  diflerent 
from  that  of  his  pious  wife  and  sister-in-law. 
A  life  of  frivolity  and  vice  had  iwt  extin- 
guished in  the  Duchess  of  Portsmouth  all 
sentiments  of  religion,  or  a^l  that  kindness 
which  is  the  glory  of  her  sex.  The  French 
ambassador,  Barillon,  who  had  come  to  the 
palace  to  inquire  after  tlie  king,  paid  her  a 
visit.  He  found  her  in  an  agony  of  sorrow. 
She  took  him  into  a  secret  room,  and  poured 
out  her  whole  heart  to  him.  'I  have,' she 
said,  'a  thing  of  great  moment  to  tell  you. 
If  it  were  known,  my  liead  would  be  in  dan- 
ger. The  king  is  really  and  trtily  a  Catho- 
lic !  but  he  will  die  without  being  reconciled 
to  the  church.  His  bedchamber  is  full  of 
Protestant  clergi,'nien.  I  cannot  enter  with- 
out giving  scandal.  The  duke  is  thinking 
only  of  himself.  Speak  to  hitn.  Kemiml 
him  that  there  is  a  soul  at  stake.  He  is 
master  now.  He  can  clear  the  room.  Go, 
this  instant,  or  it  will  he  too  late.' 

"  Barillon  hastened  to  the  bedchamber, 
took    the    duke    aside,    and    delivered    the 


34 


CHARLES    II.,    OF    ENGLAND. 


i 


message  of  the  mistress.  The  conscience 
of  James  smote  him.  He  started  as  if 
roused  from  sleep,  and  declared  that  noth- 
ing should  prevent  him  from  discharging  the 
sacred  duty  which  had  been  too  long  de- 
layed. Several  schemes  were  discussed 
and  rejected.  At  last,  the  duke  commanded 
the  crowd  to  stand  aloof,  went  to  the  bed, 
stooped  down,  and  whispered  something 
which  none  of  the  spectators  could  hear, 
but  which  they  supposed  to  be  some  ques- 
tion connected  with  affairs  of  state.  Charles 
answered  in  an  audible  voice,  '  Yes,  yes,  i 
with  all  my  heart.'  None  of  the  bystanders, 
except  the  French  ambassador,  guessed  that 
the  king  was  declaring  his  wish  to  be  admit- 
ted into  the  bosom  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 
'  Shall  I  bring  you  a  priest  ?'  said  the  duke. 
'  Do,  brother,'  replied  the  sick  man.  '  But, 
no  ;  you  will  get  into  trouble.'  '  If  it  costs 
me  my  life,'  said  the  duke,  '  I  will  fetch  a 
priest.' 

"  To  find  a  priest,  however,  for  such  a 
purpose,  at  a  moment's  notice,  was  not  easy. 
P'or,  as  the  law  then  stood,  the  person  who 
admitted  a  proselyte  into  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic CI  urch  was  guilty  of  a  capital  crime. 
The  Gaunt  of  Castel  Melhor,  a  Portuguese 
nobleman,  who,  driven  by  political  troubles 
from  his  native  land,  had  been  hospitably 
received  at  the  English  court,  undertook  to 
prtt7,re  a  confessor.  He  had  recourse  to 
his  countrymen  who  belonged  to  the  queen's 
household,  but  he  found  that  none  of  her 
chaplains  knew  English  or  French  enough 
to  shrive  the  king.  The  duke  and  Barillon 
were  about  to  send  to  the  Venetian  minister, 
for  a  clergyman,  when  they  heard  that  a 
Benedictine  monk,  named  John  Huddleston, 
happened  to  be  at  Whitehall.  This  man 
had,  with  great  risk  to  himself,  saved  the 
king's  life  after  the  battle  of  Worcester,  and 
had,  on  that  account,  been,  ever  since  the 
ref  toration,  a  privileged  person.  In  the 
shi  rpest  proclamations  put  forth  against 
po]  dsh  priests,  when  false  witnesses  had 
inf  amed  the  nation  to  fury,  Huddleston 
hail  been  excepted  by  name.  He,  however, 
obi  lined  some  hints,  through  the  interven- 
tion of  Castel  Melhor,  from  a  Portuguese  ec- 
clesiastic ;  and  thus  instructed,  was  brought 
up  the  back  stairs,  by  Chiffinch,  a  confiden- 
tial servant,  who,  if  the  satires  of  that  age 
are  to  credited,  had  often  introduced  visitors 
of  a  very  difTerent  description  by  the  same 
entrance.  The  duke  then,  in  the  king's 
name,  commanded  all  who  were  present  to 
quit  the  room,  except  Lewis  Duras,  Earl 
of  Feversham,  and  John  Granville,  Earl 
of  Bath.     Both  these   lords  professed  the 


Protestant  religion  ;  but  James  conceived 
that  he  could  count  on  their  fidelity. 
Feversham,  a  Frenchman,  of  noble  birth, 
and  nephew  of  the  great  Turenne,  held 
high  rank  in  the  English  army,  and  was 
chamberlain  to  the  queen.  Bath  was  groom 
of  the  stole. 

"  The  duke's  orders  were  obeyed  ;  and 
even  the  physician  withdrew.  Tlie  back 
door  was  then  opened,  and  Father  Huddles- 
ton then  entered.  A  cloak  had  been  thrown 
over  his  sacred  vestments,  and  his  shaven 
crown  was  concealed  by  a  flowing  wig. 
'  Sir,'  said  the  duke,  '  this  good  man  once 
saved  your  life  ;  he  now  comes  to  save  your 
soul.'  Charles  faintly  answered,  'He  ii 
welcome.'  Huddleston  went  through  his 
part  better  than  had  been  expected.  He 
knelt  by  the  bed,  listened  to  the  confession, 
pronounced  the  absolu'ion,  and  adminis- 
tered extreme  unction.  He  asked  if  the 
king  wished  to  receive  the  Lord's  Supper. 
'  Surely,'  Laid  Charles,  '  if  I  am  not  un- 
worthy.' The  host  was  brought  in  ;  and 
Charles  feebly  strove  to  rise  and  kneel  be- 
fore it.  The  priest  bade  him  lie  still,  and 
assured  him  that  God  would  accept  the  hu- 
miliation of  the  soul,  and  would  not  require 
the  humiliation  of  the  body.  The  king 
found  so  much  difficulty  in  swallowing  the 
bread,  that  it  was  necessary  to  open  the 
door,  and  to  procure  a  glass  of  water.  This 
rite  ended,  the  monk  held  up  a  crucifix 
before  the  penitent,  charged  him  to  fix  his 
last  thoughts  upon  the  sufferings  of  the  Re- 
deemer, and  withdrew.  The  whole  cere- 
mony had  occupied  about  three  quarters  of 
an  hour ;  and,  during  that  time,  the  cour- 
tiers, who  filled  the  outer  room,  had  com- 
municated their  suspicions  to  each  other 
by  whispers  and  significant  glances.  The 
door  was  at  length  thrown  open,  and  the 
crowd  again  filled  the  chamber  of  death. 

"  It  was  now  late  in  the  evening.  The 
king  seemed  much  relieved  by  what  had 
passed.  His  natural  children  were  brought 
to  his  bedside,  the  Dukes  of  Grafton, 
Southampton,  and  Northumberland,  sons 
of  the  Duchess  of  Cleveland,  the  Duke  of 
St.  Albans,  son  of  Eleanor  Gwynn,  and  the 
Duke  of  Richmond,  son  of  the  Duchess  of 
Portsmouth.  Charles  blessed  them  all,  but 
spoke  with  peculiar  tenderness  to  Rich- 
mond. One  face,  that  should  have  been 
there,  was  wanting.  The  eldest  and  best 
beloved  child  was  an  exile  and  a  wanderer. 
His  name  was  not  once  mentioned  by  his 
father. 

"  During  the  night,  Charles  earnestly 
recommended  the  Duchess  of  Portsmouth 


THE    PELICAN. 


35 


and  her  boy  to  the  care  of  James ;  '  And  do 
not,'  he  good-naturedly  added,  '  let  poor 
Nelly  starve.'  The  queen  sent  excuses  for 
her  absence  by  Halifax.  She  said  she 
was  too  much  disordered  to  resume  her  post 
by  the  couch,  and  implored  pardon  for  any 
oflence  which  she  might  unwittingly  have 
given.  '  Ask  my  pardon  !  poor  woman,' 
cried  Charles ;  '  I  ask  hers,  with  all  my 
heart.' 

"  The  I  morning  light  began  to  peep 
through  the  windows  of  Wliitehall  ;  and 
Charles  desired  the  attendants  to  pull  aside 
the  curtains,  that  he  inii^ht  have  one  more 
look  at  the  day.  He  remarked  that  it  was 
time  to  wind  up  a  clock  which  stood  near 
his  bed.  These  little  circumstances  were 
long  remembered,  because  they  proved  be- 
yond dispute  that,  when  he  declared  him- 


self a  Roman  Catholic,  he  was  in  the  full 
possession  of  his  faculties.  He  apologized 
to  those   who    had   stood    aroudd    him   all 

night  for  the  trouble  which  he  had  caused,  i 

He  had  been,  he  said,  a  most  unconscionable  j 

time  dying  ;  but  he  hojied  that  tlicy  would  J 

excuse   it.     This  was  the  last  glimpse  of  < 

that  e.xquisite  urbanity,  so  often  found  po-  ] 

tent  to  charm  away  the   resentment   of  a  ; 

justly  incensed  nation.     Soon  after  dawn  S 

the  speech  of  the  dying  man  failed.    Before  j 

ten  his  senses  were  gone.     Great  numbers  > 

had  repaired  to  the  churches  at  the  hour  of  ( 

morning  service.    When  the  prayer  for  the  S 

king  was  read,  loud  groans  and  sobs  showed  5 

how  dee])ly   his   people   felt  for  him.     At  ( 
noon,  on  Friday,  the  sixth  of  February,  he 
passed  away  without  a  struggle." 


gfel 


THE   PELICAN. 


The  common  pelican  is  of  a  grayish- 
white.  The  bill  is  of  great  length,  and 
hooked  at  the  end,  and  has  under  it  a  loose, 
flexible  membrane,  reaching  to  the  throat, 
which  Cbrms  a  bag,  capable  of  holding  a 
large  quantity  of  food  for  feeding  its  yo^ng. 
Like  the  duck  or  goose,  its  feet  are  webbed, 
all  t'le  toes  being  joined  by  the  membrane, 
thus  fitting  it  for  swimming.  The  bones 
of  this  bird  are  solid,  and  not  hollow  like 
the  bones  of  other  birds  ;  and  arc  also  pel- 
lucid, or  clear.  It  is  said  that  the  bag 
under  their  throat  is  capable  of  enlarge- 
ment, sutficient  to  hold  two  iiuman  heads  ! 

The  pelican  is  nearly  twice  the  size  of  a 
swan.     Pelicans  haunt  desert  places,  where 


there  are  rivers  or  pools,  and  marshy  spots. 
Hence,  the  Psalmist  compares  himself  to  a 
pelican  of  the  wilderness.  The  voice  of 
this  bird  is  harsh  and  disagreeable,  resem- 
bling the  sounds  uttered  by  a  man  in  great 
sufTering  and  distress.  On  this  account, 
David  compares  his  groaning  to  the  voice 
of  the  pelican.  In  attection  to  their  young, 
pelicans  furnish  an  example  even  to  human 
parents.  If  the  nest  containing  their  young 
is  set  on  fire,  they  will  flap  their  wings  over 
the  kindled  nest,  even  at  the  hazard  of  their 
own  lives.  These  birds  are  common  m 
America,  as  well  as  the  Eastern  Continent. 
Our  western  rivers  and  lakes,  and  the  south- 
ern shores  of  the  sea,  swarm  with  them. 


STRASBURG   CATHEDRAL. 


SiRASBiTRG,  a  Strongly  fortified  town  of 
France,  near  the  Ehine,  has  about  75,000 
inhabitants.  It  is  in  the  department  of  Bas 
Khin.  It  has  the  appearance  of  a  German 
town,  and  German  is  spoken  by  the  mass, 
though  French  is  taught  in  the  schools. 

The  principal  and  most  interesting  build- 
ing in  the  town  is  the  Cathedral  or  Munster, 
one  of  the  noblest  Gothic  edifices  in  Europe, 
remarkable  for  its  spire,  the  highest  in  the 
world,  —  rising  474  feet  above  the  pavement. 


It  is  nearly  equal  to  the  great  pyramid  of 
Eg^'pt,  and  140  feet  higher  than  St.  Paul's. 
The  artist  who  designed  this  admirable 
masterpiece  of  airy  openwork  was  Encin 
of  Steinbach:  his  plans  are  still  preserved 
in  the  town.  He  died  in  1318,  when  the 
work  was  only  half  finished  :  it  was  con- 
tinued by  his  son,  and  afterwards  by  his 
daughter  Sabina.  The  tower,  begun  1277, 
was  not  completed  till  1439,  long  after  their 
deaths,  and  424  years  after  the  church  was 


^-* 


THE    PATAGONIANS. 


37 


commenced,  by  John  Hiiltz,  of  Cologne,  who 
was  summonod  to  Strasburg  for  this  end. 
Had  the  original  design  been  carried  into 
execution,  both  the  towers  would  have  been 
raised  to  the  same  height.  A  doorway,  in 
the  south  side  of  the  truncated  tower,  leads 
to  the  summit  of  the  spire. 

On  the  platform,  about  two  thirds  of  the 
way  up,  is  a  telegraph,  and  a  station  for  tlie 
watchmen,  who  are  set  to  look  out  for  fires. 
One  of  them  will  accompany  those  who  wish 
to  mount  the  upper  spire,  and  will  unlock  the 
iron  gate  which  closes  the  passage.  There 
is  no  ditBculty  or  danger  in  the  ascent  to  a 
person  of  ordinary  nerve  or  steadiness  of 
head ;  but  the  stone-work  of  the  steeple  is 
so  completely  open,  and  the  pillars  which 
support  it  are  .so  wide  apart,  and  cut  so  thin, 
that  they  more  nearly  resemble  a  collection 
of  bars  of  iron  or  wood  ;  so  that  at  such  a 
height  one  might  almost  fancy  one's  self 
suspended  in  a  cage  over  the  city;  and,  if 
the  foot  were  to  slip,  the  body  might  possi- 
bly drop  through  the  open  fret-work. 

At  tlie  same  time,  the  elaborateness  of 
the  tracery,  and  the  sharpness  of  the  angles 


and  ornaments,  are  proofs  of  the  skill  of  the 
architect,  and  the  excellent  materials  he  had 
chosen  ;  and  it  is  only  by  a  close  inspection 
that  the  delicacy  of  the  workmanship  can 
be  truly  appreciated.  Within  a  few  feet  of 
the  top,  the  winding  stairs  tenninate,  under 
a  species  of  carved  rosette.  Several  in- 
stances are  recorded  of  persons  who  have 
either  fallen,  or  have  thrown  themselves, 
off  the  top.  The  upper  part  of  the  spire, 
within  and  without,  is  covered  with  neatly 
carved  names,  chiefly  of  freemasons,  who 
have  visited  it ;  among  them  may  be  read 
Stolberg,  Giithe,  Schlosser,  Herder. 

The  view  of  the  multitude  of  rusty-col- 
ored tiled  roofs  of  the  town  is  not  very 
pleasing;  nor  is  it  the  birds-eye  panorama 
of  the  rich  district  around,  of  the  Khiiie  and 
Black  Forest  in  Gemiany,  and  cf  the  Vos- 
ges  Mountains  on  the  side  of  France,  that 
will  reward  the  adventurous  climber ;  but 
rather  the  e.xploit,  the  great  elevation,  and 
the  near  view  which  it  alfordsof  the  steeple. 

The  interior  of  this  wonderful  building  is 
curious  and  interesting,  but  we  have  not 
space  to  give  a  detailed  description  of  it. 


THE   PATAGONIANS. 


Pat.^gonta  is  the  most  southern  country 
in  South  America.  It  has  never  been  much 
explored  ;  so  that  we  can  say  but  little  more 
about  it,  than  that  the  northern  parts  have 
a  milder  climate  and  a  more  produ«tive  soil 
than  the  southern  parts,  which  are  intensely 


cold.  It  is  as  cold  there  as  at  Cape  Horn, 
or  in  the  northern  part  of  Canada.  Of 
the  inhabitants,  also,  wo  can  give  no  very 
particular  account.  Some  Europeans,  how- 
ever, have  visited  them,  during  'heir  voyages 
of  trade  or  discovery. 


38 


THE  SPECTRE  OF  THE  BROCKEN. 


j  In   1764,  Commodore   Byron  landed   in 

{  Patagonia,  and  had  an  interview  with  the 

i  natives.     They  had  always  been  said  to  be 

I  giants,  and  he  found  them  to  be  so.     They 

I  seemed  to  him  to  be  generally  six  feet  and 

;  a  half  high,  and  some  of  them  quite  seven 

I  feet.      The   tallest   Americans  are   seldom 

5  over  six  feet,  generally  not  more  than  five 

^  feet  and  seven  and  ten  inches. 

;  He  found  them  not  only  thus  tall,  but  very 

>  robust.     Their  hands  and  feet,  however,  are 

!  small.     They  are  a  warlike  tribe,  yet  cour- 

)  teous  and  humane.      In   their  complexion 

J  they  are  copper-colored.   They  have  straight, 

J  black,  and  coarse  hair,  usually  tied  behind 

\  with  a  string.    They  paint  themselves  with 

t  circles   round   the   eyes,  and  with  various 

j  colors.     Their  teeth  are  exceedingly  white, 
and  remarkably  even  and  well  set. 


Their  dress  is  made  of  the  skin  of  the 
guanaco,  sewed  together  into  pieces  about 
six  feet  long  and  five  broad,  which  are 
wrapped  as  a  cloak  round  their  body.  The 
upper  part,  however,  falls  back,  and  thus  ex- 
poses the  neck  and  shoulders  to  the  weatlicr, 
and  makes  them  look  almost  naked.  They 
appear  to  eat  raw  flesh  of  animals.  They 
are  excellent  horsemen,  and  will  pursue 
their  game  on  horseback,  in  places  of  dan- 
ger, where  a  European  would  be  afraid 
to  go. 

In  1766,  Captain  Welles  visited  Patago- 
nia, and  while  there,  he  took  several  of  the 
people  on  board  his  ship;  but  he  was  sur- 
prised to  find  that  they  had  no  curiosity 
about  anything,  excepting  a  looking-glass, 
before  which  they  danced  and  played  a 
thousand  tricks. 


THE   SPECTRE   OF   THE   BROCKEN. 


Ti:e  Bvocken  is  a  mountain  of  the  Hartz 
range,  in  Hanover,  Germany.  Its  top  is 
only  3400  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
yet  it  is  celebrated  on  account  of  the  spec- 
tral phenomena  which  are  sometimes  wit- 
nessed there.  The  whole  region  around 
has  been,  indeed,  converted  into  a  land  of 
enchantment,  by  the  fanciful  people  of  the 
country.  Every  hill,  and  glen,  and  wood,  in 
the  vicinity,  has  been  made  the  theatre  of 
some  supernatural  legend. 


The  traveller  who  visits  this  spot  may 
be  puzzled  to  find  these  creations  of  imagi- 
nation, but  the  SpectTe  of  the  Bracken  is  a 
reality,  and  may  still  be  seen  if  one  will 
have  the  patience  to  wait  till  the  ghost  con- 
descends to  make  its  appearance.  One  of 
the  visitors  to  this  spot  thus  describes  what 
he  saw : 

Having  ascended  the  Brocken  for  the 
thirtieth  time,  I  was  at  length  so  fortunate 
as  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  this  phe- 


DIOGENES. 


39 


nomenon.  The  sun  rose  about  four  o'clock, 
aiid  the  atmosphere  being  quite  serene 
towards  the  east,  its  rays  could  pass  without 
any  obstruction  over  the  Heinrichpoke  moun- 
tain. About  a  quarter  past  four,  I  looked 
round  to  see  whether  the  atmosphere  would 
permit  me  to  have  a  free  prospect  to  the 
south-west,  when  I  observed  at  a  great  dis- 
tan:e  achtermannshoue,  a  human  figure 
of  a  monstrous  size  !  A  violent  gust  of 
wind  having  almost  carried  ofT  my  hat,  I 
moved  my  hand  toward  my  head,  and  the 
colossal  figure  did  the  same. 

The  pleasure  which  I  felt  at  this  discovery 
can  hardly  bo  described,  for  I  had  already 
walked  many  a  weary  step  in  the  hope  of 
seeing  this  shadowy  image,  without  being 
able  to  gratify  my  cUriosit}'.  I  made  im- 
mediately another  movement,  by  bending 
my  body,  and  the  colossal  figure  before  me 
repeated  it.     I  was  desirous  of  doing  the 


same  thing  once  more,  but  my  coiossus  had 
vanished.  I  remained  in  the  same  position, 
waiting  to  see  if  it  would  return,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  it  again  made  its  appearance 
on  the  achtermannshoue.  I  then  called 
the  landlord  of  the  neighboring  inn,  and 
having  both  taken  the  position  which  I  had 
taken  alone,  we  saw  two  colossal  figures, 
which  repeated  their  compliments  by  bend- 
ing their  bodies  as  we  did  ;  after  which  they 
vanished.  I  particularly  noticed  that  this 
phenomenon  was  frequently  very  weak  and 
faint,  but  sometimes  strong  and  well  defined. 
The  time  to  ascend  the  Brocken  is  in  the 
month  of  September,  tiiat  being  the  only 
month  in  the  year  when  the  fogs  and  steams 
of  this  northern  clime  will  allow  an  uninter- 
rupted view.  It  is  not  advisable  to  attempt 
an  ascent  to  the  Hartz  without  a  guide,  as 
these  mountains  abound  with  dangerous 
marshes. 


DIOGENES. 

This  person,  whoso  fame  has  come  down  \  voted  himself,  with  the  greatest  diligence, 


to  us  from  antiquity,  was  born  at  Pontus  in 
Asia  Minor,  about  419  B.  C.  He  went  to 
Athens  at  an  early  period,  and  joined  the 
rigid   school  of  the  Cynics.     Here  he  de- 


fo  the  lessons  of  his  master,  whose  doctrines 
he  afterwards  extended  and  enforced.  He 
not  only  despised  all  philosophical  specula- 
tions, anil  opposed  the  corrupt  morals  of  his 


40 


time,  but  also  carried  the  application  of  his 
principles,  in  his  own  person,  to  the  ex- 
treme. He  exposed  the  follies  of  his  co- 
temporaries  with  wit  and  humor,  though  he 
really  accomplished  little  in  the  way  of  re- 
forming them.  At  the  same  time,  he  ap- 
plied, in  its  fullest  extent,  his  principle  of 
divesting  himself  of  all  superfluities.  He 
taught  tliat  a  wise  man,  in  order  to  be  hap- 
py, must  endeavor  to  preserve  himself  inde- 
pendent of  fortune,  of  men,  and  of  himself ; 
and,  in  order  to  do  this,  he  must  despise 
riches,  power,  honor,  arts  and  sciences,  and 
all  the  enjoyments  of  life. 

He  endeavored  to  exhibit,  in  his  own 
person,  a  model  of  Cynic  virtue.  For  this 
purpose,  he  subjected  himself  to  the  severest 
trials,  and  disregarded  all  the  forms  of  polite 
society.  He  often  struggled  to  overcome 
his  appetite,  or  satisfied  it  with  the  coarsest 
food ;  practised  the  most  rigid  temperance, 
even  at  feasts,  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest 
abundance,  and  did  not  consider  it  beneath 
his  dignity  to  ask  alms. 

By  day,  he  walked  through  the  streets 
of  Athens  barefoot,  with  a  long  beard,  a 
stick  in  his  hand,  and  a  bag  over  his  shoul- 
ders. He  was  clad  in  a  coarse  double  robe, 
which  served  as  a  coat  by  day  and  a  cover- 
let by  night ;  and  he  carried  a  wallet  to 
receive  alms.  His  abode  was  a  cask  in  the 
temple  of  Cybele.  It  is  said  that  he  some- 
times carried  a  tub  about  on  his  head,  which 
occasionally  served  as  his  dwelling.  In 
summer  he  rolled  himself  in  the  burning 
sand,  and  in  winter  clung  to  the  marble 
images  covered  with  snow,  that  he  might 
inure  himself  to  the  extremes  of  the  climate. 
He  bore  the  scoffs  and  insults  of  the  people 
witli  the  greatest  equanimity.  Seeing  a 
I  boy  draw  water  with  his  hand,  he  threw 
away  his  wooden  goblet,  as  an  unnecessary 
utensil.  He  never  spared  the  follies  of  men, 
but  openly  and  loudly  inveighed  against 
vice  and  corruption,  attacking  them  with 
keen  satire,  and  biting  irony.  The  people, 
and  even  the  higher  classes,  heard  him  with 
pleasure,  and  tried  their  wit  upon  him. 
When  he  made  them  feel  his  superiority, 
they  often  had  recourse  to  abuse,  by  which, 
however,  he  was  little  moved.  He  rebuked 
them  for  expressions  and  actions  which  vio- 
lated decency  and  modesty,  and  therefore 
it  is  not  credible  that  he  was  guilty  of  the 
excesses  with  which  his  enemies  reproached 
him.  His  rudeness  offended  the  laws  of 
good  breeding,  rather  than  the  principles  of 
morality. 

On  a  voyage  to  the  island  of  jEgina,  he 
fell  into  the  hands  of  pirates,  who  sold  him 


as  a  slave  to  Xeniades,  a  Corinthian.  He, 
however,  emancipated  him,  and  intrusted 
to  him  the  education  of  his  children.  He 
attended  to  the  duties  of  his  new  employ- 
ment \yith  the  greatest  care,  commonly  liv- 
ing in  summer  at  Corinth,  and  in  the  winter 
at  Athens.  It  was  at  the  former  place  that 
Alexander  found  him  at  the  road-side,  bask- 
ing in  the  sun  ;  and,  astonished  at  the  in- 
difference with  which  the  ragged  beggar 
regarded  him,  entered  into  conversation 
with  him,  and  finally  gave  him  permission 
to  ask  him  a  boon.  "  I  ask  nothing,"  an- 
swered the  philosopher,'  "  but  that  thou 
wouldst  get  out  of  my  sunshine."  Sur- 
prised at  th"ls  proof  of  content,  the  king  is 
said  to  have  exclaimed,  "  Were  I  not  Alex- 
ander, I  would  be  Diogenes."  The  follow- 
ing dialogue,  though  not  given  as  historical, 
is  designed  to  represent  this  interview. 

Diogenes.  Who  calleth  ? 

Alexatxder.  Alexander.  Howhappeneth 
it  that  you  would  not  come  out  of  your  tub 
to  my  palace  ? 

D.  Because  it  was  as  far  from  my  tub 
to  your  palace,  as  from  your  palace  to  my 
tub. 

A.  What !  dost  thou  owe  no  reverence  to 
kings  ? 

D.  No. 

A.  Why  so  ? 

D.  Because  they  are  not  gods. 

A.  They  are  gods  of  the  earth. 

D.  Yes,  gods  of  the  earth  ! 

A.  Plato  is  not  of  thy  mind. 

D.  I  am  glad  of  it. 

A.  Why? 

I).  Because  I  would  have  none  of  Diog- 
enes' mind  but  Diogenes. 

A.  If  Alexander  have  anything  that  can 
pleasure  Diogenes,  let  me  know,  and  take  it. 

D.  Then  take  not  from  me  that  you  can- 
not give  me  —  the  light  of  the  sun  ! 

A.  What  dost  thou  want  ? 

D.  Nothing  that  you  have. 

A.  I  have  the  world  at  command. 

D.  And  I,  in  contempt. 

A.  Thou  shalt  live  no  longer  than  I  will. 

D.  But  I  shall  die,  wheti^r  you  will  or  no. 

A.  How  should  one  learn  to  be  content  ? 

D.  Unlearn  to  covet. 

A.  {to  HepfuBStion.)  Hephtestion,  were  I 
not  Alexander,  I  would  wish  to  be  Diog- 
enes. 

H.  He  is  dogged,  but  shrewd ;  he  has  a 
sharpness,  mixed  with  a  kind  of  sweetness ; 
he  is  full  of  wit,  yet  too  wayward. 

A.  Diogenes,  when  I  come  this  way  again, 
1  will  both  see  thee  and  confer  with  thee. 

D.  Do. 


THE    LOCUST. 


4] 


We  are  told  that  the  philosopher  was 
seen,  one  day,  carrying  a  lantern  through 
the  streets  of  Athens  :  on  being  asked  what 
he  was  looking  after,  he  answered,  "  I  am 
seeking  an  honest  man."  Thinking  he 
had  found  among  the  Spartans  the  greatest 
capacity  for  becoming  such  men  as  he 
wished,  he  said,  "  Men,  I  have  found  no- 
where ;  but  children,  at  least,  I  have  seen 
in  Laceda;mon."     Being  asked,  "  What  is 


the  most  dangerous  animal  ?"  his  answer 
was,  "  Among  wild  animals,  the  slanderer  ; 
among  tame,  the  llattcrer."  He  expired 
.323  B.  C,  at  a  great  age,  and,  it  is  said,  on 
the  same  day  that  Alexander  died.  When 
he  felt  death  approaching,  he  seated  him- 
self on  the  road  leading  to  Olympia,  where 
he  died  with  philosophical  calmness,  in  the 
presence  of  a  great  number  of  people  who 
were  collected  around  him. 


THE   LOCUST. 


This  mcst  remarkable  insect  is  called  in 
the  Hebrew  language  arhch,  a  word  which 
signifies  to  multiply.  This  name  is  given 
because  of  the  immense  and  inconceivable 
swarms  of  these  insects  by  which  many 
eastern  countries  are  infested. 

The  common  brown  locust  is  about  three 
inches  in  length  ;  its  antenna;  are  two  in 
number,  and  about  an  inch  long,  and  it  is 
provided  with  two  pairs  of  wings.  This  is 
necessary,  from  its  weight  and  the  immense 
distance  through  the  air  which  it  is  some- 
times destined  to  travel.  The  head  and 
horns  are  brown,  and  also  the  upper  side  of 
the  body  and  upper  wings,  —  the  former,  in 
addition,  spotted  with  black,  and  the  latter 
with  dusky  spots.  In  general  form  and 
appearance  tiiere  is  a  considerable  resem- 
blance to  the  grasshopper,  so  well  known 
in  this  country.  What  is  not  the  case  with 
other  insects,  the  males  are  much  more  nu- 
merous than  tiio  females.  The  males  only 
make  a  noise,  which  is  produced  by  a  quick 
vibration  of  the  wings  against  each  other  or 


against  their  legs.  It  is  very  singular  that 
the  7i!/»ipha,  or  tror?}i  of  the  locust,  diflers 
very  little  from  the  locust  in  its  perfect  state. 
In  the  nymph  state,  it  moves  and  eats;  and 
there  is  only  this  dillerence,  that  the  wings 
are  not  moved  and  expanded  as  in  the  per- 
fect state,  but  are  beautifully  folded  up  in 
small  compass,  and  form  the  appearance  of 
two  small  buttons  on  the  shoulder. 

The  number  of  the  locusts  is  so  extraor- 
dinary, that  they  will  darken  the  whole  sky 
for  the  extent  sometimes  of  more  than  a 
hundred  miles!  A  captain  of  a  vessel,  it 
is  said,  saw  the  sky  darkened  and  covered 
by  them  for  several  days,  when  navigat- 
ing the  ocean,  to  the  east  of  the  African 
continent.  When  they  invade  a  country, 
if  it  is  before  them  a  garden  of  beauty, 
behind  them  it  is  a  dreary  desert !  They 
destroy  every  green  thing  !  They  laj'^  their 
eggs,  and  then  die.  Each  one  lays  from 
two  to  three  hundred  eggs,  which  are 
hatched  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring. 


42 


^^i'^'^i^^^>^^^^b^A/W%'WV%%  Hf 


GREAT    BRITAIN. 


Locusts  have  often  proved  a  dreadful 
visitation  of  Providence.  They  were  one 
of  the  ten  plagues  of  Egypt ;  (Exod.  x.  14.) 
In  the  days  of  Joel,  the  prophet,  they  occa- 
sioned a  famine;  (Joel  ii.  1  —  11.)  The 
locusts,  according  to  the  Levitical  law, 
were  ceremonially  clean.     John  the  Bap- 


tist, in  a  great  measure,  lived  upon  them, 
and  probably  the  Abyssinians  at  the  pres- 
ent day  do  the  same. 

In  the  book  of  Revelation,  false  teachers 
and  persecutors  are  compared  to  locusts 
coming  out  of  the  bottomless  pit ;  (Kev.  Lx. 
1-11.) 


GREAT  BRITAIN. 


The  kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land, all  things  considered,  may  be  regarded 
as  the  most  powerful  the  world  has  ever 
known.  No  ancient  empire,  —  not  even 
Rome  itself,  —  possessed  such  elements  of 
strength.  The  vastness  of  its  wealth  ;  its 
navy,  claiming  the  dominion  of  the  seas  ;  its 
immense  military  capacity,  with  the  gen- 
eral sagacity  and  energy  of  the  government, 
render  it  the  leading  power  in  the  world. 

To  the  eye  of  the  traveller,  the  three 
kingdoms  seem  almost  like  a  mighty  gar- 
den, strown  over  with  cities,  palaces,  villa- 
ges, and  coimtry-seats.  Here  are  the  finest 
roads,  and  the  best  travelling-vehicles  in  the 
world ;  railroads  and  canals  cross  the  country 
in  every  direction  ;  arts  and  manufactures 
are  carried  to  the  highest  degree  of  per- 
fection ;  and  commerce  brings  hither  the 
luxuries  of  every  clime.     London,  the  me- 1 


tropolis  of  Great  Britain,  serves  to  indicate 
the  character  of  the  nation.  It  has  two 
millions  six  hundred  thousand  of  people,  and 
surpasses  all  other  cities  in  wealth  and  popu- 
lation. The  government  of  England  exer- 
cises a  commanding  influence,  not  only  in 
the  countries  of  Europe,  but  upon  the  for- 
tunes of  the  world.  Within  our  own  day, 
China,  which  has  more  than  one  quarter  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  globe,  has  been  com- 
pelled to  bow  to  the  will  of  this  island  empire. 
The  colonies  of  Great  Britain  extend  over 
the  whole  globe,  and  contain  a  population 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions.  In  allu- 
sion to  the  immense  extent  and  power  of 
the  British  empire,  it  has  been  said  by  a 
celebrated  orator,  that  she  has  "dotted  the 
surface  of  the  globe  with  her  possessions 
and  military  posts,  whose  morning  drum- 
beat, following  the  sun,  and  keeping  com- 


HAROUN     <L    RASCHID. 


43 


pany  with  the  hours,  circles  the  earth  daily 
with  one  continuous  and  unbroken  strain 
of  the  martial  airs  of  England." 

Yet,  notwithstanding  this  spectacle  of 
"  might,  majesty,  and  dominion,"  there  is, 
perhaps,  no  portion  of  the  globe,  where  so 
large  a  part  of  the  people  are  doomed  to 
poverty,  wretchedness,  and  despair,  as  in 
Ireland,  Scotland,  and  England.  While  a 
few  thousands  are  rolling  in  wealth,  millions 
are  perishing  for  the  want  of  bread  and  the 
common  comforts  of  life  ! 


IIAROUN  AL   RASCHID. 

Hakoitn  AL  Raschid  was  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  of  the  Saracenic  caliphs, 
and  the  territories  which  he  governed  ex- 
i  tended  from  Egypt  to  Khorassan.  He  was 
no  loss  distinguished  for  his  taste,  and  the 
encouragement  he  afforded  to  literature  and 
the  arts,  than  for  his  power.  He  was  the 
second  son  of  the  caliph  Mahadi,  and  suc- 
ceeded his  elder  brother,  Hadi,  A.  D.  7SG. 
He  diflered,  in  so  many  respects,  from  the 
despots  of  the  East,  that  he  obtained  the 
name  of  al  Raschid,  the  Just,  although  many 
of  his  deeds  would  seem  to  destroy  his 
claims  to  the  title.  The  caliph  was  fond 
if  personally  ascertaining  the  condition  of 
his  people,  when,  divested  of  the  dazzling 
attributes  of  rank,  he  feared  no  concealment 
on  their  part.  Many  instances  of  the  wis- 
dom and  justice  of  his  decisions  have  come 
down  to  us,  and,  among  others,  the  follow- 
ing. A  merchant,  having  lost  a  purse  con- 
taining a  large  sum  of  money,  caused  the 


loss  to  be  proclaimed,  with  an  accuTtite  de- 
scription of  the  purse  and  the  value  of  its 
contents,  offering  a  large  reward  to  the  per- 
son who  should  find  and  restore  it  to  the 
owner.  After  some  days  had  elapsed,  a 
poor  laborer  presented  himself  before  a 
magistrate  with  the  purse,  and  claimed  of 
the  merchant,  who  was  summoned,  the  re- 
ward which  belonged  to  him.  The  mer- 
chant, rejoiced  at  finding  his  money,  thought 
to  avoid  payment  of  the  reward,  by  declar- 
ing that  the  purse  contained,  in  addition  to 
the  money,  an  emerald  of  great  value,  which 
the  finder  must  be  compelled  to  restore. 
The  poor  laborer  was  overwhelmed  by  this 
assertion,  and  the  magistrate  appeared  at  a 
loss  ;  but  the  caliph,  who  was  present  in 
disguise,  advanced  and  decided  the  case. 
"  Since,"  said  he,  "  the  merchant  declares 
that  the  purse  which  ho  lost  contained  a 
sum  of  money  and  an  emerald,  and  since 
the  finder  of  this  purse  swears,  and  tlie  seal 
upon  the  purse  proves,  that  he  has  taken  no 
precious  gem,  this  cannot  be  the  purse  which 
the  merchant  has  lost.  Let  then  its  present 
holder  endeavor  to  discover  the  real  owner, 
and,  failing  to  do  so,  appropriate  the  prize  ; 
and  let  the  merchant  make  diligent  seaich 
for  the  money  and  the  emerald  which  he 
has  lost ;  the  present  property  being,  as  he 
has  proved,  none  of  his." 

Haroun  was  an  ardent  lover  of  learning, 
and  caused  it  to  be  disseminated  throughout 
his  realms.  He  was  a  warm  admirer  of  the 
ancient  classics,  and  translations  of  the  Iliad 
and  Odyssey,  with  other  works  of  antiquity, 
made  his  people  acquainted  with  the  beau- 
ties of  Greek  and  Roman  literature.  He 
invaded  the  Greek  empire  no  fewer  than 
eight  times,  conquering,  in  802,  the  Empe- 
ror Nicephorus,  who  had  refused  to  pay 
him  the  customary  tribute.  The  Greek 
monarch  was  compelled  to  pay  a  heavier 
tribute  to  the  caliph,  and  promise  not  to 
re-build  the  frontier  towns,  which  had  been 
ruined  and  plundered. 

The  cali])h's  destruction  of  the  family  of 
the  Barmecides  displays  the  stern  resolution 
of  a  despot.  He  had  experienced  the  care 
of  Yahia,  the  head  of  the  Barmecide  family, 
who  had  superintended  his  education,  and 
the  eldest  of  Yahia 's  sons  was  a  general, 
who  had  served  his  country  well ;  the  sec- 
ond was  Giaffer,  the  caliph's  prime  vizier, 
and  the  two  other  sons  were  in  responsible 
and  dignified  stations.  The  Barmecides 
were  in  favor  with  all  classes,  and  Giaffer 
stood  high  in  the  graces  of  the  caliph.  In- 
deed, so  warmly  attached  was  the  latter  to 
his  vizier,  that,  for  the  sake  of  enjoying  his 


44 


THE    CKANE. 


company,  with  that  of  his  beloved  sister, 
Abassa,  he  united  them  in  marriage,  but 
placed  capricious  restrictions  upon  their  in- 
timacy. On  the  disobedience  of  the  pair, 
all  the  violent  passions  of  the  caliph  were 
aroused.  He  publicly  sacrificed  Giafler  to 
his  resentment,  and  impoverished  the  whole 
family. 

Haroun,  at  the  height  of  splendor  and 
fame,  sent  an  embassy  to  the  Emperor 
Charlemagne,  bearing,  among  other  pres- 
ents, a  water-clock,  an  elephant,  and  the 
keys  of  the  holy  sepulchre  at  Jerusalem. 
The  caliph  was  seized  with  a  mortal  illness, 
while  preparing  to  depart  upon  a  military 
expedition,  and  died  at  Tous,  in  Khorassan, 


in  the  forty-seventh  year  of  his  age,  and 
the  twenty-third  of  his  reign.  None  of  the 
caliphs  of  the  Saracens  ever  attained  the 
height  of  power  and  popularity  which  Ha- 
roun al  Raschid  gained,  and,  although  some 
of  his  acts  are  inexcusable,  yet,  considering 
the  examples  furnished  by  his  age,  and  the 
preceding,  we  cannot  withhold  from  him  a 
large  share  of  praise.  Haroun  is  one  of 
those  characters  which  are  equally  the  de- 
light of  history  and  romance,  and  while  the 
graver  acts  of  his  reign  employ  the  pen  of 
the  rigid  annalist,  his  varied  adventures 
are  themes  for  the  gay  eloquence  of  such 
works  as  the  Araoian  Nights'  Entertain- 
ment. 


THE   CRANE. 


The  crane  belongs  to  that  class  of  birds 
called  waders,  and  to  that  tribe  called  heron. 
The  crane  is  a  large  bird,  about  five  feet  in 
length.  The  bill  is  more  than  four  inches 
long.  The  feathers  are  ash-colored,  the 
forehead  is  black,  and  on  the  upper  part 
of  the  neck  there  is  a  space  of  about  two 
inches,  ash-colored  and  bare.  At  the  tip  of 
each  wing  there  is  a  beautiful  tuft  of  loose 
feathers,  which  the  animal  can  erect  at 
pleasure.  The  legs  are  long  and  stout, 
with  a  large  naked  space  above  the  knee, 
and  their  toes  are  long.     There  is  a  pe- 


culiarity about  the  windpipe ;  it  runs  con- 
siderably down  the  breast,  then  returns  at 
the  same  passage,  and  descends  to  the  lungs. 
Cranes  inhabit  Europe,  Asia,  and  Amer- 
ica ;  and  in  autumn,  they  regularly  migrate 
in  flocks  to  the  south.  In  Sweden  and 
Poland  they  are  so  numerous  as  to  be- 
come injurious  to  the  fields  of  wheat.  The 
female  makes  her  nest  among  rushes,  on 
alder-bushes,  and  occasionally  on  the  roofs 
of  detached  houses.  She  generally  lays 
two  eggs  of  a  green  ash-color,  spotted  with 
brown. 


THE    giant's    causeway. 


45 


Cranes  live  chiefly  on  slugs,  wonns,  frogs, 
grain,  and  herbs  which  grow  in  the  fields, 
or  in  marshy  situations.  In  winter  they 
resort  in  crowds  to  Egypt  and  the  warmer 
parts  of  India.  In  their  expeditions  they 
fly  exceedingly  high  in  the  air,  forming 
an  angular  line.  When  the  wind  fresh- 
ens, or  when  an  eagle  approaches,  they  as- 
sume the  form  of  a  circle.  They  take  their 
journeys  chiefly  in  the  night,  and  as  they 
advance,  utter  loud  and  discordant  screams. 
During  their  voyages,  their  leader  often  calls 
to  rally  his  troops,  and  guide  them  in  their 
course,  to  which  each  individual  answers, 
as  if  to  give  notice  that  it  is  following 
in  the  proper  track.     Here,  the  instinct  of 


the  crane  teaches  a  most  important  lesson, 
namely,  that  we  should  most  carefully  fol- 
low the  course  of  virtue  pointed  out  to  us  by  l 
wisdom  and  experience.  When  assembled 
on  the  ground,  they  are  said  to  set  guards  ; 
and,  therefore,  in  tlie  ancient  hieroglyphics 
they  were  represented  as  symbols  of  cir- 
cumspection and  watchfulness.  Hezekiah, 
during  his  severe  sickness,  "chattered  as  q 
crane,"  intimating  that  he  cried  loud  be- 
cause of  the  severity  of  his  pain.  (Isaiah 
xxxviii.  14.)  The  Jews  are  represented  as 
more  stupid  than  cranes,  which  know  the 
time  of  their  coming,  while  thci/  knew  not 
the  season  of  their  duty.  {Jer.  viii.  7.) 


THE   GIAI^T'S   CAUSEWAY. 


On  the  north  of  Ireland  the  roast  presents 
1  barrier  of  rock,  from  one  hundred  to  three 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  and  frequently 
terminating  in  perpendicular  clifls.  Here 
the  ocean  has  been  at  work  for  centuries, 
and  has  wrought  out  of  the  stone  a  thousand 
fantastic  objects,  such  as  caverns,  clilfs,  and 
mounds,  often  resembling  the  works  of  art 
in  its  ruder  stages. 

Along  this  region  of  curiosities,  the 
Giant's  Causeway  is  the  most  remarkable 
object.  It  consists  of  three  piers,  projecting 
into  the  sea  from  the  base  of  the  cliff, 
which  is  here  nearly  two  hundred  feet  high. 
These  piers  consist  of  basaltic  columns, 
about  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  having  from 
six  to  nine  sides.  They  stand  perpendicu- 
larly, but  arc  jointed  at  distances  of  three  or 
four  feet.  At  these  places  they  easily  sepa- 
rate, though  so  closely  formed  that  you 
cannot  thrust  the  point  of  a  knife  between 
them.  At  a  little  distance,  the  division  is 
not  perceptible. 

The  piers  thus  described  consist  of  these 


perpendicular  columns,  sloping  to  the  wafer ; 

you  can  see  them,  continuing  downward,  in 
the  waves  for  twenty  feet.  All  around  are 
heaps  of  these  basaltic  crystals,  —  sufllcicnt 
to  build  a  city.  As  you  look  up  to  the  cliff, 
which  presents  many  perpendicular  faces, 
you  sec  the  columnar  rocks,  peeping  out 
here  and  there,  and  in  one  place  they  so 
resemble  the  pipes  of  a  gigantic  organ,  that 
it  bears  the  name  of  that  instrument. 

This  work  of  nature  is  not  merely  cu- 
rious, but,  oW'ing  to  the  grandeur  of  its 
scale,  and  the  sublimity  of  the  surrounding 
objects,  it  strikes  the  beholder  with  mingled 
wonder  and  awe.  The  idea  is  forcibly 
suggested  to  the  mind,  that  some  race  of 
Titans  or  Anakims,  once  undertook  to  build 
a  causeway  across  the  arm  of  the  sea  to  the 
opposite  coast  of  Scotland  ;  and  that  when 
they  had  gathered  their  materials  and  pro- 
ceeded a  short  way  in  their  enterprise,  it 
was  suddenly  abandoned.  It  would  seem 
that  some  such  notion  was  indulged  by  the 
people  who  gave  name  to  the  place. 


^  r 


THE   MAELS.TROM. 


Whiblpools  are  violent  currents  in  the 
sea,  caused  by  the  flowing  of  waters  over 
stones  lying  at  the  bottom.  Hurl-gate,  or 
Hell-gate,  between  the  East  river  and  Long 
Island  Sound,  near  New  York,  is  an  example 
of  this  kind.  In  the  narrow  channel  here, 
the  tide  flows  backward  and  forward  with 
great  force;  and  there  being  large,  irregu- 
lar rocks  in  this  channel,  the  water  is  thrown 
into  the  most  violent  agitation.  In  pass- 
ing through  the  place,  it  is  easy  to  see  tjie 
waves  seeming  to  boil  as  if  in  a  pot.  'J'his 
place  is  dangerous  to  vessels,  and  mny 
have  been  WTecked  here;  though  thf  nav- 
igation is  now  so  well  understood  'htt  fewer 
accidents  happen  than  formerly.  The  steam- 
boats generally  pass  in  safety,  but  still  the 
superb  Oreg'oyj  got  upon  the  rocks  here,  with- 
in a  year  or  two,  and  came  near  being  lost. 

Between  Sicily  and  the  main  land  are 
the  Straits  of  Messina,  where  the  current 
is  rapid.  Ancient  mariners  deemed  this  a 
terrible  place ;  one  side  they  called  Scylla, 
and  the  other  Chafybdis.  The  poets  depicted 
the  sailor  in  this  rapid,  as  beset  by  horrors; 
for  if  he  escaped  Scylla  on  one  side,  Charyb- 
dis  was  ready  to  dash  him  in  pieces  on  the 
other.  This  idea  has  come  down  to  our 
day,  and  has  even  passed  into  a  proverb. 

But  the  Maelstrom,  on  the  coast  of  Nor- 
way, is  a  much  more  dangerous  current. 


It  is  situated  between  the  LofToden  Island.'-. 
and  is  caused  by  the  tides ;  though  its  ter- 
rors are  sometimes  greatly  increased  by  the 
winds.  The  roar  of  the  sea,  when  the 
Maelstrom  is  in  full  action,  is  said  to  be 
terrific.  It  is  stated  that  not  only  ships, 
but  even  whales,  have  been  sucked  into  this 
vortex,  and  killed  by  being  dashed  against 
the  hidden  rocks.  The  following  descrip- 
tion, though  imaginary,  gives  a  correct  idea 
of  the  destruction  of  a  ship  in  this  whirlpool. 

"  The  breeze,  which  had  been  long  flag- 
ging, now  lulled  into  a  calm,  and  soon  a 
low  continual  hum,  like  that  of  an  army  of 
bees,  which  seemed  to  rise  out  of  the  stilled 
ocean,  became  audible  to  every  ear.  Not  a 
word  was  spoken  ;  every  one  held  his  breath 
whilst  he  listened  with  an  intensity  of  eager- 
ness that  betokened  the  awe  that  was  fast 
filling  the  heart.  '  It  is  the  Moskoestrom  ! ' 
cried  the  boatswain.  '  The  Moskoestrom  ! ' 
echoed  the  crew.  '  Away,  men  ! '  shouted 
the  mate ;  '  down  to  the  hold,  bring  up  the 
spare  sails,  clear  the  deck,  set  up  a  spar  for 
a  mast,  away,  —  away  ! ' 

"  The  din  of  preparation  drowned  the  stern 
hum  of  the  distant  whirlpool ;  there  was, 
however,  an  anxious  pause  when  the  new 
sail  was  set  into  the  air;  and  experienced 
sailors  suffered  themselves  to  be  cheated 
with  the  hope,  that  there  was  still  breeze 


THE    MANNA-TREE. 


enough  to  make  the  good  ship  answer  her 
hehn.  But,  alas  !  the  heavy  canvass  refused 
to  expand  its  folds,  and  not  a  breath  of  wind 
ruffled  the  dull  surface  of  the  sullen  waters. 
They  had  not  another  hope ;  the  sailors 
looked  on  one  another  with  blank  dismay, 
and  now  they  heard,  with  awful  distinctness, 
the  roar  of  the  terrible  Maelstrom,  and  the 
frowning  rocks  of  Loffoden  were  but  too 
plainly  visible  on  the  right.  It  became 
evident  to  all,  that  the  ship,  borne  along  by 
the  tide,  was  fiist  approaching  the  dreadful 
whirlpool.  The  vessel  continued  slowly  to 
approach,  and  the  certainty  of  unavoidable 
death  became  every  moment  more  overpow- 
ering and  intense.  At  first  the  .sailors  stood 
together  in  a  group,  gazing  gloomily  upon 
one  another ;  but  as  the  roar  of  the  whirl- 
pool became  louder  and  louder,  and  the  con- 
viction of  inevitable  destruction  became 
stronger,  they  all  dispersed  to  various  parts 
of  the  ship.     *     *     * 

"  It  was  a  beautiful  dav  ;  the  sun  shone 
forth  witliout  a  cloud  to  dim  his  lustre,  tiie 
waves  sparUled  beneath  his  iiilliieuce,  and 
tlie  white  plumage  of  a  thousand  busy  sea- 
birds  became  more  dazzling  with  iiis  rays. 
The  Isle  of  Moskoe  was  close  at  band,  and 
looked  cheerful  and  inviting,  but  the  ship 
was  not  to  approach  nearer  to  its  shores, — 
the  stream  which  bore  her  along  never  suf- 
fered any  vessel  to  pause  in  its  career. 
And  now  there  arose  at  some  distance  ahead 
of  the  vessel,  a  horrible  and  dismal  bellow- 
ing. It  was  the  voice  of  the  Leviathan  in 
his  agony  ;  and  when  those  on  deck  wlio  had 
still  ears  for  exterior  sounds  looked  forward 
to  ascertain  its  cause,  they  beheld  a  huge 
black  monster  upon  the  surface  of  the  sea, 
struggling  against  the  irresistible  stream, 
and  with  his  immense  tail  lashing  the  waters 
into  foam,  as  he  vainly  strove  to  escape 
from  destruction.  They  beheld  him  borne 
away  by  the  might  of  his  furious  enemy  ; 
and  they  heard  his  last  roar  above  the  noise 
of  the  whirlpool,  as  he  was  sucked  flown 
into  the  never  satisfied  abyss,  and  disap- 
peared from  their  eyes  to  be  torn  to  atoms  ; 
for  such  is  the  fate  of  everything  that  seeks 
the  depths  of  the  Maelstrom. 

"  The  ship  glides  along  faster  and  faster ; 
she  begins  to  toss  and  roll  uneasily  in  the 
angry  rapids  that  boil  around  her,  —  her 
race  is  nearly  run.  Terrible  !  terrible  mo- 
ment!  The  ship  hurries  onto  her  doom 
with  mad  impetuosity.  She  is  in  tiie  rap- 
ids! she  hurries  along  swift  as  a  flash  of 
fire.  She  is  in  the  whirl  of  water!  round, 
round,  round  she  goes  ;  her  inmates  catch 
hold  of  her  bulwarks  and  of  each  other,  to 


steady  themselves.  And  now  her  bowsprit 
is  under  the  waves,  and  a  wild  shriek  of 
despair  rises  into  the  sky  !  The  whirlpool, 
with  greedy  jaws,  has  sucked  her  under." 

The  water  of  the  whirlpool  is  said  to  be 
250  feet  deep,  and  at  ebb  its  noise  is  as 
loud  as  a  cataract.  In  1645,  it  was  so  vio- 
lently agitated  by  a  storm,  that  in  Moskoe 
the  houses  were  so  shaken  as  to  cause  the 
stones  to  fail  to  the  ground.  Fragments  of 
vessels  wrecked  in  the  ]\Iaelstrom  are  fre- 
quently seen  on  the  coast,  brought  up  by 
the  return  of  the  tide  —  their  edges  mashed 
and  jagged  as  with  a  saw,  which  would 
induce  the  belief  that  the  bottom  is  com- 
posed of  sharp  rocks. 


THE   MANNA-TREE. 

The  tree  which  produces  the  manna 
known  in  the  shops  is  an  ash  of  a  peculiar 
quality.  It  grows  in  the  south  of  Italy  and 
Sicily.  At  the  warmest  season,  the  tree 
most  abounds  in  sap,  and,  accordingly,  in 
August  the  people  make  incisions  into  the 
bark.  These  are  two  inches  long  horizon- 
tally, and  half  an  inch  in  depth.  On  incis- 
ion, the  manna  immediately  begins  to  flow, 
at  first  in  the  form  of  water,  but  it  gradu- 
ally becomes  thicker.  A  leaf  is  inserted 
into  the  incision,  which  conducts  the  juice 
into  a  vessel  placed  at  the  foot  of  the  tree. 
The  liquor  does  not  harden  till  it  has  re- 
mained some  time.  It  has  an  unpleasant 
taste,  but  after  the  watery  parts  have  evap- 
orated, it  is  sweeter,  but  slightly  nauseous. 

The  man  in  the  cut  is  scraping  off  the 
juice  which  has  exuded  from  and  hardened 


48 


LEANING    TOWER    AT    FISA,    IN    ITALY. 


upon  the  tree,  with  a  knife  ;  this  takes  the 
form  of  icicles  upon  the  bark. 

Manna  once  formed  a  principal  source  of 
emolument  m  Sicily ;  but  it  has  now  nearly- 
fallen  into  disuse,  from  our  having  so  many 
other  substances  of  more  medicinal  value. 
The  properties  of  this  drug  are  those  of  a 
gentle  purgative,  particularly  adapted  to  the 
use  of  children. 

This  article  must  not  be  confounded  with 
the  manna  spoken  of  in  Scripture  as  the 
food  of  the  Israelites  in  the  deserts  of  Arabia. 
This  was  a  small  grain,  as  white  as  hoar 
frost,  which  fell  every  morning  with  the 
dew.  During  the  forty  years  of  their  jour- 
ney in  the  wilderness,  this  manna  fell  in  a 


sufficient  quantity  for  every  individual  of  a 
million  of  men  to  gather  three  quarts  a  day 
for  his  own  use.  It  was  made  into  a  kind 
of  paste,  and  baked  in  pans.  It  is  called  in 
Scripture  the  "  bread  of  heaven." 

There  is  a  vegetable  substance, .  called 
manna,  in  Arabia,  Poland,  and  Mount  Liba- 
nus,  and  other  places.  It  is  a  kind  of  con- 
densed liquor,  found  on  the  leaves  of  trees, 
herbs,  rocks,  and  sometimes  on  the  sands  in 
Arabia.  Some  writers  suppose  this  to  be 
like  that  which  fell  for  the  Israelites.  The 
Jews,  however,  and  many  others,  are  of 
opinion  that  it  was  a  totally  different  sub- 
stance from  the  vegetable  manna,  spec- 
ially provided  by  the  Almighty  for  his  people. 


LEANING  TOWER  AT   PISA,   IN  ITALY. 


This  celebrated  tower  is  of  a  circular 
form,  builtentirely  of  white  marble,  and  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  height;  there 
are  two  hundred  and  thirty  steps  by  which 
you  ascend  to  the  summit ;  on  the  outside 
of  each  floor  is  a  gallery,  of  which  there  are 
eight,  and  which  is  open  in  the  interior;  it 
was  finished  400  years  ago. 

The  tower  was  evidently  intended  as  a 
belfry  for  the  Duomo  or  Cathedral,  close  to 
which  it  stands.  It  is  a  beautiful  piece  of 
architecture,  but  its  chief  curiosity  consists 


in  its  being  fourteen  feet  out  of  the  perpen- 
dicular. Although  it  has  been  thought  to 
have  been  built  in  its  present  inclined  posi- 
tion from  eccentricity  on  the  part  of  the 
architect,  yet  there  can  be  no  reasonable 
doubt  but  that  it  is  occasioned  by  the  sink- 
ing of  the  earth  on  one  side  of  it.  The 
entrance  is  by  two  beautiful  bronze  doors, 
said  to  have  been  brought  from  Jerusalem. 
The  view  of  the  surrounding  country  from 
the  top  is  extensive  and  beautiful. 


STONEHENGE. 


Stonehenge  is  the  most  remarkable  an- 
cipiit  monument  now  rcmaininr:^  in  Great 
Britain  ;  nor,  indeed,  is  tlicre  known  any- 
where to  exist  so  stupendous  an  erection  of 
the  same  character.  Even  in  its  present 
hah"-ruined  state,  the  venerable  pile  retains 
a  majesty  that  strikes,  at  the  first  glance, 
both  tlic  most  refined  and  the  rudest  eye  ; 
and  the  admiration  of  the  beholder  grows 
and  expands  as  the  more  distinct  concep- 
tion of  the  original  plan  of  the  structure 
gradually  unfolds  itself  from  amidst  the 
irregular  and  confused  mixture  of  the  stand- 
ing and  fallen  portions,  which,  for  a  short 
time,  perplexes  the  contemplation. 

Stonehenge  stands  at  a  short  distance 
from  Amesbury,  England,  on  the  brow  of 
one  of  those  broad  and  gentle  elevations 
which  undulate  the  vast  level  of  Salisbury 
Plain.  The  direction  of  the  entrance,  or 
avenue,  is  from  north-east  to  south-west ; 
and  this  appears  to  iiavc  been  the  only  en- 
trance to  the  enclosure  in  which  the  build- 
ing stands  ;  which  is  formed  by  a  circular 
ditch,  3G9  yards  in  circumference,  and  hav- 
ing a  slight  rampart  on  the  inner  side.  The 
building  stands  in  the  centre  of  this  circular 
area.  An  outer  circle  of  enormous  upright 
blocks,  having  others  upon  them,  as  the 
lintel  of  a  door  is  placed  upon  side  posts  so 
»s  to  forma  kind  of  architrave,  has  enclosed 
a  spiice  of  100  feet  in  diameter. 

Tlie  upright  stones  in  this  circle  had  been 
originally  thirty  in  number ;  but  only  seven- 


teen of  them  are  now  standing.  That  portion 
of  the  circle  which  faces  the  north-east  is  still 
tolerably  entire,  and  the  doorway  at  the  termi- 
nation of  the  avenue  may  l;e  said  to  be  in  per- 
fect preservation.  It  consists  of  two  upright 
stone?,  each  thirteen  feet  in  height,  and  be- 
tween six  and  seven  feet  in  breadth,  with  a 
third  block  placed  over  them,  of  about  twelve 
feet  in  length,  and  two  feet  eight  inches  in 
depth.  The  space  between  the  two  posts  is 
five  feet,  which  is  rather  a  wider  interval 
than  occurs  between  any  two  other  pillars. 
Through  the  circle  the  broad  side  of  the 
stone  is  placed  in  the  line  of  the  circum- 
ference, so  that  there  must  have  been  more 
of  wall  than  of  open  space,  in  the  proportion 
of  64-  to  5.  The  imposts  are  fi.xed  upon  the 
uprights  throughout,  by  the  contrivance 
called  a  tenon  and  mortise  ;  the  ends  of  the 
iiprights  being  hewn  into  tenons  or  projec- 
tions, and  corresponding  hollows  being  ex- 
cavated in  the  imposts.  They  are  oval  or 
egg  shaped.  Of  course,  there  are  two  tenons 
on  each  upright,  and  two  mortises  in  each 
of  tlie  imposts,  which  are  of  the  same  num- 
ber with  the  uprights.  The  principal  work- 
manship must  have  been  bestowed  upon 
these  fittings ;  for,  although  tlie  marks  of 
the  hewer's  tool  arc  visible  u]Kin  the  other 
parts  of  the  stones,  their  surface  has  been 
left,  upon  the  whole,  rude  and  irregular. 
They  are  made  to  taper  a  little  towards  the 
top;  but  even  in  this  respect  they  nre  not 
uniform.     ^^  ithin  this  jrreat  circle  there  is 


50 


INDIA    RUBBER    TREE. 


another,  formed  by  stones,  not  only  much 
smaller,  but  also  much  ruder  in  their  outline  ; 
of  these  there  had  originally  been  forty,  but 
onl)''  twenty  of  them  can  now  be  traced. 
This  circle  has  never  had  any  imposts ;  it 
is  about  eighty-four  feet  in  diameter,  and 
consequently  the  interval  between  it  and 
the  outer  circle  is  eight  feet. 

The  next  enclosure  has  been  formed  of 
only  ten  stones  ;  but  they  are  of  very  majes- 
tic height,  exceeding  that  of  the  outer  circle. 
They  have  been  disposed  in  five  pairs,  and 
in  the  form  of  a  half-oval,  or  rather  of  a 
horseshoe  ;  the  upper  part  facing  the  north 
end  or  great  door;  the  two  pairs,  at  the 
termination  of  the  curve,  which  are  distant 
from  each  other  about  forty  feet,  are  each 
sixteen  feet  three  inches  in  height;  but  the 
height  of  the  next  two  pairs  is  seventeen 
feet  two  inches  ;  and  that  of  the  last  pair,  the 
station  of  which  has  been  directly  facing  the 
opening,  was  twenty-one  feet  and  a  half. 

A  striking  efTect  must  have  been  produced 
by  this  ascending  elevation.  A  variety  and 
a  lightness  must  also  have  been  given  to  the 
structure,  by  the  arrangement  of  the  stones 
here,  not  at  equal  distances,  as  in  the  two 
exterior  rows,  but  in  pairs ;  the  intervals 
betvsreen  each  two  pairs  being  much  greater 
than  that  between  the  two  stones  composing 
each  pair.  The  uprights  of  this  row  have 
imposts  over  them,  as  in  the  outer  circle.  One 
of  these  imposts  is  sixteen  feet  three  inches 
long;  of  course  the  imposts  here,  not  form- 
ing a  continuous  architrave,  are  only  five  in 
number.  Of  the  five  pairs,  or  rather  trili- 
thons,  (that  is,  combinations  of  three  stones,) 
although  some  of  the  shafts  have  been  in- 
jured and  mutilated,  all  are  still  in  their 
places,  except  the  fifth,  or  that  which  faced 
the  entrance  :  this  trilithon  fell  down  on  the 
3d  .January,  1797,  and  the  stones  now  encum- 
ber a  flat  one,  of  about  fifteen  feet  in  length, 
which  lay  at  their  base.  Lastl}',  there  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  fourth  enclosure,  formed 
originally  (as  Stockely  thinks)  of  nineteen 
stones,  but  only  eleven  now  remain  entire  or 
in  fragments.  These  seem  also  to  have  been 
arranged  in  the  shape  of  a  half-oval,  with  the 
open  part,  as  in  the  case  of  the  other,  to  the 
north-east.  Although  greatly  inferior  in 
height  to  those  last  described,  they  are  still 
taller  than  those  of  the  second  circle.  The 
most  perfect  is  seven  and  a  half  feet  high, 
and  twenty-three  inches  wide  at  the  base, 
and  twelve  at  the  top.  Like  the  second  circle, 
this  row  has  never  had  any  imposts. 

A  variety  of  absurd  legends  are  connected 
with  the  origin  and  purposes  of  this  erec- 
tion, but   it   is    now  universally  admitted 


that  it  was  a  Druidicrd  temple  of  the  ancient 
Britons.  It  has  also  been  the  subject  of 
wonder  how  the  immense  stones  came  there ; 
—  this  has  been  set  at  rest  by  Sir  R.  C. 
Hoare,  who  proves  that  those  of  the  outer 
circle,  and  the  five  trilithons  of  the  grand 
oval,  are  of  the  same  kind  with  those  wiiich 
are  found  in  different  parts  of  the  surface 
of  the  Wiltshire  downs,  and  are  there  called 
Sarsen  Sto7ies,  i.  e.,  stones  taken  from  their 
native  quarry  in  their  rude  state — they 
being  a  fine-grained  species  of  silicious  sand- 
stone. Those  forming  the  smaller  circle 
and  the  smaller  oval,  are  again  quite  difTer- 
ent.  Some  are  an  aggregate  of  quartz, 
feldspar,  chlorite,  and  horneblende ;  one  is 
a  silicious  schist ;  others  are  hornstone,  in- 
termixed with  small  specks  of  feldspar  and 
pyrites.  What  is  called  the  altar,  being  the 
stone  now  covered  by  the  centre  trilithon, 
is  a  micaceous  fine-grained  sandstone.  It 
is  still  a  matter  of  speculation  by  what  me-  , 
chanical  power  they  were  placed  in  their  ; 
situations.  At  Averbury,  in  the  same 
county,  there  are  also  some  remains  of  what 
is  supposed  to  have  been  the  largest  Celtic, 
or  Druidical  temple  in  Europe. 

The  engraving  at  the  head  of  this  article 
represents  the  temple  of  Stonehenge  as  it 
must  have  been  when  entire. 


INDIA   RUBBER   TREE. 

India  rubber,  called  caoittchmic,  is  pro- 
duced from  several  different  trees,  all  of  the 
genus /c!«,  or  fig.  The  celebrated  banyan 
tree,  of  India,  is  a  species  oificus. 

The  Jicus  elastica  is  the  tree  from  which 


FENELON. 


51  I 


the  India  rubber  is  chiefly  obtained.  This 
is  a  native  of  both  India  and  South  America. 
When  the  bark  is  broken,  it  gives  forth  a 
milky  liquid,  which,  being  exposed  to  the 
air,  produces  the  gum  elastic  which  is  so 
much  in  use  among  us.  It  is  now  about  a 
hundred  years  since  it  was  first  introduced 
into  Europe  ;  for  a  long  time  it  was  only 


used  to  erase  the  marks  of  lead  pencils. 
The  natives  of  South  America  had,  how- 
ever, long  employed  it,  as  we  do  now,  for 
boots  and  shoes,  lliey  also  smear  the  in- 
side of  baskets  with  it,  thus  providing  a 
tough  and  tight  lining.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Quito  they  make  it  into  a  kind  of  cloth. 


FENELON. 


Most  of  our  readers  have  read  the  beau- 
tiful story  of  Tclemachus,  and  we  are  now 
going  to  say  a  few  words  about  the  great 
and  good  man  who  wrote  it. 

His  name  was  Francois  de  Salignac  de 
la  Mothe  Fenelon.  He  was  of  an  illustri- 
ous family,  and  born  in  the  year  1651.  He 
was  educated  for  the  church  ;  and  such  was 
his  early  display  of  genius,  that,  at  the  age 
of  fifteen,  he  preached  a  sermon  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  select  assembly  at  Paris.  Such 
were  the  praises  heaped  upon  him  for  his 
eloquence,  that  his  uncle,  fearing  the  efTect 
of  flattery,  sent  him  to  tlie  seminary  of  St. 
Sulpice,  directing  him  for  "  several  years  to 
imitat/;  the  silence  of  Christ." 


When  arrived  at  mature  age,  Fenelon 
acquired  reputation  as  a  pious  minister  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  and  was  distinguished 
for  the  grace  and  gentleness  of  his  manners 
and  the  polished  style  of  his  writings.  He 
was  now  made  Archbishop  of  Cambray  by 
the  celebrated  Louis  XIV.;  but  soon  after, 
events  transpired  which  caused  his  tempo- 
rary disgrace.  In  those  days  there  was  a 
Madame  Guyon,  who  pretended  to  some 
extraordinary  religious  gifts,  and  Fenelon 
believed  and  defended  her  mystical  preten- 
sions. For  this  he  was  assailed  by  the 
eloquent  and  famous  Bishop  Bossuet,  and 
as  he  would  not"  retract,  he  was  denounced 
to  the  king  as  a  heretic.     About  the  same 


52 


THE    PASSION-FLOWER. 


time,  Fenelon's  palace  —  for  he  was  rich, 
and  lived  in  a  luxurious  style — took  fire, 
and  all  his  books  and  writings  were  de- 
stroyed. The  persecution  begun  by  Bos- 
suet  was  continued,  and  iinally  Fenelon  was 
represented  to  the  Pope  of  Rome  as  guilty 
of  circulating  heretical  and  dangerous  senti- 
ments. It  was  proposed  to  Fenelon  to  re- 
tract what  he  had  said,  in  which  case  he 
would  have  been  forgiven  ;  but  refusing  to 
do  this,  he  \v'as  condemned  and  severely 
reprimanded.  Subsequently  he  seems  to 
have  admitted  his  errors,  and,  with  Chris- 
tian meekness,  he  read  his  confession,  and 
the  pope'  sentence,  from  his  own  pulpit ! 

His  subsequent  life,  though  shadowed 
with  a  species  of  disgrace,  was  marked  with 
the  most  exemplary  piety,  charity,  meekness. 


and  devotion.  He  seemed  to  live  only  to 
do  good,  and  not  the  humblest  individual 
was  beneath  his  kindly  notice.  Seldom  has 
there  been  a  life  v.-liich  displayed  the  Chris- 
tian character  in  higher  perfection.  Fene- 
lon wrote  the  "  Adventures  of  Telemachus" 
before  the  difliculty  v.'hich  we  have  men- 
tioned. Owing  to  the  unfaithfulness  of  a 
servant,  it  was  published;  and  the  king, 
suspecting  it  to  have  some  touches  aimed  at 
him,  was  further  irritated  against  the  author. 
It  was  suppressed 'in  France,  but  was  pub- 
lished in  Holland,  where  it  was  rapidly  and 
extensively  circulated. 

Fenelon  died  in  1715,  and,  besides  his 
valuable  writings,  has  left  behind  a  rare  ex- 
ample of  what  Christianity  may  do  in  per- 
fecting human  character. 


THE   PASSION-FLOWER. 


The  plant  known  to  us  by  the  above  name 
belongs  to  a  class  common  in  the  tropical 
parts  of  America.  They  are  all  climbing 
plants,  and  often  scramble  over  trees  of  con- 
siderable height.  In  many  cases  they  are 
very  beautiful,  the  flowers  being  large  and 
richly  colored.  Several  of  them  are  valued 
for  the  fruit  which  they  yield  in  their  native 
climes,  it  being  pulpy  and  refreshing.  One 
species,  in  Brazil,  has  fruit  as  large  as  a 
child's  head.  One  kind,  in  the  West  In- 
dies, yields  what  is  called  the  water-lemon. 
Other  species,  however,  produce  fruit  which 
has  a  very  offensive  taste  and  smell. 

The  name  of  the  passion-flower  was  given 


by  the  Jesuits  of  South  America,  who  saw 
in  it  an  emblem  of  Christ's  death  and  pas- 
sion. The  five  anthers  represented  his 
wounds;  the  triple  style,  the  nails  with 
which  he  was  fastened  to  the  cross  ;  the 
column,  the  pillar  to  which  he  was  bound. 
A  number  of  fleshy  threads,  in  the  flower, 
betokened  the  crown  of  thorns. 

We  are  told  that  these  Jesuits,  in  address- 
ing the  Indians,  used  this  flower  as  a  means 
of  illustrating  their  account  of  the  crucifi.v- 
ion ;  thus  connecting  the  solemn  event,  in 
their  minds,  with  the  beautiful  works  of 
nature  aroOnd  them. 


THE   FRENCH  IN   EGYPT. 


The  expedition  of  the  French  army  against 
Egypt  was  planned  by  the  directory  of  that 
country,  partly  to  get  rid  of  Bonaparte, 
whom  tiiey  feared,  and  partly  to  prepare  for 
attacking  the  possessions  of  Great  Britain 
in  India.  They  had  no  cause  of  quarrel 
with  Egypt,  and  therefore  it  was  an  act  of 
plunder  and  robbery,  as  gross  as  any  ever 
perpetrated  by  a  burglar  or  higliwayuian. 

The  expedition  was  fitted  out  upon  a 
grand  scale.  It  consisted  of  thirteen  sail 
of  the  line,  with  smaller  ships  of  war  and 
transports,  comprising  a  fleet  of  several  hun- 
dred sail.  In  this  fleet  embarked  an  army 
of  28,000  men,  and  a  body  of  one  hundred 
men  of  science,  liberally  supplied  with  book's, 
philosophical  instruments,  and  all  the  means 
of  prosecuting  researches  in  every  depart- 
ment of  knowledge.  This  is  the  lirst  body 
of  the  kind  that  ever  accompanied  an  invad- 
ing army.  Bonaparte  did  not  limit  his 
views  to  those  of  armed  conquest ;  he  meant 
that  these  should  be  ennobled  by  mingling 
with  tliem  schemes  of  a  literary  and  scientific 
character. 

On  the  18th  of  May,  179S,  the  expedition 
set  sail  from  Toulon.  On  the  10th  of  June, 
they  arrived  before  Malta,  which  imme- 
diately surrendered.  A  British  fleet,  under 
Nelscpu,  was  in  the  Mediterranean,  in  search 
of  Bonaparte  ;  but,  by  that  good  fortune 
which  marked  the  whole  of  his  early  career, 
he  escaped  it,  and  reached  the  coast  of 
Egj'pt,   near  Alexandria,  on   the   29th   of 


June.  A  violent  storm  prevailed,  hut  Bona- 
parte, learning  that  the  English  fleet  had 
lieen  there  only  a  short  time  previous,  threw 
himself  on  the  shore,  at  the  risk  of  being 
wrecked.  The  troops  were  landed,  marched 
all  night,  and  the  next  morning  3,000 
French,  liarassed  with  fatigue,  destitute  of 
artillery,  and  with  a  small  supjily  of  ammu- 
nition, captured  Alexandria.  In  live  days 
Bonaparte  was  master  of  Eosetta  and  Da- 
inanhour,  and  had  obtained  a  secure  footing 
in  Eiiypt.  He  pushed  immediately  for  the 
interior.  Murad  Bey,  v.'ilh  a  large  force  of 
cavalry  and  a  flotilla  of  gunboats  on  the 
Nile,  attempted  to  check  the  advance  of  the 
French,  but  was  defeated,  and  compelled  to 
retreat.  After  this,  they  marched  for  eight 
days  without  being  molested,  except  by 
clouds  of  Arabs  lianging  upon  their  rear  ; 
but  often  reduced  to  the  greatest  straits,  and 
under  a  scorching  sun.  On  the  19th  of 
July,  they  came  in  sight  of  the  pyramids. 

As  they  prosecuted  their  march,  they 
found  their  difficulties  augmenting.  Provis- 
ions were  scarce ;  they  often  encamped  in 
immense  fields  of  wheat,  but  the  country 
afllirded  neither  mill  nor  oven  ;  and  they 
were  compelled  to  subsist  on  pulse  or 
parched  grain.  The  general-in-chief  and 
liis  stafToften  dined  on  nothing  but  a  dish  of 
lentils,  and  no  one  had  a  tent  to  shelter  him. 

At  length  they  came  in  sight  of  the  in- 
trenched camp  of  the  enemv,  comprising  a 
force  of  30,000  men.    Here  took  place  what 


54 


THE    FRENCH   IN    EGYPT. 


is  called  the  Battle  of  the  Pyramids,  in  the 
beginning  of  which  Bonaparte  addressed 
the  soldiers  in  that  striking  apostrophe  which 
has  been  so  often  quoted  :  "  From  the  sum- 
mits of  those  pyramids,  forty  centuries  look 
down  upon  you."  The  Egyptians  were 
defeated,  with  the  loss  of  10,000  men,  and 
their  artillery  and  baggage.  Bonaparte 
made  his  triumphal  entrance  into  Cairo  on 
the  26th  of  July. 

The  city  contained  a  population  of  about 
200,000.  The  populace,  when  they  heard 
of  the  disasters  of  their  own  people,  had  set 
fire  to  the  houses  of  the  Beys,  and  commit- 
ted all  sorts  of  excesses.  Bonaparte,  on 
taking  possession  of  Cairo,  made  every  effort 
to  ingratiate  himself  with  the  people.  He 
gave  strict  orders  that  no  insult  should  be 
offered  to  the  Mahometan  religion.  He  did 
not,  as  has  been  idly  asserted,  pretend  to 
be  a  convert  to  it ;  he  merely  avowed,  what 
he  probably  felt,  a  high  opinion  of  its  found- 
er, and  treated  its  ceremonies  with  respect 
and  decorum.  General  Menou,  however, 
in  good  earnest,  turned  Mahometan,  and 
married  a  lady  of  Rosetta,  whom  he  treated 
after  the  French  modes  of  gallantry  and 
politeness.  He  gave  her  his  hand  to  enter 
the  dming-room,  the  best  place  at  table,  and 
the  choicest  dishes ;  if  she  dropped  her 
handkerchief,  he  ran  to  pick  it  up.  She 
related  all  these  circumstances  in  the  bath 
of  Rosetta,  where  all  the  women  meet;  and 
they,  in  hopes  of  a  change  in  the  national 
manners,  signed  a  petition  to  Sultan  Kabir, 
or  the  Fire-king,  as  they  called  Bonaparte, 
that  their  husbands  should  be  obliged  to  treat 
them  in  the  same  manner. 

The  Turkish  Sultan,  in  the  mean  time, 
had  issued  an  indignant  manifesto,  declar- 
ing war  against  France  for  having  invaded 
one  of  his  provinces,  and  prepared  to  send 
an  army  for  the  recovery  of  Egypt.  On  the 
22d  of  September,  a  popular  insurrection 
broke  out  at  Cairo,  and  great  numbers  of 
the  French  were  massacred.  Bonaparte, 
who  was  absent,  returned  with  troops,  sup- 
pressed the  insurrection,  and  issued  a  proc- 
lamation, in  which,  imitating  the  Oriental 
style,  he  told  the  Egyptians  that  he  was  the 
Man  of  Fate,  who  had  been  foretold  in  the 
Koran,  and  that  any  resistance  to  him  was 
impious  as  well  as  unavailing,  and  that  he 
would  call  them  to  account  even  for  their 
most  secret  thoughts,  as  nothing  was  con- 
cealed from  him.  The  Turks  began  to  as- 
semble forces  in  Syria,  and  Djezzar,  the 
Pacha  of  that  province,  was  appointed  to 
the  command.  Bonaparte  determined  on 
an  expedition  to  Syria.    In  February,  1799, 


he  crossed  the  desert  with  ten  thousand 
men,  captured  El  Arish  and  Gaza,  and  on 
the  7th  of  March  he  stormed  Jaffa,  which 
was  bravely  defended  by  several  thousand 
Turks.  A  summons  to  surrender  had  been 
sent  them,  but  they  cut  off  the  head  of  the 
messenger.  Jaffa  was  taken  and  given  up 
to  plunder.  About  twelve  hundred  of  the 
garrison  were  found  to  be  Turkish  troops 
made  prisoners  at  El  Arish,  and  who  had 
been  liberated  on  their  parole  not  to  bear 
arms  against  the  French  for  a  year.  For 
this  violation  of  their  parole,  Bonaparte 
ordered  them  all  to  be  shot;  a  deed  which, 
being  grossly  misrepresented  and  exagger- 
ated by  the  English,  was  applied  with  great 
industry  to  blacken  his  character. 

The  French,  who  were  victorious  at  every 
other  point,  found  an  insurmountable  obsta- 
cle to  their  progress  at  Acre,  which  was  so 
resolutely  defended  by  Djezzar,  assisted  by 
a  body  of  English  sailors,  under  Sir  Sidney 
Smith,  that  Bonaparte,  finding  the  siege 
protracted,  and  receiving  alarming  accounts 
from  Egypt,  gave  over  the  design,  and  began 
his  retreat  on  the  21st  of  May.  This  cam- 
paign cost  him  about  4,000  men  ;  but,  had 
he  succeeded  at  Acre,  he  would  have  be- 
come master  of  all  Syria,  and  perhaps  have 
threatened  Constantinople.  He  returned 
to  Cairo  on  the  14th  of  June.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  whole  French  fleet  had  been  cap- 
tured or  destroyed  in  the  Bay  of  Aboukir, 
by  Lord  Nelson ;  yet,  considering  the  bril- 
liant successes  of  the  French  by  land,  the 
reduction  of  Rosetta,  Alexandria,  Damietta, 
and  Cairo,  and,  above  all,  the  battle  of  the 
Pyramids,  they  had  good  ground  for  hope 
that  many  of  the  Arabs  might  be  drawn 
over  to  the  side  of  the  conquerors.  The 
Jews,  as  usual,  were  at  the  service  of  the 
best  paymaster,  besides  the  resentment 
which  they  must  have  felt  at  the  treatment 
they  received  from  the  Turks.  Among  the 
other  inhabitants  of  Egypt,  the  Greeks  and 
the  Copts,  though  greatly  humbled  in  their 
minds  and  in  their  fortunes,  and  the  latter 
debased  almost  to  brutality,  by  a  long  series 
of  tyrannical  oppressions,  might  yet  be 
roused,  by  kinder  treatment  and  better  pros- 
pects, to  a  sense  of  national  dignity  and 
freedom.  The  clouded  prospects  of  Bona- 
parte were,  therefore,  on  the  whole,  bright- 
ened up  by  gleams  of  hope  sufficient  to  call 
the  powers  of  his  active  and  inventive  mind 
into  full  exertion. 

The  Egyptians,  by  nature  a  timid  and 
effeminate  race,  were  struck  with  terror  at 
the  first  arrival  of  the  French,  nor  did  this 
feeling  rapidly  subside.     They  shut  them- 


THE    FRENCH    IN    EGYPT. 


55  i 


selves  up  in  their  houses,  and  concealed 
their  stores  of  provisions,  so  that,  for  many 
days,  the  French  were  reduced  to  great 
straits.  But  when  the  apprehensions  of  the 
natives  were  removed  by  the  good  discipline 
of  the  French,  provisions  were  furnished  in 
the  greatest  abundance.  The  Delta  was 
fully  sufficient  to  supply  all  necessaries, 
which  could  be  conveyed  to  the  French 
magazines  liy  the  Nile  or  by  canals.  The 
old  canal  that  conveyed  the  waters  of  the 
Nile  to  Alexandria,  and  other  canals,  were 
cleared  out  and  repaired.  Windmills  were 
constructed  for  grinding  corn,  the  only  mills 
known  to  the  natives  being  hand-mills  and 
a  few  worked  by  oxen.  The  want  of  wine 
was  supplied  by  a  spirit  extracted  from 
dates.  At  Alexandria  and  Cairo,  boards 
were  instituted  for  inquiring  into  the  best 
means  for  preventing  contagious  distempers, 
and  for  the  general  jirescrvation  of  health  ; 
the  consequence  of  which  was,  that  the  san- 
itary condition  of  these  cities  was  much 
improved.  At  Cairo,  a  theatre  was  estab- 
lished, for  the  amusement  of  the  French  and 
the  astonishment  of  the  Egyptians. 

It  was  easy,  however,  to  see  that  the 
French  army  must  necessarily  be  dimin- 
ished by  the  accidents  of  war,  in  process  of 
time,  unless  supplied  with  fresh  recruits. 
Napoleon,  therefore,  in  imitation  of  the 
Romans,  and  of  Alexander  the  Great,  whose 
examples  were  still  before  him,  determined 
to  range  under  his  standard  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country,  which,  as  yet,  he  had  rather 
overrun,  m  part,  than  conquered.  He 
allured  into  his  service,  by  liberal  pay,  bodies 
of  Arabs  and  Greeks,  and  even  a  company 
of  Janizaries.  An  incident,  which  happened 
long  after,  may  serve  to  show  the  impression 
he  made  on  all  around  him,  and  even  on 
fierce,  barbaric  minds.  Twenty  years  sub- 
sequent to  this  period.  Doctor  .Vntommarclii, 
on  a  voyage  to  visit  Napoleon,  then  a  cap- 
tive and  dying  at  St.  Helena,  came  in  sight 
of  Cape  Palmas,  on  the  western  coast  of 
Africa.  The  vessel  kept  near  the  shore, 
and  presently  a  number  of  canoes  were  seen 
making  towards  her.  They  were  light, 
swift,  narrow,  and  low,  managed  by  men 
squatting  down,  who  struck  the  sea  with 
their  nanns  and  glided  over  its  surface.  A 
wave  or  flaw  of  wind  upset  them,  but,  nim- 
ble as  the  fishes,  they  instantly  turned  their 
canoes  upward  and  pursued  their  course. 
The  vessel  took  in  sail,  and  they  were  soon 
alongside.  They  brought  provisions,  which 
the  crew  received  with  thanks. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ? "  asked  one  of 
the  Africans. 


"  To  Saint  Helena,"  was  the  answer. 

This  name  struck  him,  and  he  remained 
some  time  motionless.  At  length  he  said 
in  a  dejected  tone, 

"  To  Saint  Helena  ?  —  Is  it  true  that  he 
is  there  ?" 

"Who?"  demanded  the  captain. 

"  The  African  cast  a  look  of  disdain  at 
him,"  says  Antommarchi,  "came  tons,  and 
repeated  the  question.  We  replied  that  he 
teas  there.  He  looked  at  us,  shook  his  head, 
and  at  length  replied,  'Impossible!'  We 
gazed  at  one  another,  wondering  who  this 
savage  could  be,  who  spoke  English  ai'.d 
French,  and  had  so  high  an  idea  of  Napo- 
leon. 

"  '  You  knew  him,  then  ?'  we  returned. 

"  '  Long  ago.' 

" '  You  have  seen  him  ?' 

"  '  In  all  his  glory.' 

"  '  And  often  ?' 

"'In  Cairo,  the  well  defended  city,  —  in 
the  desert,  —  in  the  field  of  battle.' 

"  '  You  do  not  believe  in  his  misfortunes.' 

"' His  arm  is  strong;  his  tongue  sweet 
as  honey ;  nothing  can  resist  him ;  for  a 
long  time  he  has  opposed  all  Europe.  Not 
all  Europe,  nor  the  world,  can  overcome 
such  a  man.  The  Mamelukes  and  the 
Pachas  were  eclipsed  before  him,  —  he  is 
the  god  of  battles.  Napoleon  cannot  be  at 
Saint  Helena  !' 

"  '  His  misfortunes  arc  but  too  certain. 
Exhaustion  —  disaffection  —  plots  — ' 

" '  All  vanished  at  his  sight ;  a  single 
word  repaid  us  for  all  our  fatigues ;  our 
wishes  were  satisfied  ;  we  feared  nothing 
from  the  moment  that  we  saw  him.' 

"  '  Have  you  fouirlit  under  him  ?' 

'"I  had  been  wounded  at  Coptos,  and 
was  sent  back  into  Lower  Egypt.  I  was  at 
Cairo  when  Mustapha  appeared  on  the  coast. 
The  army  marched.  1  followed  its  move- 
ments, and  was  present  at  Aboukir.  What 
precision!  What  an  eye  !  What  brilliant 
chartres !  It  is  impossible  that  Napoleon 
has  been  conquered,  —  that  he  is  at  Saint 
Helena  ! ' " 

Napoleon,  while  in  Egypt,  caused  strict 
justice  to  be  practised  between  man  and 
man.  He  gave  free  passage  and  protection 
to  the  pilgrims  going  to  and  from  Mi'ccii 
and  encouraged  all  kinds  of  commerce  I  o 
the  predial  slaves  he  gave  land,  to  be  culti- 
vated on  their  own  account.  He  granted 
equal  riglits  of  inheritance  to  all  the  cliil- 
drcn  of  the  same  parents  ;  and  improved  the 
condition  of  women,  by  giving  them  a  cer- 
tain portion  of  their  husbands'  property  at 
their   decease.      Hi    encouraired    marria.ie 


56 


THE    MULE. 


between  his  soldiers  and  the  natives,  and 
endeavored  to  restrain  polygamy.  He  estab- 
lished schools  for  the  instruction  of  the  young 
French,  Copts,  and  Arabs,  in  French,  Ara- 
bic, geography,  and  mathematics.  He  was 
a  friend  to  public  shows,  games,  and  other 
diversions;  in  all  which  he  labored  to  in- 
duce the  French  and  the  natives  to  mingle 
together.  During  the  Syrian  campaign, 
General  Dessuix  had  driven  the  Mamelukes 
from  Upper  Egypt  and  beyond  the  cataracts 
of  Assouan.  Dessaix's  army  contained  the 
French  scientific  corps,  and  Denon  among 
the  rest,  who  explored  the  monuments  of 
Thebes,  Dendera,  Edfu,  &c.  The  eflect 
produced  upon  the  army  by  suddenly  com- 
ing in  sight  of  the  ruins  of  Thebes,  was  that 
of  admiration  and  v/onder.  From  the  obser- 
j  rations  of  Denon  and  his  associates,  a  most 
5  magnificent  work  on  Egypt  was  afterwards 
compiled,  and  published  at  the  expense  of 
the  French  government. 

What  would  have  been  the  destiny  of 


Egypt,  had  Napoleon  remained  longer  in 
that  countr}^  it  is  difficult  to  conjecture  ; 
but  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  1797,  the 
Turks  landed  an  army  of  18,000  men  at 
Aboukir,  the  defeat  of  which  closed  his 
Egyptian  campaign.  Immediately  after  this 
victory,  he  received  such  intelligence  of  the 
state  of  affairs  in  France  as  induced  him 
to  return  without  delay.  He  accordingly 
embarked  at -Alexandria,  on  the  ISth  of 
August,  and  arrived  in  France  on  the  9lh 
of  October.  General  Kleber  was  left  in 
command ;  but,  being  assassinated  by  one 
of  the  natives,  his  authority  devolved  upon 
General  Menou.  In  ISOl,  the  British  sent 
an  expedition  to  Egypt,  under  General  Aber- 
crombie,  to  drive  out  the  French.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  detail  the  military  events  of 
this  canjpaign  further  than  to  say,  that  they 
succeeded  in  their  object,  and  in  the  summer 
of  the  same  year  Egypt  was  restored  to  the 
government  of  the  Pacha. 


J 


THE   MULE. 


The  mule  is  a  mongrel  quadruped,  show- 
ing a  resemblance  both  to  the  horse  and  the 
ass  It  is  the  oflTspring  of  a  horse  and  she- 
ass,  or  an  ass  and  mare.  By  the  immutable 
law  of  nature,  and  the  wise  appointment  of 
God,  mules  can  have  no  descendants. 

Mules  are  of  great  antiquity,  and  were 
known  in  the  days  of  David.  In  their  dis- 
position they  are  rather  vicious,  intractable, 
and  obstinate.  They  are  remarkably  hardy, 
sure-footed,  and  able  to  endure  great  fatigue. 


The  finest  mules  are  produced  in  Spain,  and 
many  of  them  are  fifteen  or  sixteen  hands 
high.  They  are  much  hardier  than  horses, 
and  sometimes  surpass  them  in  strength. 
They  are  less  subject  to  disease,  and  will 
live  and  work  to  twice  the  age  of  a  horse. 
They  are  particularly  useful  in  mountainous 
countries,  and  in  rocky,  stony  ways.  There- 
fore they  are  much  used  on  the  Alps  and 
Pyrenees.  From  the  medals  of  Julia  and 
Agrippina,  it  appears  that  the  Roman  ladies 


57 


had  chariots  drawn  by  mules.  David  and 
his  sons  rode  upon  mules ;  (2  Sam.  xiii.  29.) 
"  Then  all  the  king's  sons  arose,  and  every 
man  gat  him  up  upon  his  mule,  and  fled." 
Solomon  rodo  upon  a  mule  at  his  corona- 
tion. King  Ahab  had  great  numbers  of 
them.  The  Jews,  in  their  return  from 
Babylon,  had  two  hundred  and  forty-five  of 
them  for  bearing  their  furniture.  (Ezra  ii.) 
Tliis  must  have  been  a  sight  peculiarly  in- 
teresting. The  Persians  used  them  for 
their  posts  to  ride  on.  (Esther  viii.  10.)  In 
Ezek.  xxvii.  14,  we  find  that  tlic  Tyrians 


bought  great  numbers   of  them  from   the 
people  of  Tagarmah. 

The  mule  is  little  used  in  the  United 
States,  except  at  the  south,  where  they  are 
common.  They  are  much  used  in  Mexico 
and  South  America.  It  is  said  that  the  late 
John  Kandolph,  when  at  Washington,  saw 
a  drove  of  mules  going  from  Connecticut  to 
be  sold  at  the  south.  Randolph  said  to  Hill- 
house,  senator  from  Connecticut,  —  "See! 
there  are  some  of  your  constituents."  "  Yes," 
said  Hilliiouse,  "  they  are  going  to  be  school- 
masters in  Virsrinia  ! " 


MAHOMET. 


Mahomet,  or,  according  to  the  orthogra- 
phy and  pronunciation  of  the  orientals,  Mo- 
hanimcd,  (tlie  Glorified,)  surnamed  Aboul 
i;  Cassem,  the  founder  of  the  Arabic  empire, 
and  of  the  religion  to  which  he  gave  his 
name,  was  born  at  Mecca,  on  the  tenth  of 
November,  570  A.  D.,  according  to  the 
most  probable  opinion. 

He  was  of  the  tribe  of  the  Korashites, 
the  noblest  and  the  most  powerful  of  the 
country.  He  lost  his  father  before  he  was 
two  years  old,  and  his  mother  before  he 
was  eight,  but  their  aflcctionate  attention 
was  supplied  by  the  care  of  his  uncle,  Abu 
Taleb,  a  merchant.  In  the  family  of  tliis 
friendly  protector,  he  was  employed  to 
travel  with  his  camels,  between  Mecca  and 
Syria,  till  his  twenty-fifth  year,  when  he 
entered  into  the  service  of  Cadiga,  a  rich 
widow,  whom,  though  twelve  years  older 
than  himself,  he  married  three  yeais  after. 
Thus  suddenly  raised  tn  alTluenco  and  con- 
sequence aliove  his  countrymen,  he  formed 
the  secret  plan  of  obtaining  for  himself  the 


sovereign  power ;  and  judging  there  was  no 
way  so  likely  to  gain  his  end  as  by  cfTecting 
a  change  in  the  religion  of  his  countn,-men, 
he  adopted  that  as  his  instrument. 

He  now  spent  mudi  of  his  time  alone  in 
a  cave  near  Mecca,  emploj'ed,  as  he  gave 
out,  in  meditation  and  prayer,  though  it  is 
said  that  in  reality  he  called  to  his  aid  a 
Persian  Jew,  well  versed  in  the  history  and 
laws  of  his  sect,  and  two  Christians,  one  of 
the  Jacobite  and  the  other  of  the  Nestorian 
sect.  With  the  help  of  those  men  he  framed 
his  Koran,  or  the  book  which  he  pretended 
to  have  received  at  difFerent  times  from 
heaven  by  the  Iiands  of  the  angel  Gabriel. 

At  the  age  of  forty,  he  publicly  assumed 
the  prophetic  character,  calling  himself  the 
apostle  of  God  1  His  disciples  were  at  first 
very  few,  consisting  only  of  his  wife, 
nephew,  and  servant,  but  in  the  course  of 
throe  years  he  had  greatly  increased  the 
number  of  his  followers.  On  these  he 
imposed  talcs  but  too  well  adapted  to  de- 
ceive   ignorant  and    superstitious  ■  minds. 


8 


58 


THE    FLAT-HEAD    INDIANS. 


He  pretended  to  have  passed  into  the  high- 
est heavens  in  one  night,  on  the  back  of  a 
beautiful  ass,  called  al  Borak,  and  accom- 
panied by  the  angel  Gabriel !  that  he  there 
had  an  interview  with  Adam,  Abranam, 
Moses,  and  Jesus  Christ,  vifho  acknowledged 
his  E-iperiority,  which  was  confirmed  to  him 
by  the  Deity  himself!  This  romance  stag- 
gered even  some  of  his  best  friends,  and  a 
powerful  party  being  formed  against  him, 
he  was  forced  to  quit  Mecca,  and  to  seek 
refuge  in  Medina.  This  expulsion  dates 
the  foundation  of  his  empire,  and  of  his 
religion.  The  Mohammedans  adopt  it  as 
their  chronological  era,  calling  it  the  Hegi- 
ra,  being  the  16th  day  of  July,  A.  D.  622. 

Mahomet  had  still  a  number  of  disciples, 
upon  whom  he  inculcated  the  principle,  that 
they  were  not  to  dispute  for  their  religion 
by  words,  but  by  the  sword.  No  doctrine 
could  possibly  be  better  suited  to  a  lawless 
and  wandering  people  ;  it  was  soon  carried 
into  practice,  and  the  Jewish  Arabs  were 
the  first  to  experience  its  effects.  Upon 
them  Mahomet  committed  the  most  shock- 
ing cruelties  ;  numbers  were  put  to  death, 
others  were  sold  for  slaves,  and  their  goods 
distributed  among  the  soldiers. 

A  faith,  thus  propagated,  could  not  but 
succeed  in  a  country  like  Arabia.  His  ad- 
herents were  not  only  rewarded  by  plunder 
here,  but  had  held  out  to  them  a  felicity  of 
the  most  sensual  kind  hereafter.  In  627, 
Mahomet  made  a  treaty  with  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Mecca,  which  within  two  years  he 
violated,  and  captured  the  place.  Having 
made  himself  master  of  Arabia,  he  extended 
his  conquests  into  Syria,  where  he  took 
several  cities,  and  laid  some  of  the  princes 
under  tribute.  His  career  was  stopped  only 
by  his  death,  which  was  supposed  to  be  oc- 
casioned by  poison,  administered  to  him  by 
a  Jewess,  and  sprinkled  on  a  shoulder  of 
mutton,  of  which  the  prophet  partook  vvith 
a  high  relish.  When  the  woman  was  ex- 
amined, she  declared  that  she  had  perpe- 
trated the  deed,  on  purpose  to  try  whetlier 
he  was  a  true  prophet ;  an  answer  some- 
what remarkable,  as  the  innoxiousness  of 
poison  was  one  of  the  privileges  promised 
by  our  Lord  to  his  disciples.  The  poison 
is  said  to  have  taken  effect  three  years  after 
it  had  been  administered ! 

When  he  found  himself  dying,  Mahomet 
caused  himself  to  be  supported  to  the 
mosque,  where  he  celebrated  the  praise  of 
God,  demanded  pardon  for  his  sins,  and 
then,  mounting  his  throne,  said  :  "  If  any 
one  complaineth  that  I  have  stricken  him 
unjustly,  —  lo  !  here  is  my  back,  let  him 


return  the  blows.  If  I  have  injured  the 
reputation  of  any  one,  let  him  treat  me  in 
the  same  manner.  If  I  have  taken  money 
from  any  one,  I  am  here,  ready  to  restore 
it."  His  last  words  were,  "  Lord,  pardon 
me  ;  and  place  me  among  those  whom  thou 
hast  raised  to  grace  and  favor."  He  died 
on  the  8th  of  June,  A.  D.  632,  having  lived 
sixty-three  years. 

He  was  of  small  stature,  and  of  a  san- 
guine temperament.  He  had  a  large  head, 
regular  and  decided  features  ;  his  eyes  were 
large,  black,  and  fuU  of  fire  ;  his  forehead 
was  large,  his  nose  aquiline,  his  cheeks  full, 
and  his  mouth  large.  His  teeth  were  white, 
but  set  a  little  apart  from  each  other,  and 
between  his  eyebrows  was  a  vein,  which 
swelled  when  he  was  in  anger.  Notwith- 
standing his  corpulency,  his  gait  was  easy 
and  graceful.  After  the  death  of  Cadiga, 
he  had  several  wives  and  concubines,  by 
whom  he  had  many  children,  but  left  only 
one  daughter,  named  Fatima,  who  married 
his  successor  Ali,  having  lived  to  see  his 
doctrines  and  his  power  extended  over 
Arabia,  Syria,  and  Persia. 


THE   FLAT-HEAD   INDIANS. 

On  the  western  slope  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  along  the  banks  of  the  Columbia 
river,  there  is  a  tribe  of  Indians,  called 
Chinooks,  who  have  the  custom  of  flatten- 
ing the  foreheads  of  their  children,  in  the 
manner  represented  in  the  engraving.  The 
face  of  the  mother  shows  how  the  head 
looks  when  it  has  undergone  this  process 
in  infancy. 


59 


It  might  seem  that  this  were  a  painful 
process,  but  it  is  done  when  the  child  is 
very  young,  and  he  is  early  accustomed  to 
the  pressure.  The  little  creature,  in  his 
cradle,  looks  as  if  in  a  coffin  ;  and  here  he 
is  often  kept,  strapped  to  a  hoard,  for  sev- 
eral weeks,  only  the  lower  part  being  taken 
off  during  that  time.  When  the  mother  is 
on  a  journey,  she  carries  the  child  and 
cmdlo  on  her  back,  they  being  supported  by 
a  strap  passing  over  her  forehead. 

What  can  have  been  the  origin  of  this 
strange  custom,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  ; 
hut  probably  it  is  founded  on  fashion  only. 
Tlie  fancy  of  the  Chinese  for  small  feet  is 
equally  absurd,  and  leads  to  even  more 
pernicious  results. 


But,  however  the  custom  may  have  orig- 
inated, flattening  the  head  has  been  very 
extensively  practised  among  the  American 
savages.  There  .s  a  tribe  called  Flat- 
Heads,  which  inhabit  the  upper  western 
slopes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  derive 
their  name  from  this  custom,  though  it  is 
now  little  used  among  them.  The  Choc- 
taws  and  Chickasaws,  which  were  formerly 
large  tribes,  and  occupied  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  present  States  of  Mississippi 
and  Alabama,  were  anciently  accustomed 
to  flatten  the  head  in  the  manner  above  de- 
scribed ;  and  several  South  American  tribes 
have  long  had  the  same  practice  among 
them. 


SALADIN. 


Saladin,  or  Salaheddin  Yusef  Ben  Ayub, 
vras  at  first  general  of  the  army  of  Noured- 
din,  Sultan  of  Damascus,  and  in  1164  he 
conquered  Egypt,  and  married  the  widow 
of  the  Prince  of  Grand  Cairo. 

After  the  death  of  Noureddin,  he  was 
called  to  the  government,  during  the  minor- 


ity of  the  prince,  his  son.  Being  advanced 
to  this  power,  he  resolved  to  attack  the 
Christians  ;  and  accordingly,  in  1177,  hav- 
ing raised  an  army,  he  endeavored  to  sur- 
prise .Teru?alein,but  was  defeated,  with  great 
slaughter,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  November. 
This  loss  inspiring  him  with  revenge,  in 


60 


THE    AREOrGUS. 


]  ISO  he  passed  the  Euphrates,  took  several 
cities  as  far  as  Nisibis,  and  made  himself 
formidable  to  all  his  neighbors.  He  took 
Aleppo  in  11S4.  But  not  long  after,  the 
Christians  put  a  stop  to  his  conquests  by 
a  cessation  of  arms.  The  Earl  of  Tripoli, 
being  jealous  of  Guy,  King  of  Jerusalem, 
persuaded  Saladin  to  break  the  truce;  who, 
following  his  counsel,  defeated  the  Chris- 
tians, the  first  of  May,  1 1S7  ;  and  having 
raised  an  army  of  above  eight  hundred 
thousand  men,  he  obtained  another  victory 
over  them,  took  Guy  in  the  flight,  beheaded 
all  the  knights-templars,  and  of  St.  John, 
made  himself  master  of  Acre,  Bairut,  Gib- 
let,  Saide,  and  many  other  places,  and  at 
last  of  Jerusalem. 

Pope  Urban  II.,  upon  hearing  of  this  news, 
died  of  grief.  Saladin  several  times  stormed 
the  city  of  Tyre,  but  was  as  often  repulsed  ; 
and  after  some  other  losses  sustained  from 
the  Christians,  he  died  in  1193,  in  the  fifty- 
seventh  year  of  his  age,  having  reigned  over 


Egypt  twenty-two  years,  and  nineteen  as 
absolute  master  of  Syria. 

No  Asiatic  monarch  has  filled  so  large  a 
space  in  the  ej'es  of  Europe  as  the  antago- 
nist of  CcEur  de  Lion.  He  was  a  compound 
of  the  dignity  and  baseness,  the  greatness 
and  the  littleness,  of  man.  As  a  Moslem 
hero  of  the  third  holy  war,  he  proved  him- 
self a  skilful  general  and  a  valiant  soldier. 
He  hated  the  Christian  cause,  for  he  was  a 
zealous  Mussulman.  He  gained  the  throne 
by  blood,  artifice,  and  treachery ;  but  though 
ambitious,  he  was  not  tyrannical ;  he  was 
mild  in  his  government ;  the  friend  and  dis- 
penser of  justice.  Wars  and  rebellions  filled 
all  the  thoughts  of  Saladin,  and  he  estab- 
lished no  principles  of  succession.  Three 
of  his  numerous  progeny  became  sovereigns 
of  Aleppo,  Damascus,  and  Egypt ;  others 
had  smaller  possessions;  and  the  emirs  and 
atabaks  of  Syria  again  struggled  for  inde- 
pendence. 


THE   AREOPAGUS. 


The  Areopagus  was  a  court  of  ancient 
Athens,  situated  on  an  eminence  called 
Mars  Hill.  This  was  nearly  in  the  centre 
of  the  city,  but  it  is  now  a  heap  of  ruins. 

The  court  of  Areopagus  was  an  august 
tribunal,  which  took  cognizance  of  murders, 
impieties,  and  immoralities.  They  pun- 
ished vices  of  all  kinds,  even  idleness,  and 
rewarded  piety  and  virtue.  The  judges  held 
their  office  for  life.  They  sat  in  the  open 
air,  and  only  in  the  night-time,  that  their 


minds  might  not  be  disturbed  by  surround- 
ing objects. 

It  was  before  this  court  that  St.  Paul 
was  summoned,  in  consequence  of  preach- 
ing against  the  established  religion,  —  that 
of  Jupiter  and  the  other  heathen  gods.  In 
his  defence,  he  spoke  with  such  power  as 
to  convert  Dionysius,  one  of  the  judges, 
to  the  faith  of  the  Gospel.  (See  Acts 
xvii.  134.) 


JOHN   WESLEY. 


Till!  Reverend  John  Wesley,  founder  of 
the  religious  sect  called  Methodists,  was 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  of  modern 
times  ;  and  his  life  is  exceedingly  interest- 
ing and  instructive,  as  showing  not  only 
how  much  good  a  man  can  do,  but  what  an 
nnmcnse  amount  of  labor  can  be  performed, 
by  diligence  and  devotion,  in  a  lifetime. 
Wo  cannot  give  an  extended  account  of 
Mr.  Wesley's  history,  but  we  will  endeavor 
to  do  something  towards  exciting  an  interest 
which  may  lead  to  further  reading  on  the 
subject. 

John  Wesley  was  the  son  of  an  Episcopal 
clergyman  of  Epworth,  England,  and  was 
born  in  1703.  He  was  of  a  family  distin- 
guished for  talent ;  and  two  of  his  brothers, 
Charles  and  Samuel,  were  eminent  men, 
the  first  as  a  Methodist  preacher,  and  the 
latter  as  a  musician. 

John  Wesley  was  educated  for  the  church, 
and  took  orders  as  a  priest  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  England.  While  still  a  young 
man,  and  officiating  at  Oxford,  he  joined  a 
society  of  pious  young  men  attached  to  the 
university,  who  met  often  for  prayer  ;  gave 
all  the  money  they  could  spare  in  charity  ; 
spent  a  great  deal  of  their  time  in  religious 
meditation  and  self-examination,  and  in  vis- 
iting the  sick  and  suffering.  Such  conduct, 
so  (lifTerent  from  the  common  course  of  the 
selfish  and  worldly  mass  around  them,  ex- 
cited great  ridicule,  and  drew  upon  them 
the  titles  of  the  Holy  Club,  the  Bible  Moths, 
the  Bitter  Bigots,  the  Methodists,  &;c. 


Among  these  piovis  young  men  was 
George  Whitcfielii,  afterwards  celebrated 
for  his  wonderful  eloquence,  and  who  shares 
with  Wesley  the  honor  of  having  fomided 
the  Methodist  sect.  He  paid  several  visits 
to  America,  and  finally  died  at  Newbury- 
port,  Massachusetts,  where  his  tomb  may 
still  be  seen. 

It  has  frequently  happened  that  a  name 
bestowed  in  scorn  has  become  one  of  hon- 
orable renown,  and  so  it  happened  now. 
The  term  Methodist,  invented  to  ridicule 
Wesley  and  his  associates,  has  been  con- 
verted by  those  who  first  received  the  title 
into  the  designation  of  one  of  the  most 
extended,  efliciont,  and  evangelical  of  the 
religious  associations  of  Christendom. 

About  this  time.  General  Oglethorpe  was 
preparing  to  set  out,  with  a  large  number 
of  persons,  to  establish  a  colony  in  Georgia. 
John  Wesley,  having  taken  holy  orders, 
joined  Oglethorpe's  expedition,  in  order  to 
preach  to  the  settlers  and  Indians,  and  ac- 
cordingly arrived  in  the  Savannah  river,  in 
1736.  Here  he  remained  but  about  a  year, 
having  been  involved  in  troubles,  it  is  said 
by  his  friends,  through  the  intrigues  of  the 
governor. 

On  his  arrival  in  England,  in  173S,  he 
found  tliat  ^Methodism  had  already  made 
great  progress  in  London,  Bristol,  and  other 
places,  through  the  enthusiastic  preaching 
of  Whitcfield.  Wesley,  however,  joined 
the  jNIoravians  ;  and  soon  after,  according 
to  his  own  account,  being  at  a  meeting  of 


62 


JACOBS    WELL. 


that  sect,  in  Aldersgate  street,  he  met  with 
a  spiritual  change  of  heart.  He  now  trav- 
elled in  various  parts  of  Germany,  especially 
with  a  view  to  visit  the  Moravian  churches 
there.  Returning  to  England,  he  joined 
Whitefield,  and  from  this  time  his  labors 
were  devoted  to  the  extension  and  establish- 
ment of  Methodism. 

Whitefield  had  set  the  example  of  "  field 
preaching,"  hitherto  unpractised.  Immense 
crowds  flocked  to  hear  him,  and  Wesley 
now  adopted  the  same  course.  Soon  after, 
"  lay  preaching,"  that  is,  preaching  or  ex- 
horting by  persons  not  ordained,  was  sanc- 
tioned by  Wesley ;  and  thus  the  bonds, 
which  had  hitherto  held  him  to  the  Church 
of  England,  were  regarded  as  sundered. 
Soon  after,  he  formally  separated  himself 
from  the  Moravians ;  and  from  this  time  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  he  may  be  considered  as 
the  head  of  the  Methodists,  as  a  distinct  sect. 

No  man  ever  gave  himself  to  any  cause 
with  more  entire  devotion  than  did  Wesley 
to  that  of  the  new  church,  from  this  time 


forward.  He  wrote  books ;  he  travelled 
from  place  to  place  ;  he  preached,  he  prayed, 
he  exhorted,  with  a  zeal  and  fervor,  which 
nothing  could  hinder  or  abate.  His  skill 
and  wisdom  seemed  equal  to  his  ardor. 
Not  an  hour,  scarce  a  minute,  could  be  ab- 
stracted from  the  cause  on  which  he  had 
set  his  heart.  He  rested  nowhere ;  he 
almost  constantly  rode  from  forty  to  sixty 
miles  a  day  on  horseback ;  he  read  and 
wrote  at  every  stopping-place  ;  and  gener- 
ally preached  from  three  to  five  times  a 
day,  often  to  assembled  thousands. 

Never  was  there  a  life  of  greater  activity 
or  devotion,  and  seldom  has  bodily  power 
so  wonderfully  borne  out  the  zeal  and  en- 
ergy of  the  soul.  Wesley  continued  his 
labors  to  the  age  of  eighty-seven,  when  he 
died  at  London.  His  fame  is  sufficiently 
attested  by  the  extent  and  character  of  the 
religion  which  he  matured.  His  writings 
are  numerous,  among  which,  perhaps,  the 
most  interesting  is  a  journal,  or  diary,  which 
he  kept  for  upwards  of  sixty  years. 


'dliM^!:::^ 


JACOB'S  WELL. 


The  site  of  this  fountain,  spoken  of  in 
the  fourth  chapter  of  John,  is  supposed  to 
be  ascertained,  and  here  a  church  was  for- 
merly erected.  At  one  period  it  was  vis- 
ited by  various  pilgrims,  it  being  the  spot 
where  our  Saviour  revealed  himself  to  the 
woman  of  Samaria.  The  description  of 
the  place,  in  the  chapter  above  alluded  to, 
is  so  particular,  as  to  render  it  easy  to  iden- 


tify the  spot.  It  ;s  near  the  ancient  iovm 
of  Shechem,  about  forty  miles  south  of 
Jerusalem.  Though  the  place  now  pre- 
sents a  scene  of  ruins,  yet  the  fountain  is 
there,  and  the  scene  is  an  object  of  interest 
to  every  traveller,  especially  to  the  Chris- 
tian, who,  standing  here,  seems  to  realize 
one  of  the  most  interesting  events  recorded 
in  the  Gospels. 


LAFAYETTE. 


This  great  and  good  man  was  born  in 
Auvergne,  in  Franco,  in  1757.  His  family 
was  rich  and  noble,  and  he  was  brought  up 
in  the  fiishionable  style  of  the  French  court. 
But  his  heart  was  not  rendered  corrupt  by 
his  course  of  life.  When  he  was  about  21 
years  of  age,  he  heard  that  the  American 
people  were  striving  to  throw  off  the  yoke 
of  13iitish  power,  and  his  noble  heart  sym- 
pathized with  them. 

He  therefore  determined  to  come  to  Amer- 
ica, and  assist  the  people  in  their  contest  for 
liberty.  He  was  so  carefully  watched,  that 
it  was  difficult  for  him  to  get  away ;  but, 
after  some  difficulties,  he  set  sail  with  some 
friends,  and  landed  in  South  Carolina. 
From  thence  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  and 
ofTered  his  services  to  Congress,  who  imme- 
diately gave  him  a  commission  as  general. 
From  this  time  he  served  in  our  army,  and 
was  aid  to  Washington.  He  was  at  the 
famous  siege  of  Yorktown,  in  October,  1780, 
when  Lord  Cornwallis,  and  his  army  of 
7000  men,  were  captured. 

Lafayette  returned  to  France,  and  he  took 
an  active  part  in  the  early  stages  of  the 
French  revolution.  But  a  plot  was  formed 
against  his  life,  and  he  fled.  In  Germany 
he  was  taken,  and  confined  for  several  years 
in  the  gloomy  dungeons  of  Olmutz.  He 
was  liberated  at  last,  and  in  1824  he  came 
to  this  country,  where  he  was  joyously  re- 
ceived. He  returned  to  France,  and  took 
a  lead  in  the  great  revolution  of  July,  1830. 
Having  placed   Louis   Philippe  upon  the 


throne,  and  secured  a  constitution  to  the 
nation,  he  retired  to  private  life  —  serving, 
however,  as  deputy  in  the  French  House 
of  Commons.  In  1S34  he  died,  leaving 
behind  him  the  name  of  one  of  the  purest 
and  noblest  characters  that  has  ever  lived. 


OTHO,  KING  OF   GREECE. 

About  thirty  years  ago,  the  Greeks,  who 
had  been  long  held  in  bondage  by  the  Turks, 
rose  in  rebellion,  and  fought  bravely  for  their 


64 


THE    CRUCIFIXION. 


liberty.  The  war  raged  in  valley  and  moun- 
tain, and  many  a  city  and  village  was  laid 
in  ashes.  The  poor  Greeks  —  men,  women, 
and  children  —  were  hunted  like  wild  ani- 
mals, and  often  saved  themselves  only  by 
retreat  to  inaccessible  cliffs  and  caverns. 
But  the  spirit  of  liberty  at  last  triumphed,  and 
the  Turks  were  driven  out  of  the  country. 

But  a  curious  event  now  took  place.  In 
June,  1S33,  a  young  man,  named  Otho,  son 
of  the  King  of  Bavaria,  was  agreed  upon  as 
the  sovereign  of  Greece  !     He  was  not  yet 


of  age ;  but  he  went  to  his  new  kingdom, 
and,  in  1S3S,  being  twenty-one,  he  was  reg- 
ularly acknowledged  and  crowned  as  king. 
Since  that  time,  Otho  has  been  King  of 
Greece  ;  and  though  he  has  had  some  trou- 
bles to  contend  with,  the  country  has  since 
remained  pretty  quiet.  The  young  king 
has  occasionally  shown  a  disposition  to  usurp 
more  power  tlian  belongs  to  him  ;  but  the 
Greeks  seem  to  know  their  rights,  and  to  be 
determined  to  maintain  them. 


THE   CRUCIFIXION. 


Tnis  great  event,  which  was  signalized, 
at  the  time,  by  convulsions  of  nature,  as  if 
the  very  elements  were  sbalcen  with  terror 
at  the  deed,  has  marked  itself  more  deeply 
on  the  memory  and  feelings  of  mankind  than 
almost  any  other  within  the  whole  scope  of 
history.  An  execution  upon  the  cross  was 
a  Roman  punishment,  inflicted  for  robbery, 
assassination,  and  rebellion,  and  was  es- 
teemed not  only  one  of  the  most  cruel,  but 
one  of  the  most  ignominious,  that  could  be 
adopted.  It  was  because  he  declared  him- 
self the  Messiah,  or  King,  that  Jesus  was 
accused  and  executed  as  a  rebel ;  and  it  was 
in  ridicule  of  his  pretensions  that  the  scof- 
fing multitude  cried  out,  "  Hail,  King  of  the 
Jews  !"  —  and  that  the  inscription,  '■  This  is 
Jesus,  King  of  the  Jews,"  was  put  over  his 
cross. 

It  is  not  possible  to  conceive  a  spectacle 
more  humiliating,  more  agonizing.  How 
few  of  those  who  took  part  in  the  revolting 


scene  comprehended  the  real  character  of 
that  fearful  drama !  and  how  little  did  they 
foresee  the  results  that  were  to  follow  in  its 
train !  Who  can  go  back,  in  ima'gination, 
and  picture  the  throng  around,  rejoicing  to 
see  the  agonies  of  the  sufferer,  and  taunting 
his  distress  with  jeers  and  gibes,  and  saying, 
"  If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  save  thyself,  J 
and  come  down  from  the  cross  ! "  and  can  i 
listen  to  his  sublime  reply  —  "Father,  for-  '. 
give  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do!"  and  not  feel  that  men,  women,  and 
children,  who  could  act  thus,  were  indeed 
lost,  and  stood  in  fearful  need  of  a  Saviour 
—  one  who  could  redeem  them  from  hard- 
ness of  heart  and  blindness  of  mind  ? 

There  arc  two  reflections  which  this  sub- 
ject may  well  impress  upon  our  minds.  The 
first  is,  the  incalculable  value  of  that  atone- 
ment which  Christ  thus  made  for  the  sins 
of  mankind.  It  is  to  his  example,  his  suf- 
ferings, his  death,  that  the  human  race  not 


BETHESDA. 


65 


only  owe  their  hopes  of  salvation  in  an  after 
life,  but  even  the  every-day  pleasures  and 
virtues  of  refined  society.  If  Christ  had  not 
lived  and  died  ;  had  he  not  sealed  his  les- 
sons with  his  blood ;  mankind  had  doubtless, 
to  this  day,  been,  like  the  Jews  at  Calvary, 
hard-hearted,  cruel,  unjust  —  blind  to  the 
beauty  of  holiness,  goodness,  and  truth.  We 
must  therefore  remember  that  to  Him  —  to 
the  costly  sacrifice  of  the  cross  —  we  are 
daily  indebted  for  the  peace  and  happiness 
which  we  enjoy  in  a  Christian  community. 


The  second  reflection  which  the  cruci- 
fixion may  well  establish  in  our  minds  is 
this  —  that  goodness  is  greatness ;  that 
virtue  is  mighty,  and  can  triumph  over 
power,  and  cruelty,  and  scorn ;  can  convert 
the  crown  of  thorns  into  a  crown  of  glory; 
can  render  an  ignominious  death  a  scene 
of  triumph  ;  and  convert  the  despised  in- 
strument of  death  into  an  emblem  of  the 
highest  hopes  and  fondest  wishes  of  hu- 
manity. 


BETHESDA. 


Tins  place  was  rendered  vcn,'  interesting 
to  all  Christians  by  the  miracle  performed 
there  by  our  Saviour,  which  is  recorded  in 
the  fifth  chapter  of  St.  John.  IMultitudes 
of  pilgrims  and  travellers  have,  from  age  to 
age,  flocked  to  Jerusalem,  eager  to  see  the 
place  wiicre  Jesus  bade  the  impotent  man, 
"rise,  take  up  his  bed,  and  walk." 

The  pool  of  Bethcsda  is  described  as  a 
"  pool  by  the  sheep  market,  which  is  called 
Bothesda,  having  five  porches ;"  the  word 
Bethesda  meaning  the  place  where  victims 
for  sacrifice  were  purified.  It  is  believed 
(hat  the  sheep  for  sacrifice  were  washed  in 
Bethesda  before  being  led  away  to  the  tem- 
ple ;  and  as  sacrifices  were  very  frequently 
ofTcToi,  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that  both 
the  sneep  market  and  the  pool  were  near 
the  temple.  Another  explanation  is  that  it 
signifies  the  "  House  of  Mercy,"  from  the 
healing  quality  of  its  waters. 

Within  the  present  walls  of  Jerusalem 
are  two  fountains ;  the  lower  one,  into  which 
the  waters  of  the  upper  one  flow,  through  a 


passage  cut  in  the  rock,  is  the  celebrated 
pool  or  fountain  of  Siloam.  There  has 
always  existed  a  tradition  that  the  waters 
of  Siloam  flowed  irregularly.  Dr.  Rob- 
inson, who  visited  it,  says  "  that  as  he 
was  standing  on  the  lower  step  near  tlie 
water,  with  one  foot  on  a  loose  stone  lying 
near  it,  al.  at  once  he  perceived  the  water 
coming  into  his  shoe,  and,  supposing  the 
stone  had  rolled,  he  withdrew  his  foot  to  the 
step,  which,  however,  was  now  also  covered 
with  water.  In  less  than  five  minutes  the 
water  bubbled  up  from  under  the  lower  step, 
and  in  five  minutes  more  it  had  risen  nearly 
a  foot  in  the  basin,  and  it  could  be  heard 
gurgling  ofT  through  the  interior  passage. 
In  ten  minutes  it  ceased  to  flow,  and  the 
water  was  again  reduced  to  its  former  level. 
"  Meanwhile,  a  woman  came  to  wash  at 
the  fountain.  She  frequented  the  pJace 
every  day,  and  said  that  the  water  flowed 
at  irregular  intervals,  sometimes  being  quite 
drv,  the  men  and  flocks  dependent  upon  it 
suflering  from  thirst,  when,  all  at  once,  the 


66 


MIGRATION    OF    BIRDS. 


water  would  boil  up  from  under  the  steps, 
and  flow  in  a  copious  stream.  The  ia^io- 
rant  people  say  that  a  dragon  lies  within  the 
fountain ;  when  he  awakes,  he  stops  the 
water;  when  he  sleeps,  it  flows." 
In  the  scriptural  account,  we  are  told  that 


"  an  angel  went  down,  at  a  certain  season, 
into  the  pool,  a.id  troubled  the  waters,"  and 
then,  whosoever  first  stepped  in  was  made 
whole.  Does  not  this  "troubling  of  the 
waters,"  look  like  the  irregular  flow  of  the 
fountain  just  described  ? 


MIGRATION   OF   BIRDS. 


In  the  latter  part  of  the  month  of  March, 
or  early  in  April,  we  see  flocks  of  wild  geese, 
and  wild  ducks,  high  in  the  air,  and  drawn 
out  in  harrow-shaped  lines,  making  their 
way  to  the  far  regions  of  the  north.  These 
birds  spend  the  winter  in  southern  climates, 
and,  as  spring  returns,  they  wend  their  way 
to  the  borders  of  the  great  lakes,  and  other 
shores  of  British  America,  and  there,  in  the 
solitudes,  undisturbed  by  man,  they  lay  their 
eggs,  and  hatch  and  rear  their  young.  When 
winter  approaches,  they  gather  in  flocks,  and 
seek  a  southern  clime. 

This  habit  of  migrating  from  north  to 
south,  and  again  from  south  to  north,  with 
the  change  of  the  seasons,  is  by  no  means 
confined  to  water-fowl.  Most  birds  are  mi- 
gratory; and  the  instinct  they  display,  in 
thus  changingtheir  abodes,  has  long  excited 
the  admiration  of  the  naturalist. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  explain 
the  conduct  of  birds,  in  their  periodical  mi- 
grations ;  but  it  seems  that  they  are  chiefly 
guided  by  an  instinct,  furnished  by  their 
Creator,  and  which  answers  all  the  purposes 
of  chart  and  compass,  so  needed  by  the  hu- 
man voyager.  Mr.  Nuttall  says,  "  Super- 
ficial observers,  substituting  their  own  ideas 
for  facts,  are  ready  to  conclude,  and  fre- 


quently assert,  that  the  old  and  young,  be- 
fore leaving,  assemble  together  for  mutual 
departure.  This  may  be  true,  in  many  in- 
stances ;  but,  in  as  many  more,  a  different 
arrangement  obtains.  The  young,  often 
instinctively  vagrant,  herd  together  in  separ- 
ate flocks  previous  to  their  departure,  and, 
guided  alone  by  the  innate  monition  of 
nature,  seek  neither  the  aid  nor  the  company 
of  the  old  ;  consequently,  in  some  countries, 
flocks  of  young  of  particular  species  are 
alone  observed,  and  in  others,  far  distant, 
we  recognize  the  old.  From  parental  aid, 
the  juvenile  company  have  obtained  all  that 
nature  intended  to  bestow  —  existence  and 
education  ;  and  they  are  now  thrown  upon 
the  world,  among  their  numerous  compan- 
ions, with  no  other  necessary  guide  than 
self-preserving  instinct.  In  Europe,  it  ap- 
pears that  these  bands  of  the  young  always 
affect  even  a  wanner  climate  than  the  old  ; 
the  atiration  of  their  blood  not  being  yet 
complete,  they  are  more  sensible  to  the 
rigors  of  cold. 

"  The  habitudes  and  extent  of  the  migra- 
tions of  birds  admit  of  considerable  variety. 
Some  only  fly  before  the  inundating  storms 
of  winter,  and  return  with  the  first  dawn  of 
spring;  these  do  not  leave  the  continent, 


MIGRA.TION    OF    BIRDS. 


67  I 


and  only  migrate  in  quest  of  food,  when  it 
actually  begins  to  fail.  Among  these  may 
be  named  our  common  song  sparrow,  chip- 
ping sparrow,  blue-bird,  robin,  pewee,  cedar- 
bird,  black-bird,  meadow-lark,  and  many 
r.iire.  Others  pass  into  wanner  climates 
m  the  autumn,  after  rearing  their  young. 
Some  are  so  given  to  wandering,  that  their 
choice  of  a  country  is  only  regulated  by  the 
resources  which  it  offers  for  subsistence ; 
such  are  the  pigeons,  herons  of  several  kinds, 
snipes,  wild  geese  and  ducks,  the  wander- 
ing albatross,  and  waxen  chatterer. 

"  The  greater  number  of  birds  travel  in 
the  night ;  some  species,  however,  proceed 
only  by  day,  as  the  diurnal  birds  of  prey, 
crows,  pies,  wrens,  creepers,  cross-bills,  larks, 
blue-birds,  swallows,  and  some  others.  Those 
which  travel  wholly  in  the  night  are  the  owls, 
butcher-birds,  king-fishers,  thrushes,  11}-- 
catchcrs,  night-hawks,  whip-poor-wills,  and 
also  a  great  number  of  aquatic  birds,  whose 
motions  are  often  principally  nocturnal,  ex- 
cept in  the  cold  and  desolate  northern  re- 
gions, where  they  usually  retire  to  breed. 
Other  birds  are  so  powerfully  impelled  by 
this  governing  motive  to  migration,  that 
they  stop  neither  day  nor  night ;  such  are 
the  herons,  motn:il!as,  plovers,  swans, 
cranes,  wild  geese,  storks,  &c. 

"  When  untoward  circumstances  render 
haste  necessarj',  certain  kinds  of  birds,  which 
ordinarily  travel  only  in  the  night,  continue 
their  route  during  the  day,  and  scarcely 
allow  themselves  time  to  eat ;  yet  the  sing- 
ing birds,  properly  so  called,  never  migrate 
by  day,  whatever  may  happen  to  them. 
Some  birds,  while  engaged  in  their  journey, 
still  find  means  to  live  without  halting;  the 
swallow,  while  traversing  the  sea,  pursues 
its  insect  prey ,  those  who  can  subsist  on 
lish,  without  any  serious  effort,  feed  as  they 
pass  or  graze  the  surface  of  the  deep.  If 
the  wren,  the  creeper,  and  the  titmouse,  rest 
for  an  instant  on  a  tree,  to  snatch  a  hasty 
morsel,  in  the  next  they  are  on  the  wing,  to 
fulfil  their  destination.  However  abundant 
may  be  the  nourishment  which  presents  it- 
self to  supply  their  wants,  in  general  birds 
of  passage  rarely  remain  more  than  two 
days  together  in  a  place. 

"  The  cries  of  many  birds,  while  engaged 
in  their  aerial  voyage,  are  such  as  are  only 
heard  on  this  important  occasion,  and  ap- 
pear necessary  for  the  direction  of  those 
which  fly  in  assembled  ranks. 

"  During  these  migrations,  it  has  been 
observed  that  birds  fly,  ordinarily,  in  the 
higher  regions  of  the  air,  except  when  fogs 
force  them  to  seek  a  lower  elevation.    This 


habit  is  particularly  prevalent  with  wild 
geese,  storks,  cranes,  and  herons,  which 
often  pass  at  such  a  height  as  to  be  scaicely 
distinguishable. 

"  We  shall  not  here  enter  into  any  de- 
tailed description  of  the  manner  in  which 
each  species  conducts  its  migration,  but  shall 
content  ourselves  with  citing  the  single  re- 
markable example  of  the  motions  of  the 
cranes.  Of  all  migrating  birds,  these  ap- 
pear to  be  endowed  with  the  greatest  share 
of  foresight.  They  never  undertake  a  jour- 
ney alone ;  throughout  a  circle  of  several 
miles,  they  appear  to  commimicate  the  in- 
tention of  commencing  their  route. 

"  Seveml  days  previous  to  their  departure, 
they  call  upon  each  other  by  a  peculiar  cry, 
as  if  giving  warning  to  assemble  at  a  cen- 
tral point :  the  favorable  moment  being  at 
length  arrived,  tiiey  betake  themselves  to 
flight,  and,  in  military  style,  fall  into  two 
lines,  which,  uniting  at  the  summit,  form 
an  extended  angle,  with  two  equal  sides. 
At  the  central  point  of  the  phalanx,  the  chief 
takes  his  station,  to  whom  the  whole  troop, 
by  their  subordination,  appear  to  have 
pledged  their  obedience.  The  commander 
has  not  only  the  painful  task  of  breaking 
the  path  through  the  air,  but  he  has  also 
the  charge  of  watching  for  the  common 
safety  ;  to  avoid  the  attacks  of  birds  of  prey  ; 
to  range  the  two  lines  in  a  circle,  at  the  ap- 
proach of  a  tempest,  in  order  to  resist  with 
more  effect  the  squalls  which  menace  the 
dispersion  of  the  linear  ranks  ;  and,  lastly, 
it  is  to  their  leader  that  the  fatigued  com- 
pany look  up  to  appoint  the  most  convenient 
places  for  nourishment  and  repose.  Still, 
important  as  is  the  station  or  function  of 
the  aerial  director,  its  existence  is  but  mo- 
mentary. 

"  As  soon  as  he  feels  sensible  of  fatigue, 
he  cedes  his  place  to  the  next  in  the  file, 
and  retires  himself  to  its  extremity.  During 
tlie  night,  their  flight  is  attended  with  con- 
siderable noise ;  the  loud  cries  which  we 
hear  seem  to  be  the  marching  orders  of  the 
chief,  answered  by  the  ranks  who  follow  his 
commands.  Wild  geese,  and  several  kinds 
of  ducks,  also  make  their  aerial  voyage 
nearly  in  the  same  manner  as  the  cranes. 
The  loud  call  of  the  passing  geese,  as  they 
soar  securely  through  the  higher  regions  of 
the  air,  is  familiar  to  all ;  but  as  an  addi- 
tional proof  of  their  sagacity  and  caution 
we  may  remark  that,  when  fogs  in  the  at- 
mosphere render  their  flight  necessarily  low, 
they  steal  along  in  silence,  as  if  aware  of 
the  danger  to  which  their  lower  path  now 
exposes  them." 


PETER   BOTTE'S   MOUNTAIN. 


The  island  of  Mauritius  lies  in  the  Indian 
Ocean,  east  of  Madagascar.  It  is  about 
one  hundred  and  forty  miles  in  circuit,  and 
produces  rice,  sugar,  cloves,  indigo,  and  va- 
rious fruits.  The  Dutch  first  settled  it,  but 
the  French  gained  possession  of  it  in  1715. 
In  1810,  the  English  took  it,  and  as  John 
Bull  rarely  gives  up  what  he  has  once  got, 
they  hold  it  still. 

The  island  seems  to  have  been  thrown 
up  from  the  sea  by  volcanic  convulsions.  In 
the  centre  are  wild  craggy  summits,  always 


covered  with  snow.  Among  them  is  a  peak, 
eighteen  hundred  feet  high,  surrounded  by 
dismal  ravines.  This  peak  is  called  rcter 
Bottc's  Mountain,  from  a  legend  that  a  man 
of  that  name  once  ascended  to  the  top. 
The  geaeral  belief  is,  however,  that  it  was 
never"  scaled  till  1S32,  when  the  top  was 
reached  by  a  party  undor  Capt.  Lloyd,  an 
English  engineer.  The  exploit  was  one  ot 
the°most  hazardous  ever  undertaken,  and 
the  account  of  it  is  almost  painful,  from  the 
evident  peril  of  the  adventurers. 


TAOU-KWANG,   EMPEROR   OF   CHINA. 


This  inonarcli  of  the  Celestial  Empire, 
iimiicd  Tanu-Kwangy  is  a  grandson  of  Kien- 
Lnntr,  who  was  many  years  emperor,  and 
was  Aimed  for  his  wisdom  and  benevolence. 
He  succeeded  his  proflitrate  father,  Kea- 
King-,  in  1S20,  havinjr  been  preferred  to  an 
elder  brother,  for  having  saved  his  father's 
life  when  he  was  attacked  by  assassins. 

Nothing  can  seem  more  absurd  than  the 
pompous  proclamations  of  these  Chinese 
emperors.  The  following  passage  from 
Taou-Kwang's  message,  when  he  came  to 
the  throne,  will  serve  as  a  specimen  : 

"  My  sacred  and  indulgent  father  had,  in 
the  year  that  he  began  to  rule  alone,  silent- 
ly settled  that  the  divine  utensil,  the  throne, 
should  devolve  on  my  contemptible  person. 
I,  knowing  the  feebleness  of  my  virtue,  at 
first  felt  much  afraid  I  should  not  be  com- 
petent to  the  ollice  ;  but,  on  reflecting  that 


the  sages,  my  ancestors,  have  left  to  poster- 
ity their  plans  ;  that  his  late  majesty  has  laid 
the  duty  on  me ;  and  that  heaven's  throne 
should  not  be  long  vacant,  —  I  have  done 
violence  to  my  feelings,  and  forced  myself 
to  intermit  awhile  my  heartfelt  grief,  that  I 
may  with  reverence  obey  the  unalterable  de- 
cree ;  and  on  the  27th  of  the  Sth  moon, 
(October  3d,)  I  purpose  devoutly  to  an- 
nounce the  event  to  lieaven,  to  the  earth, 
to  my  ancestors,  and  to  the  gods  of  the  land 
and  of  the  grain,  and  shall  then  sit  down 
on  the  imperial  throne.  Let  the  next  year 
bo  the  first  of  Taou-Kwang." 

The  rcicfn  of  this  emperor  has  not  been 
marked  with  any  great  events,  except  the  war 
with  Great  Britain,  which  is  likely,  however, 
to  lead  to  important  results.  Taou-Kwang 
has  several  sons ;  his  fourth,  whom  he  has 
named  as  his  successor,  was  born  in  1S31. 


M.  DUCORNET. 


We  here  present  an  excellent  likeness 
of  M.  Ducornet,  who  must  be  considered  as 
one  of  the  most  wonderful  men  now  living. 
He  is,  absolutely,  without  hands  or  arms, 
and  is  yet  an  excellent  portrait  and  histori- 
cal painter ! 

This  person  was  born,  destitute  as  we 
have  above  described  him, at  Lille,  in  France, 
Jan.  10,  1806.  His  infancy  was  marked 
with  debility,  and  he  never  reached  a  greater 
height  than  three  feet  six  inches.  He  had 
a  natural  taste  for  painting,  and  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  drawing  school  at  Lille,  by 
Watley,  nephew  of  the  great  artist  —  he 
made  rapid  improvement  and  obtained  sev- 
eral medals  for  his  performances.  His  suc- 
cess became  known  to  M.  Girard,  the  re- 


nowned artist,  who  placed  him  in  the  atelier 
of  Lethiers  at  Paris,  where  he  was  kindly 
cherished  by  master  and  pupils. 

Charles  X.,  a  good  judge  of  painting  and 
a  kind-hearted  man,  put  poor  Ducornet  up- 
on the  civil  list,  with  a  pension  of  1200 
francs,  (S240.)  He  was  soon  admitted  to 
the  Academy  Eoyal  of  Paris,  and  was  com- 
missioned to  paint  large  pictures,  such  as 
St.  Louis  reiidering  Justice  at  Vi7icennes, 
eight  feet  by  five  feet,  &c.  He  soon  ac- 
quired a  high  rank,  and  is  now  (1849)  in 
the  full  career  of  success.  He  has  a  large 
atelier,  and  it  is  truly  marvellous  to  observe 
him  at  his  work. 

In  painting  he  uses  his  mouth  as  well  as 
his  feet,  wh  ich  have  small,  short  legs,  set  upon 


THE    ALLIGATOR. 


71 


his  body.  Mounted  upon  a  high  ladder, 
you  see  him  with  his  brush  in  his  mouth, 
his  palette  in  his  left  foot,  and  half  a  dozen 
brushes  in  his  right  foot,  working  away 
with  a  vigor,  fire,  and  effect,  altogether 
amazing. 

He  prefers  portraits,  and  has  a  peculiar 
felicity  in  graceful  subjects.  He  writes 
neatly,  mends  his  own  pens,  cut  his  crayons, 
charges  his  palette  with  colors,  and  during 
these  various  occupations,  if  a  person  is 
present,  he  sustains  an  animated  conversa- 
tion, gesticulating  with  his  feet,  which  have 
all  the  expression  of  other  people's  hands. 
These  he  never  uses  for  walking,  as  this 
would  destroy  their  sensibility. 

His  head  is  fine  —  and  well  placed  on  his 


shoulders ;  his  eyes  are  brilliant,  his  brow 
high,  his  breast  full,  his  voice  sweet,  yet  so- 
norous. His  whole  aspect  bespeaks  a  hap- 
py temperament,  a  lively  mind,  and  a  be- 
nevolent spirit.  A  stranger  is  at  first 
painfully  atiected  by  a  spectacle  of  such 
privation  ;  but  this  is  succeeded  by  admira- 
tion of  the  gifts  by  which  Providence  has 
repaired  the  loss.  Born,  as  it  might  seem,  (o 
a  life  of  misery  and  degradation,  Ducornct, 
through  his  talents,  his  genius  and  his  noble 
heart,  is  rendci"ed  an  honored  and  admired 
member  of  society.  Even  more  than  this 
—  he  is  the  support  and  pride  of  his  aged 
parents,  who,  but  for  him,  had  lingered  in 
poverty. 


THE   ALLIGATOR. 


This  formidable  reptile  resembles  the 
crocodile  of  the  eastern  continent.  There 
are  four  species,  which  are  natives  of  the 
warm  parts  of  America. 

Alligators  are  ugly  animals,  but  they  are 
not  naturally  ferocious  ;  they  kill  only  to 
eat,  and  only  one  animal  at  a  time.  They 
swallow  their  prey  nearly  whole,  breaking 
the  bones  by  the  pressure  of  their  jaws. 
They  are  indolent  animals  ;  for,  though  they 
can  walk  tolerably  fast,  and  swim  fister,  the 
greater  part  of  their  time  is  spent  in  inaction. 
During  the  heat  of  the  day,  they  lie  stretched 
out  on  the  banks,  or  in  the  mud  of  the  riv- 
ers, and  capture  no   animals   but  such  as 


wander  near  them.  When  erening  comes, 
how^ever,  they  begin  to  move,  and  the  roar- 
ing of  the  larger  ones  is  terrific.  It  is  a 
compound  of  the  sounds  of  the  bull  and  the 
bittern,  but  far  louder  than  either ;  and  it 
grates  and  shivers  on  the  ear,  as  if  the 
ground  were  shaken.  This  is  the  common 
noise  of  the  reptile,  whether  in  lore  or  hate. 
Alligators  are  oviparous,  and  deposit  their 
eggs  in  holes  of  the  banks  above  the  water- 
mark, which  they  excavate  with  their  paws 
and  snout,  and  cover  again  after  the  eggs 
are  deposited.  The  eggs  are  not  larger 
than  those  of  a  goose,  and,  though  rather 
musky,  are  considered  palatable. 


72 


BELLS. 


During  the  floods  in  the  spring,  the  rains 
beat  many  animals  down  the  rivers  —  birds, 
reptiles,  fish,  &c.,  are  all  the  same  to  the 
palate  of  the  alligators,  which,  at  this  sea- 
son, have  a  great  feast,  and  grow  very  fat 
for  a  period  of  eight  or  ten  weeks.  The 
rest  of  the  year,  they  need  very  little  food. 

The  pike-headed  alligator  is  the  most  fero- 
cious and  dangerous  of  the  species.  It  has 
a  head  two  feet  long,  armed  with  large, 
irregular  teeth.  It  easily  masters  the  larger 
animals,  while  quenching  their  thirst  on  the 


shore  of  the  rivers.  It  swims  slowly  toward 
one,  and,  when  within  reach,  seizes  the  up- 
per lip  and  nose  ;  at  the  same  time,  turning 
its  body  round,  it  inflicts  a  heavy  blow  with 
its  tail.  The  creature  now  falls  down  help- 
less, its  cruel  enemy  holding  its  head  under 
water,  till  it  expires  from  suffocation.  When 
it  preys  on  fishes,  it  gets  below  them,  jerks 
them  out  of  the  water,  when  it  catches  ai  d 
swallows  them.  It  performs  tlie  same  pro- 
cess with  the  water  birds. 


BELLS. 


The  origin  of  bells  is  probably  to  be  dated 
from  the  time  when  the  sonorous  property 
of  metals  was  first  noticed.  A  tinkling  in- 
strument of  some  sort  was  in  use  as  early 
as  the  days  of  Moses,  when  the  priest  was 
commanded  to  hang  bells  to  his  robe,  in 
order  to  give  notice  of  his  approach  to  the 
sanctuary.  They  were  also  used  in  the 
decoration  of  horses. 

Small  bells  were  used  by  the  Greeks  and 
Romans  for  civil  and  military  purposes,  and 
they  were  sometimes  rung  in  temples,  to 
call  the  people  to  their  religious  duties.  St. 
Paulinus,  Bishop  of  Campania,  in  the  fourth 
century,  was  the  first  who  used  them,  in 
Christian  churches,  to  call  the  people  to 
prayer.  They  were  then  gradually  intro- 
duced into  the  western  churches,  and  into 
some  of  the  Greek  churches,  though  the 
wooden  mallet  is  more  generally  in  use 
there.  The  Turks  particularly  enforce  the 
latter  custom,  as  they  abhor  bells.  The 
silencing  of  the  "  detestable  beUs "  is  es- 


teemed, by  a  Turkish  writer  as  the  princi- 
pal advantage  which  was  derived  from  the 
capture  of  Constantinople. 

Large  bells  came  into  use  in  the  sixth 
centuiy.  They  were  adopted  in  England 
on  the  erection  of  parish  churches.  In  the 
tenth  centuiy,  the  Abbot  of  Wayland  pre- 
sented a  great  bell  to  his  church,  to  which 
six  others  were  added,  to  harmonize  with 
the  first.  This  peal  is  the  origin  of  the 
chimes  so  common  in  English  villages. 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  bells  of  Eng- 
land is  the  Great  Tom,  of  Oxford,  which 
was  cast  in  16S0 ;  it  was  afterwards  called 
by  the  name  of  Queen  Mary.  At  its  bap- 
tism. Dr.  Tresham,  on  hearing  the  bell 
sounded,  called  out,  "  O  sweet  and  pleasant 
hannony !  O  beautiful  Mary,  how  musi- 
cally it  sounds  !  how  melodiously  it  rings  ! 
how  wonderfully  it  pleases  the  ear ! "  This 
bell  weighs  17,000  pounds,  and  is  the  heav- 
iest in  England. 

But  Russia  bears  the  palm  over  all  othsr 


THE   KIALTO,   AT   VENICE. 


73 


countries  in  bells.  There  they  may  be  con- 
stantly heard,  not  "swinging  slow  with  sul- 
len roar,"  for  they  are  too  large  to  be  swung ; 
but  tolling,  and  booming,  and  deafening  all 
other  ears  but  those  of  the  Russians,  who 
almost  worship  them.  The  largest  is  called, 
in  Russia,  the  "  Tsar  Kolokol,"  or  King  of 
Bells ;  it  weighs  400,000  pounds,  and  is 
twenty  feet  high.  It  is  placed  in  a  cavity 
of  the  tower  of  the  cathedral  at  Moscow ; 
the  tongue  is  fourteen  feet  long,  and  is  as 
heavy  as  some  of  the  largest  English  bells. 


The  metal  of  which  it  is  made  was  brought 
from  all  parts  of  Russia,  and  thrown  into 
the  furnaces  ;  the  nobles  were  casting  in 
gold  and  silver  plates,  rings,  trinkets,  and 
all  lands  of  ornaments,  during  the  operation. 
The  only  rivals  to  the  bells  of  Russia  are 
those  of  China,  though  they  appear  now  to 
be  out  of  fashion.  These  bells  are  struck 
with  wooden  tongues,  making,  according  to 
some,  a  dull  sound  ;  though  many  dWcribe 
the  etTectas  very  fine  and  melodious,  though 
less  powerful  than  that  produced  by  metal. 


THE   RIALTO,  AT  VENICE. 


This  city  of  "bright  and  glittering  pal- 
aces" is  intersected  in  every  direction  by 
canals  ;  and  it  is  said  that  there  are  more 
than  500  bridges.  Over  the  grand  canal, 
which  divides  the  city  in  two  equal  parts,  is 
the  celebrated  Rialto.  It  is  the  established 
opinion,  that  tlie  term  Riva-alta,  or  Rialto, 
comprehended  the  little  island  upon  which  the 
first  church  was  built  in  Venice  by  the  fugi- 
tives from  the  persecution  of  Attila,  and 
became  the  nucleus  of  the  future  city ; 
modern  times  has  confined  the  appellation 
to  the  bridge. 

It  was  commenced  under  the  government 
of  the  republic  in  15SS,  (Pascal  Cigogne 
being  Doge,)  by  the  great  Michael  Angelo, 
and  finished  in  1594.  It  consists  of  one  flat 
and  hold  arch  of  nearly  100  feet  span,  and 
only  tv.'enty-thrce  feet  above  the  water. 
The  breadth  of  the  bridge  is  forty-three  feet, 
and  it  is  on  the  top  divided  by  two  rows  of 


shops  into  three  streets,  of  which  that  in 
the  middle  is  the  widest ;  and  there  is  also 
in  the  centre  an  open  archway  by  which  the 
three  streets  communicate  with  one  another. 
The  whole  exterior  of  the  bridge  and  of  the 
shops  is  of  marble.  At  each  end  of  the 
bridge  there  is  an  ascent  of  fifty-six  steps, 
and  the  view  from  the  top  is  very  beautiful. 
The  foundation  of  the  structure  extends 
ninety  feet,  and  rests  upon  12,000  elm  piles. 
It  is  said  to  have  cost  250,000  ducats. 

In  Shakspcare's  time  it  was  considered 
the  most  beautiful  bridge  in  the  world,  and 
this  celebrity  probably  caused  its  frequent 
mention  in  his  MeiK-hant  of  Venice  as  a 
mart  or  exchange,  "  where  merchants  most 
do  congregate."  Our  readers  will  also  recol- 
lect Shylock's  first  speech  to  Antonio  :  — 

"  Many  a  time  and  oft, 


On  the  Riallo,  liave  yon  rated  me. 
About  my  monies  and  my  usances.' 


10 


THE   TIGER. 


In  the  diss  of  carnivorous  animals,  the 
lion  is  the  foremost.  Immediately  after 
him  follows  the  tijjer ;  which,  while  he 
possesses  all  the  bad  qualities  of  the  former, 
seems  to  be  a  stranger  to  his  good  ones. 
More,  therefore,  than  even  the  lion,  the 
tiger  is  an  object  of  terror.  He  is  the 
scourge  of  every  country  which  he  inhabits. 
Of  the  appearance  of  man,  and  of  all  his 
hostile  weapons,  he  is  fearless  ;  wild  ani- 
mals, as  well  as  tame  ones,  fall  sacrifices 
before  him  ;  the  young  elephant  and  rhi- 
noceros he  sometimes  attacks  ;  and  some- 
times, with  an  increased  audacity,  he  braves 
the  lion  himself. 

The  form  of  the  body  usually  corresponds 
with  the  nature  and  disposition  of  the  ani- 
mal. The  tiger,  with  a  body  too  long, 
with  limbs  too  short,  with  a  head  uncovered, 
and  with  eyes  ghastly  and  haggard,  has  no 
characteristics  but  those  of  the  basest  and 
most  insatiable  cruelty.  For  instinct,  he 
has  nothing  but  a  uniform  rage,  a  blind 
fury  ;  so  blind,  indeed,  so  undistinguished, 
that  he  frequently  devours  his  own  progeny, 
and,  if  she  of(drs  to  defend  them,  tears  in 
pieces  the  d<im  herself.  Happy  is  it  for  the 
rest  of  nature  that  this  animal  is  not  com- 
mon, and  that  the  species  is  chiefly  confined 


to  the  warmest  provinces  of  the  East.  The 
tiger  is  found  in  Malabar,  in  Siam,  and  in 
Bengal.' 

When  the  tiger  has  killed  a  large  animal, 
such  as  a  horse  or  a  buflialo,  he  does  not 
choose  to  devour  it  on  the  spot,  fearing  to 
be  disturbed  ;  and,  in  order  to  feast  at  his 
ease,  he  carries  off  his  prey  to  the  forest, 
dragging  it  along  with  such  ease  that  the 
swiftness  of  his  motion  seems  scarcely  re- 
tarded by  the  enormous  load  he  sustains. 

Such  is  the  character  which  Buffon  and 
many  other  naturalists  have  given  to  the 
tiger,  and  it  certainly  is  not  calculated  to 
prejudice  us  in  his  favor.  More  recent 
writers  have,  however,  and  apparently  with 
justice,  endeavored  to  remove  a  part  of  the 
odium  which  has  been  thrown  upon  him. 
Mr.  Bennett,  the  scientific  and  acute  au- 
thor of  the  description  of  the  animals  in 
the  Tower  Menagerie  and  the  Zoological 
Gardens,  has  labored  with  much  eloquence 
to  raise  the  tiger  in  the  scale  of  estimation. 
"  Closely  allied  to  the  lion,"  says  he,  "  whom 
he  resembles  in  power,  in  external  form,  in 
internal  structure,  in  zoological  character, 
in  his  prowling  habits,  and  in  his  sanguin- 
ary propensities,  the  tiger  is  at  once  distin- 
guished from  that  king  of  beasts,  and  from 


THE    TIGER. 


75 


every  other  of  their  common  genus,  by  the 
peculiar  marking  of  his  coat.  On  a  ground 
which  exhibits  in  different  individuals  vari- 
ous shades  of  yellow,  he  is  elegantly  striped 
by  a  series  of  transverse  black  bands  or  bars, 
which  occupy  the  sides  of  his  head,  neck, 
and  body,  and  are  continued  upon  his  tail 
in  the  form  of  rmgs,  the  last  of  the  series 
uniformly  occupying  the  extremity  of  that 
organ,  and  giving  to  it  a  black  tip  of  greater 
or  less  extent.  T?he  under  parts  of  his  body 
and  the  inner  sides  of  his  legs  are  almost 
entirely  white  ;  he  has  no  mane,  and  his 
whole  frame,  though  less  elevated  than  that 
of  the  lion,  is  of  a  slenderer  and  more  grace- 
ful make.  His  head  is  also  shorter,  and 
more  rounded. 

"  Almost  in  the  same  degree  that  the  lion 
has  been  exalted  and  magnified,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  his  fellow-brutes,  has  the  tiger  been 
degraded  and  depressed  below  his  natural 
level.  While  the  one  has  been  held  up  to 
admiration,  as  the  type  and  standard  of 
heroic  perfection,  the  other  has,  with  equal 
capriciousness  and  disregard  of  the  close 
and  intimate  relationship  subsisting  be- 
tween them,  been  looked  >ipon  by  mankind 
in  general  with  those  feelings  of  unmingled 
horror  and  detestation  which  his  character 
for  untamable  ferocity  and  insatiable  thirst 
of  blood  was  so  well  calculated  to  inspire. 
It  requires,  however,  but  little  consideration 
to  teach  ns  that  the  broad  distinction  which 
has  been  drawn  cannot  by  possibility  exist; 
and  the  recorded  observations  of  naturalists 
and  travellers,  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
will  be  found  amply  sufficient  to  prove  that 
the  difference  in  their  characters  and  habits, 
on  which  so  much  stress  has  been  laid,  is 
in  reality  as  slight  and  unessential  as  that 
which  exists  in  their  corporeal  structure. 

"  Unquestionably  the  tiger  has  not  the 
majesty  of  the  lion  ;  for  he  is  destitute  of 
the  mane,  in  which  that  majesty  chiefly 
resides.  Neither  has  he  the  same  calm 
and  dignified  air  of  imperturbable  gravity, 
which  is  at  once  so  striking  and  so  prepos- 
sessing in  the  aspect  of  the  lion.  But,  on 
the  other  hand,  it  will  readily  be  granted, 
that,  m  the  superior  lightness  of  his  frame, 
which  allows  his  natural  agility  its  free  and 
unrestricted  scope,  and  in  the  graceful  case 
and  spirited  activity  of  his  motions,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  beauty,  the  regularity,  and 
the  vividness  of  his  coloring,  he  far  excels 
his  competitor,  whose  giant  bulk  and  com- 
parative heaviness  of  person,  added  to  the 
dull  uniformity  of  his  color,  detract  in  no 
small  degree  from  the  impression  produced 
by  his  noble  and  r^ajestic  bearing. 


"  In  comparing  the   moral   qualities   of 
these  two  formidable  animals,  we  shall  also 
find  that  the  shades  of  difference  —  for  at 
most  they  are  but  shades — which  distinguish 
them,  are,  like  their  external  characteristics, 
pretty  equally  balanced  in   favor  of  each. 
In  all  the  leading  features  of  their  character, 
the  habits  of  both  are  essentially  the  same.   | 
The   tiger,  equally  with   the   lion,   and    in   / 
common,  indeed,  with    the    whole    of  the    ( 
group  to  which   he  belongs,  reposes  indo-   > 
iently  in  the  security  of  his  den,  until  the   < 
calls  of  appetite  stimulate  him  to  look  abroad   s 
for   food.     He   then   chooses  a   convenient   } 
ambush,  in  which  to  lie  concealed  from  ob-   i 
servation,   generally  amid    the   underwood   '. 
of  the  forest,  but  sometimes   even   on  the   i 
branches  of  a  tree,  which  he  climbs  with  all   \ 
the  agility  of  a  cat.     In  this  secret  covert  i 
he  awaits  with  patient  watchfulness  the  ap-   | 
proach  of  his  prey,  upon  which   he   darts   \ 
forth  with  an  irresistible  bound,  and  bears   | 
it  off  m  triumph  to  his  den.     Unlike  the 
lion,  however,  if  his  first  attack  proves  un- 
successful, and  he  misses  his  aim,  he  docs 
not  usually  slink  sullenly  back  into  his  re- 
treat, but  pursues  his  victim  with  a  speed 
and  activity  which  is  seldom  baffled  even 
by  the  fleetest  animals." 

That  the  tiger  is  not  irrcclaimably  fero- 
cious, and  that  he  is  capable  not  merely  of 
a  capricious  and  transient  liking,  but  of  an 
enduring  attachment,  the  following  story  af- 
fords an  extraordinary  and  convincing  proof. 
"  A  beautiful  young  tiger,  brought  in  the 
Pitt,  East-Indiaman,  from  China,  m  the  year 
1790,  was  so  far  domesticated  as  to  admit 
of  every  kind  of  familiarity  from  the  people 
on  board  the  ship.  It  seemed  to  be  quite 
harmless,  and  was  as  playful  as  a  kitten. 
It  frequently  slept  with  the  sailors  in  their 
hammocks  ;  and  would  suffer  two  or  three 
of  them  to  repose  their  heads  on  its  back  as 
upon  a  pillow,  while  it  lay  stretched  out 
upon  the  deck.  In  return  for  this  indul- 
gence, it  would,  however,  now  and  then, 
steal  their  meat.  Having,  one  day,  stolen 
a  piece  of  beef  from  the  carpenter,  he  fol- 
lowed the  animal,  took  the  meat  out  of  its 
mouth,  and  beat  it  severely  for  the  theft ; 
which  punishment  it  suffered  with  all  the 
patience  of  a  dog.  It  would  frequently  run 
out  on  the  bowsprit ;  climb  about  the  ship 
like  a  cat ;  and  perform  many  other  tricks, 
with  an  agility  that  was  truly  astonishing. 
There  was  a  dog  on  board,  with  which  it 
would  frequently  play  in  the  most  divert- 
ing manner  imaginable.  This  animal  was 
taken  on  board  the  ship  when  it  was  only 
a  month  or  six  weeks  old,  and  arrived  in  | 


76 


FINGALS   CAVE. 


^  England  before  it  had  quite  completed  its 
first  year.  On  its  arrival,  it  was  presented 
to  the  king,  and  was  afterwards  deposited 
in  the  Tower  of  London.  It  even  there 
continued  to  be  perfectly  good-natured,  and 
was  in  no  instance  known  to  be  guilty  of 
any  savage  or  mischievous  tricks. 

In  the  year  1801,  one  day  after  this 
tiger  had  been  fed,  his  keeper  put  into  the 
den  to  him,  a  small,  rough,  black  terrier- 
puppy,  a  female.  The  tiger  suffered  it  to 
remain  uninjured,  and  soon  afterwards  be- 
came so  much  attached  to  it  as  to  be  rest- 
less and  unhappy  whenever  the  animal  was 
taken  away  to  be  fed.  On  its  return,  the 
tiger  invariably  expressed  the  greatest 
symptoms  of  delight,  always  welcoming  its 
arrival  by  gently  licking  over  every  part  of 
its  bodjf.  In  one  or  two  instances,  the  ter- 
rier was  left  in  the  den,  by  mistake,  during 
the  time  the  tiger  had  his  food.  The  dog 
sometimes  ventured  to  eat  with  him,  but 
the  tiger  generally  appeared  dissatisfied 
with  this  liberty.  After  a  residence  with 
the  tiger  for  several  months,  the  terrier  was 


removed  to  make  way  for  a  little  female 
Dutch  mastiff.  It  was,  however,  thought 
advisable,  before  the  terrier  was  taken  away, 
to  shut  up  the  mastiff  for  three  or  four  days 
among  the  straw  of  the  tiger's  bed,  to  take 
off,  if  possible,  any  smell  that  might  be  of- 
fensive to  the  animal.  The  exchange  was 
made  soon  after  the  animals  had  been  fed  ; 
the  tiger  seemed  perfectly  satisfied  with  his 
new  companion,  and  immediately  began  to 
lick  it,  as  he  had  before  done  the  terrier. 
The  dog  seemed  at  first  in  considerable 
alarm  with  so  formidable  an  inmate,  but  in 
the  course  of  the  day  he  became  perfectly 
reconciled  to  his  situation.  This  diminu- 
tive creature  the  tiger  would  suffer  to  play 
with  him,  with  the  greatest  gond-nature. 
"I  have  myself,"  saj's  Mr.  Bingley,  "seen 
it  bark  at  him,  and  bite  him  by  the  foot  and 
mouth,  without  his  expressing  the  least 
displeasure.  When  the  dog,  in  its  frolic, 
seized  its  foot,  he  merely  lifted  it  up  out 
of  his  mouth,  and  seemed  otherwise  heed- 
less of  its  attacks." 


FINGAL'S   CAVE. 


This  celebrated  curiosity  is  in  the  island  i 
of  Stafla,  one  of  the  Hebrides,  on  the  west- 
ern coast  of  Scotland.  The  whole  island 
seems  to  be  a  mass  of  lava  and  rock,  called: 
hasalt,  the  latter  generally  consisting  of  j 
crystals  two  to  four  feet  long,  with  six  or 
seven  regular  sides.  These  crystals  are  set 
one  upon  another,  so  as  to  look  like  pillars 
of  hewn  stone.  All  around  the  island  these 
are  visible  to  one  who  is  sailing  by,  and 
sometimes  they  rise  to  the  enormous  height 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 


The  Cave  of  Fingal  consists  of  a  vast 
chamber,  the  floor  of  which  is  covered  with 
water.  The  roof  is  of  stone,  supported  by 
thousands  of  basaltic  columns,  such  as  we 
have  described.  It  is  forty-two  feet  wide 
at  the  mouth,  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  feet  deep,  and  of  unequal  height,  from 
fifty  to  one  hundred  feet. 

The  usual  mode  of  entering  the  cave  is 
by  a  boat ;  but  as  the  seas  are  rough  in  this 
region,  this  can  only  be  done  at  particular 
times.     Within  the  cave  is  a  hole,  where 


president's    house,    WASHINGTON. 


the  flux  and  reflux  of  the  waters  produce 
a  melodious  murmur,  which  gave  to  it  the 
title  of  the  Cave  of  Music,  by  which  it  was 
formerly  known. 

This  wonder  of  nature,  produced  no  doubt 
by  volcanic  action,  in  some  remote  age  of 


the  world,  is  said  by  the  Scottish  traditions 
to  have  been  the  work  of  an  ancient  hero, 
called  Fingal-Macool.  The  basaltic  won- 
ders on  the  opposite  coast  of  Ireland  sug- 
gested similar  ideas,  and  they  have  hence 
acquired  the  name  of  the  Giant's  Causeway. 


PRESIDENT'S  HOUSE,  WASHINGTON. 


This  is  a  large  and  lofty  edifice,  situated 
on  the  northern  bank  of  the  river  Potomac, 
a  mile  from  the  Capitol,  the  building  where 
Congress  meets.  Near  it  are  four  building.', 
devoted  to  the  departments  of  State,  War, 
Navy,  and  Treasury.  It  stands  on  a  slight 
elevation,  and  commands  a  fine  view  of 
the  Potomac  and  its  banks.  The  grounds 
around  arc  pleasantly  laid  out,  and  are  or- 
namented with  trees,  shrubs,  and  walks. 

The  rooms  in  the  house  are  large  and 
lofty,  and  appear  very  handsome.  The 
President  of  the  United  States  resides  here. 
Here  he  receives  foreign  ministers ;  and 
here  he  holds  council  with  the  members  of 


his  cabinet.     His  large  evening-parties  are 
called  Icrces. 

The  president's  house  is,  on  the  whole, 
handsome  and  agreeable,  though  it  is  very 
inferior  to  the  palaces  of  kings  and  princes 
of  Europe.  When  foreigners  come  to  this 
country,  and  compare  the  residence  of  our 
chief  magistrate  with  the  dwellings  of  their 
own  sovereigns,  they  think  it  (luite  mean. 
But  when  we  consider  that  the  object  of 
government  is  to  make  the  people  happy, 
and  not  to  pamper  the  pride  of  kings,  we 
may  be  rather  gratified  than  annoyed  at 
the  comparisons  of  those  who  are  brought 
up  to  admire  and  worship  royalty. 


78 


TALLEYRAND. 


TALLEYRAND. 

Charles  Maurice  Talleyrand  de  Peri- 
GORD  was  one  of  the  most  wonderful  men 
of  modern  times.  He  was  born  at  Paris, 
in  1754  ;  and,  being  lame  and  feeble  from 
his  birth,  he  was  educated  for  the  church. 
By  the  influence  of  his  family,  he  obtained 
rapid  promotion,  and  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
five,  he  was  Bishop  of  Autun. 

In  1789,  he  was  a  member  of  the  French 
Assembly,  and  joined  heartily  in  the  revo- 
lutionary movements  of  that  body.  He  not 
only  aided  in  measures  calculated  to  pros- 
trate the  clergy,  but  joined  in  the  move- 
ments of  the  period,  which  set  religion 
wholly  aside,  and  substituted  human  reason 
as  the  supreme  guide  of  society. 

But  at  last  the  times  became  too  stormy 
for  his  timid  disposition  ;  and,  accordingly, 
he  fled  to  England,  being  able  to  save  only 
a  small  part  of  his  large  fortune.  The 
British  government  were  jealous  of  him, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  quit  the  country.  In 
this  dilemma,  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
where  he  spent  some  time. 

After  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  and  the  ter- 
mination of  the  reign  of  terror,  Talleyrand 
went  back  to  Paris,  and  was  made  minister 
of  foreign  aflfairs,  the  government  being  then 
in  the  hands  of  the  Directory.  In  this  ca- 
pacity, he  was  engaged  in  a  shabby  attempt 
to  e.xtort  money  from  our  American  envoys 
who  arrived  in  Paris  in  1797.  "  France 
wants  money,"  said  the  minister,  "  and 
must  have  it."     This  affair  became  public, 


and  the  popular  clamor  against  the  minis- 
ter caused  his  dismissal  from  office. 

The  disposition  of  Talleyrand  led  him  to 
avoid  taking  a  bold  and  open  part ;  and  he 
always  sought  to  obtain  power  by  fi.ving 
upon  some  leading  character,  to  whom  he 
made  himself  useful,  thus  promoting  his  own 
ambition.  For  this  reason  he  espoused  the 
cause  of  Bonaparte,  and,  when  the  latter 
became  consul,  the  former  was  again  ap- 
pointed minister  of  foreign  affairs.  From 
this  period  till  1S07,  Talleyrand  was  Na- 
poleon's chief  counsellor ;  but  at  this  date 
a  coolness  took  place  between  them,  which 
was  never  removed.  The  e.x-minister  had 
gained  the  title  of  Prince  of  Benevento, 
and  acquired  an  immense  fortune,  and  was 
therefore  a  man  of  consequence.  But  he 
was  remarkable  for  his  satirical  wit,  and, 
being  a  person  of  great  taste  and  refine- 
ment, he  was  rather  disgusted  with  the 
rude  manners  of  some  of  Napoleon's  new- 
made  lords  and  ladies.  He  did  not  spare 
his  sarcasms ;  and  as  they  were  very  biting, 
and  were  repeated  as  good  jests  through  all 
Europe,  he  became  an  object  of  no  little  ha- 
tred ;  at  the  same  time,  his  great  sagacity, 
and  talents  for  political  intrigue,  made  him 
equally  feared.  An  instance  of  his  pene- 
tration of  mind,  and  talent  for  significant 
remark,  was  furnished  when  Bonaparte  set 
out  for  the  conquest  of  Russia,  with  nearly 
half  a  million  of  men.  "  This,"  said  he, 
"is  the  beginning  of  the  end."  And  such 
it  proved,  —  the  beginning  of  that  downfall 
which  was  consummated  three  years  after- 
wards at  Waterloo. 

When  the  allied  armies,  in  1814,  entered 
Paris,  the  Russian  emperor,  Alexander, 
took  lodgings  at  the  house  of  the  Prince 
of  Benevento.  From  tliis  time  the  latter 
joined  the  interest  of  the  Bourbons,  and, 
when  Louis  XVIII.  was  restored,  he  be- 
came his  prime  minister.  In  18.30,  he  was 
sent  to  England  as  ambassador,  which  place 
he  held  till  1835.  On  his  return  to  Paris, 
he  became  a  private  citizen,  and  so  contin- 
ued till  his  death. 

The  last  days  of  this  extraordinary  man 
corresponded  with  his  previous  career.  Like 
Richelieu  and  Mazarin,  he  died  surrounded 
by  a  crowd,  and  his  death-bed  scene  had  all 
the  appearance  of  a  political  levee. 

The  first  symptoms  of  the  complaint 
which  carried  him  off  were  a  shivering  fit, 
and  repeated  vomiting.  He  underwent  an 
operation  at  the  loins  with  great  fortitude, 
merely  once  saying,  "  You  give  me  great 
pain."  He  was  perfectly  aware  of  his 
danger.     Having  asked  his  medical  men  if 


THE    TRUFFLE. 


79 


they  thought  they  could  cure  him,  they 
rightly  estimated  his  strength  of  mind,  and 
told  him  at  once  that  he  ought  to  put  his 
afTairs  in  order,  and  for  the  future  attend  to 
nothing  but  the  care  of  his  health.  Being 
in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  his  strength  was 
soon  exhausted  by  the  disease. 

The  afternoon  of  Thursday,  the  seven- 
teenth of  May,  183S,  will  be  noted  as  the 
date  of  the  prince's  death.  He  expired  at 
four  o'clock,  the  immediate  cause  of  his  dis- 
solution being  gangrene.  He  had  for  some 
time  prepared,  and  addressed  to  the  pope,  a 
written  retraction  of  his  conduct  at  the  fa- 
mous ceremony  of  the  Federation,  where 
he  forgot  his  episcopal  ordination,  and  con- 
descended to  bless  tliat  democratic  festival. 
He  received  absolution  ;  and,  extreme  unc- 
tion being  administered,  he  died  in  the  peace 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  altlio\igh  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Paris,  to  whom  he  had  sent  a  copy 
of  his  letter  to  the  pope,  kept  aloof  from  his 
bedside.  Louis  Philippe,  however,  visited 
the  death-bod  of  the  veteran  statesman, 
whose  respect  for  etiquette  and  courtly 
ideas  was  manifest  in  his  dying  moments. 
He  insisted  on  presenting  the  king  to  all 
who  happened  to  be  with  him,  and  in  the 
true  aristocratic  spirit  of  his  order,  he  ac- 
knowledged the  royal  visit,  not  as  the  act 
of  warm  private  friendship,  but  as  "  a  great 
lionor  done  to  his  house  I "  Madame  Ade- 
laide, sister  of  the  king,  also  visited  the 
prince,  and  M.  Thiers,  and  Count  Mole, 
with  other  distinguished  public  characters, 
attended  his  last  moments. 

His  funeral  took  place  amidst  great  pomp 
and  magnificence.  The  body  was  laid  in 
the  church  of  the  Assumption,  and  the 
masses  said  were  short.  At  the  four  cor- 
ners of  the  hearse  wallced  Marshal  Soult, 
Count  Mole,  Chancellor  Pasquier,  and  the 
Duke  de  Broglie  ;  and  immediately  after- 
wards came  the  clergy,  the  ministers, 
the  corps  diplomatique,  the  peers,  deputies, 
members  of  the  Institute,  and  the  civil  and 
military  authorities,  all  dressed  in  their 
state  costumes,  and  walking  uncovered. 

After  all,  the  best  and  most  truly  earned 
fame  of  Talleyrand  is  that  of  an  epigram- 
matist. His  remarks  were  pointed  arrows, 
which  he  knew  how  to  fling  efTectively  from 
his  retreat  or  his  palace  of  the  Rue  St.  Flor- 
entine, and  which  were  always  found  to 
embody  in  a  few  words  the  current  judg- 
ment. Yet  his  wit  was  the  wit  of  intellect, 
not  of  temperament.  It  was  full  of  mean- 
ing ;  always  suggestive  of  thought ;  most 
frequently  caustic.  His  reserve,  probably 
constitutional,  but  heightened  by  the  cir- 


cumstances of  his  early  life,  and  cultivated 
upon  principle,  was  impenetrable.  In  ad- 
vanced life,  it  seemed  even  to  have  aflected 
his  physical  appearance. 

It  has  been  said  that,  when  at  rest,  but 
for  his  glittering  eye,  it  would  have  been 
difficult  to  feel  certain  that  it  was  not  a 
statue  that  was  placed  before  you.  When 
his  sonorous  voice  broke  upon  the  ear,  it 
was  like  a  possessing-spirit  speaking  from 
a  graven  image.  Even  in  comparatively 
early  life,  his  power  of  banishing  all  expres- 
sion from  his  countenance,  and  the  soft 
and  heavy  appearance  of  his  features,  was 
remarked  as  contrasting  strangely  with 
the  manly  energy  indicated  by  his  deep 
and  powerful  voice.  JMirabeau,  in  the  be- 
ginning. Napoleon  at  the  close,  of  the  revo- 
lution, threw  him  into  the  shade  ;  but  he 
outlasted  both.  The  secret  of  his  power 
was  patience  and  pertinacity  ;  and  his  life 
has  the  appearance  of  being  preternaturally 
lengthened  out,  when  we  recollect  the  im- 
mense number  of  widely-removed  charac- 
ters and  events  of  which  he  was  the  con- 
temporary. 


THE   TRUFFLE. 

The  common  truffle  is  a  sort  of  fungus, 
growing  entirely  under  ground  ;  it  is  some- 
times called  the  grmaid  viushroom.  There 
are  several  kinds,  but  the  eatable  one  is 
the  most  remarkable.  It  varies  in  size 
from  that  of  a  hazel-nut  to  the  bigness  of  a 
man's  fist.  It  is  covered  with  a  thick  skin, 
of  a  dark  color ;  the  inside  flesh  is  firm  and 
veiny.    Although  the  truffle  is  rare,  it  grows 


w^i^fv^^  ^^«*  X 


80 


THE    WHITE    ASS. 


in  most  countries,  and  is  sought  after  as  an 
article  of  luxury,  being  used  to  give  a  flavor 
to  sauces  ;  a  turkey  stuffed  with  truffles  is 
considered  in  France  a  great  delicacy. 

Truffles  are  usually  found  under  trees  in 
open  forest-grounds  and  plantations.  They 
require  a  light,  loamy  soil,  and  a  spot  shaded 
from  the  sun.  When  ripe,  they  difTuse  a 
very  strong  and  peculiar  odor.  By  means 
of  this,  dogs  are  taught,  in  Europe,  to  hunt 
them  out,  and  scratch  them  up.  This  is 
easily  done,  as  they  usually  lie  only  two 
or  three  inches  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  The  dog  selected  for  the  purpose 
is  either  a  poodle,  or  a  French  barbet ;  both 
kinds  are  docile,  and  have  a  good  nose,  and 
not  having  a  very  strong  instinct  for  follow- 
ing game,  are  not  easily  taken  off"  their  work. 

The  education  of  a  dog  for  hunting  truf- 
fles is  very  simple.  He  is  first  taught  to 
fetch  and  carry  ;  then  the  thing  is  buried 
under  ground,  and  he  learns  to  scratch  it 
up  and  give  it  to  his  master,  who  always 
rewards  him  by  a  piece  of  bread.  As  his 
education  advances,  truffles  are  used  as  the 
subject  to  be  fetched;  they  are  buried  in 
the  earth,  and  the  dog  is  set  to  find  them, 
reward  always  following  success.     The  old 


man  represented  in  the  cut,  who  is  a 
celebrated  trainer  of  truffle-dogs,  generally 
keeps  a  few  truffles  dried  or  soaked  in 
grease  through  the  winter,  thus  preserving 
the  odor  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the 
young  dogs. 

After  the  dog  is  sufficiently  acquainted 
with  the  smell  of  the  hidden  truffle,  so  as 
to  scratch  for  it,  the  hunter  takes  him  out 
in  the  field  with  a  well-trained  dog,  and 
they  are  set  to  hunt  about  under  the  trees 
to  discover  the  truffle.  The  hunter  often 
assists  the  dogs,  when  they  begin  to  scratch, 
with  a  scud,  which  is  represented  in  the 
cut ;  and  as  soon  as  the  truffle  is  found, 
each  dog  is  rewarded  by  a  piece  of  bread, 
which  has  been  flavored  by  the  truffles. 

The  pig  has  also  been  trained  to  hunt 
this  vegetable,  but  he  is  very  apt  to  eat 
it  when  he  finds  it.  The  gourmand  has 
many  rivals  for  the  possession  of  this  high- 
ly-esteemed delicacy ;  squirrels,  hogs,  deer, 
badgers,  and  mice,  are  all  eager  to  search 
after  it  in  the  woods. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  culti- 
vate the  truffle,  but  the  success  is  not  deter- 
mined ;  nothing  is  known  of  the  process  of 
its  dissemination. 


THE  WHITE   ASS. 


The  most  beautiful  specimen  of  asses  is 
the  atun,  or  rohite  ass.  Calmet  says  that 
it  is  the  immediate  descendant  of  the  wild 
ass,  or  onager,  and  is  much  valued  by  the 
great  men  of  the  East,  and  eagerly  sought 
after  for  their  own  personal  dignity  and  ac- 
commodation. Such  is  the  price  of  these 
handsome  and  elegantly  proportioned  crea- 


tures, that  common  people  are  unable  to 
procure  them,  and  the  possession  of  them  is 
therefore  restricted  to  the  great  and  wealthy. 
Some  writers  have  stated  that  the  gen- 
uine race  of  white  asses  is  peculiar  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  river  Euphrates.  The  white 
of  this  comely  animal  is  of  a  silvery  color, 
contributing   greatly  to    its    noble   appear- 


GROTTO    OF    ANTIPAROS. 


81 


ance,  and  therefore  so  suited  to  the  imposing 
and  graceful  procession  of  ancient  eastern 
princes. 

Ici  Judges  xii.  13,  14,  we  read  of  one  of 
the  judges  of  Israel,  Abdon,  a  Pirathonite  ; 
lie  had  forty  sons  and  thirty  nephews,  that 
rode  on  threescore  and  ten  ass-colts,  that  is, 
lohttc  asscolts.  This  furnishes  some  idea 
of  the  splendor  and  dignity  maintained  by 
Abdon,  the  judge  of  Israel.  The  costly 
present  which  the  opulent  and  holy  pa- 
triarch Jacob  gave  to  his  brother  Esau,  in- 
cluded twenty  she-asses  and  ten  foals  of  this 
superior  race.  (Gen.  xxxii.  15.) 

To  one  of  the  same  species  the  dying 
Jacob   alluded,  when   he   pronounced   the 


blessing  on  Judah,  and  described  him  as 
"binding  his  foal  unto  the  vine,  and  his 
ass's  colt  unto  the  choice  vine."  (Gen.  xliz. 
11.)  The  words  "ass's  colt,"  in  the  origi- 
nal, mean  the  son  of  the  atiai,  or  white  ass. 
David  had,  as  one  of  the  appendages  of 
royalty,  a  stud  of  white  asses.  Therefore 
we  read,  (1  Chron.  xxvii.  30,)  that  over  the 
afiamth,  or  white  asses,  was  appointed 
Jehdeiah,  the  Meronothite.  Such  was  the 
astonishing  wealth  of  Job,  that  he  possessed 
a  thousand  she-asses,  after  he  had  been 
raised  from  the  depths  of  poverty,  sufTer- 
ing,  and  disease,  to  an  elevation  of  power, 
wealth,  and  glory,  far  exceeding  that  which 
he  originally  enjoyed.   (Job  xlii.  13.) 


GROTTO   OF   ANTIPAROS. 


Among  the  islands  on  the  coast  of  Greece 
is  one  called  Anl.iparos,  which  is  celebrated 
for  its  cavern  or  grotto.  Though  not  the 
largest,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful, in  the  world.  Its  mouth  is  obscure, 
and  it  was  not  discovered  till  about  two 
centuries  ago. 

Soon  after  you  enter  the  cave,  you  see 
frightful  precipices  on -every  side.  But 
ropes  and  ladders  have  been  so  placed 
down  the  dismal  clifis  and  chasms,  that  a 
person   of  firm   nerves   may   descend.     At 


the  depth  of  eighteen  hundred  feet,  —  one 
third  of  a  mile,  —  there  is  a  grotto  three 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  three  hundred 
and  forty  wide,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty 
high.  When  lighted  up  by  torches,  this 
strange  temple  surpasses  all  human  archi- 
tecture in  the  splendor  of  its  effect.  The 
roof  and  sides,  composed  of  stalactites,  shine 
like  silver  and  gold  and  precious  stones. 

The  stalactites  are  of  a  thousand  fantastic 
forms.  Hangmg  from  the  roof,  they  present 
the  shapes  of  icicles,  leaves,  flowers,  and  fes- 


11 


THE    CRUSADES. 


toons,  yet  so  bright  as  to  dazzle  the  eye.  1 
The  sides  of  the  vast  arch  seem  like  trees 
of  silver,  the  branches  being  connected  by  fes- 
toons, while  rivers  of  white  marble  are  flow- 
ing at  their  roots.  The  floor  is  strewn  with 
crystals  of  every  hue  —  red,  green,  blue  and 
yellow  —  and  sparkling  like  rubies,  and  eme- 
ralds, and  diamonds.  Along  the  sides,  you 
sometimes  seem  to  see  aged  trees  of  marble, 


white  as  snow  ;  or,  perhaps,  a  vast  curtain, 
seeming  to  be  drawn  across  some  place  too 
sacred  to  be  entered.  There  is,  indeed,  no 
end  to  the  forms  and  images  presented  to 
the  eye,  in  this  wonderful  grotto ;  and 
nothing  can  compare  with  the  beauty  of  the 
individual  objects,  except  the  general  efTect,  < 
which  is  truly  amazing — surpassing,  indeed,  l 
all  the  fancies  of  the  Arabian  fabulist. 


THE   CRUSADES. 


Crus.^des,  or  Croisades,  was  the  name' 
given  to  the  expeditions  fitted  out  by  the 
Christian  warriors  of  Etirope,  for  the  recov- 
ery of  the  Holy  Land,  from  the  end  of  the  [ 
eleventh  to  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  cen-] 
tiiry.  The  Crusades  derived  their  namej 
from  the  badge  of  the  cross,  which  wasj 
wrought  upon  their  mantles,  and  appeared 
in  various  parts  of  their  equipments. 
<  The  age  was  one  in  which  the  people 
I  were  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  reception 
I   of    enthusiastic    religious    impulses.      The 

m 


Christians  could  not  bear  to  think  that  the 
places  which  they  held  so  dear,  and  which 
the  history  of  their  religion  hallowed,  should 
be  desecrated  by  the  presence  of  infideb., 
and  rendered  dangerous  to  those  pilgrims 
whom  a  sincere  feeling  of  reverence  called 
to  Palestine.  The  church  called  upon  the 
chivalry  of  Europe,  and  the  knights  re- 
sponded to  the  summons. 

The  rise  of  the  Crusades  is  immediately 
attributable  to  the  enthusiasm  of  a  wander- 
ing pilgrim,  called  Peter  the  Hermit,  who, 


THE    CRUSADES. 


S5 


having  experienced  the  tj'rannical  exactions 
impor.ed  on  the  visiters  of  the  holy  sepul- 
chre, represented  them  to  Pope  Urban  II.  in 
sucli  hvely  colors,  that  the  prelate  selected 
him  as  the  instrument  of  a  grand  design 
which  he  had  formed  to  overthrow  the  Mo- 
hammedan power ;  and  Peter,  armed  with 
the  holy  commission,  went  from  province 
to  province,  to  kindle  up  that  enthusiasm 
by  which  he  was  himself  consuming. 

When  the  feelings  of  the  people  and 
the  potentates  appeared  ripe  for  some  wild 
project,  Urban  held  a  council  in  the  open 
fields  at  Piacenza,  and  proposed  his  scheme, 
which  was  warmly  applauded,  but  not  as 
warmly  embraced.  Another  council  was 
therefore  held  at  Clermont,  France,  graced 
by  the  presence  of  ambassadors  from  all 
nations,  and  the  result  was  as  favorable  as 
he  could  have  anticipated.  The  pope  held 
out  to  the  crusaders  the  promise  of  spiritual 
pardon,  and  imposed  on  them  only  the  pen- 
ance of  plunder  for  their  sins.  Tluis  excited, 
the  enthusiasm  became  general  ;  noblemen 
sold  their  estates  for  outfits  ;  the  meanest 
lords  of  the  manors  set  forth  at  their  own 
sxpense  ;  the  poor  gentlemen  followed  them 
as  esquires ;  and  above  eighty  thousand 
cof.ected  under  the  banners  of  the  cross. 
Godfrey,  of  Boulogne,  was  at  the  head  of 
seventy  thousand  foot ;  and  ten  thousand 
horse,  splendidly  armed,  were  under  the 
command  of  many  lords,  who  were  joined 
by  Hugh,  brother  to  Pliilip  I.,  of  France, 
Raymond  of  Toulouse,  Bohemond,  King 
of  Sicily,  and  others  of  equal  and  less  note. 
A  proposal  was  made  to  the  pope  to  put 
himself  at  their  head,  but  he  refused.  This 
refusal,  however,  did  not  damp  their  ardor. 

Confiding  in  their  cause,  their  numbers, 
and  their  equipments,  they  traversed  Ger- 
many and  Hungary,  took  Nice,  Antioch, 
and  Edcssa,  and  arrived  at  Jerusalem  in 
July,  1099.  The  city  was  taken  after  five 
weeks'  siege.  All  but  the  Christians  were 
massacred,  and  the  army  of  crusaders,  after 
the  perpetration  of  unparalleled  atrocities, 
went  to  shed  their  tears  at  the  sepulchre 
of  Christ !  Godfrey  of  Boulogne,  (not 
without  opposition  from  the  priests,)  was 
elected  King  of  Jerusalem,  but  died  in  1100. 
In  1102,  an  immense  army,  which  departed 
for  the  Holy  Land,  was  defeated,  and  no 
fewer  than  two  hundred  thousand  men  lost 
to  Europe  by  the  enterprise.  The  capture 
of  Baldwin,  and  the  loss  of  Edessa,  occa- 
sioned a  new  crusade. 

France  again  gave  the  impulse  to  their 
religious  excitement.  Pope  Eugenius  III. 
induced   St.  Bernard,  of  Clairvaux,  to  act 


the  part  of  Peter  the  Hermit,  and  the  con- 
sequence was  that  Louis  the  Young,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife,  Eleanor  of  Guicnne, 
departed  for  the  Holy  Land,  and  Conrad  III., 
in  whose  hands  the  red  cross  was  placed, 
led  a  large  army  into  Asia.  Both  of  them, 
however,  were  unsuccessful. 

The  unfortunate  issue  of  the  second  cru- 
sade was  precipitated  hv  the  dissensions  of 
the  Christians,  and  the  uncommon  abilities 
of  the  Sultan  Saladin,  who,  advancing  at 
the  head  of  an  army  that  placed  imjilicit 
confidence  in  the  courage  and  skill  of  their 
leader,  animated  by  a  religious  fury  no  less 
absorbing  than  that  which  filled  the  breasts 
of  the  cru.saders,  threw  himself  upon  Jeru- 
salem, which,  unable  to  hold  out  against 
him,  once  more  echoed  to  the  shouts  of 
Saracen  conquerors,  as  they  again  erected 
their  crescent  on  the  ramparts  of  the  city. 
The  Christians  lost  all  their  possessions  but 
Antioch,  Tripoli,  Joppa,  and  Tyre. 

The  leaders  of  the  third  crusade,  (1189,) 
were  Frederick  I.,  of  Germany,  surnamed 
Barbarossa,  the  chivalric  Phihp  Augustus, 
of  France,  and  the  lion-hearted  Richard  I., 
of  England.  Barbarossa  was  ultimately 
uns\iccessful,  but  the  monarchs  of  France 
and  Englan<l  took  possession  of  Ptolemais 
or  Acre.  Philip  Augustus,  from  motives 
of  jealousy,  left  the  field  to  Richard,  who 
proved  himself  a  worthy  rival  of  Saladin, 
and  the  two  commanders  performed  won- 
derful feats  of  arms,  which  were  the  admi- 
ration of  both  armies.  The  fourth  crusade 
was  conducted  by  Andrew  II.,  King  of 
Hungary,  and  the  fifth  by  Frederick  II.,  of 
Germany.  The  results  of  these  ought  to 
have  shown  that  the  Christians  could  not 
hope  to  gain  permanent  possession  of  the  j; 
country.  It  was  this  time  that  St.  Louis, 
King  of  France,  undertook  the  sixth  and 
last  crusade,  which,  though  well  conceived, 
and  vigorously  carried  on,  was  unsuccessful. 
In  the  last  crusade  no  fewer  than  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  persons  perished  ; 
add  to  this  the  number  that  died  in  former 
expeditions,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
East  was  the  tomb  of  above  two  millions 
of  Europeans  ;  and  several  countries  were 
depopulated  and  impoverished  by  the  cru- 
sades. Yet  the  Holy  \Vars  were  not  with- 
out good.  They  created  an  intimate  con- 
nection and  a  constant  intercourse  between 
the  nations  of  Europe,  which,  as  it  was  fa- 
vorable to  commercial  enterprise,  increased 
the  wealth,  improved  the  arts,  and  con- 
tributed to  establish  the  civilization,  of  the 
Christian  world. 


MAGNA   CHARTA. 


This  instrument,  the  Greaf  Charter  of 
England,  and  deemed  the  foundation  of 
English  libertjr,  was  extorted  from  King 
John  I.  by  the  barons,  or  nobles,  who  had 
become  dissatisfied  with  his  tyranny.  He 
met  them  on  Friday,  loth  of  June,  1215, 
in  a  large  meadow,  between  Windsor  and 
Staines,  called  Runimede,  which  means  the 
■meadow  of  council,  and  which  was  so  called 
because  it  had  been  used  by  the  Saxons  as 
a  place  for  public  meetings.  John  signed 
this  document  with  great  reluctance,  but  he 
dared  not  refuse.  By  it  the  nobles  were 
relieved  from  much  of  the  oppressive  tyran- 
ny of  the  feudal  system.  This  had  been 
constantly  increasing,  till  no  subject  could 
act  in  the  commonest  affairs  of  life  without 
the  king's  consent,  which  could  be  obtained 
only  for  money. 

We  can  understand  the  sort  of  inter- 
ference the  king  had  in  every  person's 
concerns,  when  we  learn  that  no  one  could 
marry  without  his  consent,  and  that  he 
could  oblige  heiresses  to  marry  whom  he 
pleased.  Enormous  sums  were  paid  by 
females,  either  for  leave  to  marry,  or,  more 


commonly,  that  they  might  not  be   forced 
to  wed  against  their  will.     Thus  we  read 
of  a  Countess  of  Chester,  who  paid  King   > 
Stephen  five  hundred  marks,  that  she  might   < 
not  be  obliged  to  marry  for  five  j'ears  ;  and   > 
of  a  Countess  of  Warwick,  who  paid  King   \ 
John  five  hundred   marks,  that  she  might   \ 
not  be  compelled  to  marry  till  she  pleased,   j 
This  sum  would  be  equal  to  forty  or  perhaps   5 
fifty  thousand  dollars  at  the  present  day.        { 
The  Great  Charter  contains  sixty-three  > 
articles,  and  yet  only  one  of  these  is  for  the   ( 
protection  of  the  laboring  people.     It  pro-   \ 
vides  that  "  even  a  farmer  shall  not  by  any   ( 
fine  be  deprived  of  his  carts,  ploughs,  and 
implements  of  husbandry."     The  invidious 
word,  "even,"  shows  plainly  how  little  they 
were  considered  or  thought  of  at  this  period. 
The  truth  is  that  the  boasted  Mag7ia  Charta 
of  England  was  a  charter  of  greater  liberty 
to  the  nobles,  but  the  mass  had  little  inter- 
est in  it.     English  liberty,  at  the  present 
day,  is  modelled  after  this  ancient  docu- 
ment, which  leaves  power  and  privilege  in 
the  hands  of  the  few,  and  denies  it  to  the 
many. 


NOBLE   DEEDS   OF   WOMEN. 


An  iiitcrcstinc;  volume  might  be  written, 
under  the  title  here  given.  History  is  full 
of  incidents  which  represent  women,  under 
the  influence  of  kind  and  generous  motives, 
performing  acts  of  courage  and  devoticni,  sel- 
dom equalled  and  never  surpassed  by  the 
other  sex.  A  mother,  in  defence  of  her  ofT- 
spring,  is  without  fear.  We  are  told  of  a 
Scottish  mother,  who  rushed  in  the  very  face 
of  an  eagle  and  rescued  her  infant,  which 
had  been  carried  off  and  placed  in  his  nest 
by  this  formidable  bird. 

History  tells  us  that,  towards  the  end  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  a  lion  escaped  from 
the  menagerie  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Flor- 
;  ence,  and  ran  through  the  streets  of  that 
j:  city,  spreading  everywhere  terror  and  dis- 
may. A  woman  flying  from  his  furj-,  with 
her  infant  in  her  arms,  dropt  it  in  her  flight, 
when  it  was  immediately  seized  upon  by 
the  lion.  Frantic  at  the  disaster,  she  threw 
herself  on  her  knees  before  the  animal,  and 
implored  with  all  the  energy  and  e.xpression 


of  a  mother  in  despair,  the  life  of  her  child. 
The  lion  stopped,  —  fixed  liis  eyes  upon 
her,  —  placed  the  infant  upon  the  ground, 
without  having  done  it  the  smallest  injury, 
and  departed  ! 

In  September,  1789,  a  little  boy  about 
five  years  old,  the  son  of  a  man  named 
Frecmantle,  in  Salisbury,  England,  being 
at  play  by  the  dam  of  the  town  mill,  fell 
into  the  water;  his  sister,  a  child  of  nine 
years  of  age,  with  an  aflection  that  would 
have  done  honor  to  riper  years,  instantly 
plunged  in  to  his  assistance.  They  both 
sank,  and  in  sight  of  their  mother!  The 
poor  woman,  distracted  with  liorror  at  the 
prospect  of  instant  death  to  her  children, 
braved  the  flood  to  save  them ;  she  rose 
with  one  under  each  arm,  and  by  her  cries 
happily  brought  her  husband,  who  instantly 
swam  to  their  assistance,  and  brought  them 
all  three  safe  ashore. 

Mary,  Countess  of  Orkney,  was  both  deaf 
and  dumb  ;  she  was  married    in   the   year 


S6 


NOBLE    DEEDS    OF    WOMEN. 


1753,  by  signs.  Shortly  after  the  birth  of 
her  first  child,  the  nurse,  with  considerable 
astonishment,  saw  the  mother  cautiously 
approach  the  cradle  in  which  the  infant  was 
sleeping,  evidently  full  of  some  deep  design. 
The  Countess,  having  perfectly  assured  her- 
self that  the  child  really  slept,  raised  a  large 
stone  which  she  had  concealed  under  her 
shawl,  and,  to  the  horror  of  the  nurse,  lifted 
it  with  an  apparent  intent  to  fling  it  down 
vehemently.  Before  the  nurse  could  inter- 
pose, the  Countess  had  flung  the  stone, — 
not,  however,  as  the  servant  had  appre- 
hended, at  the  child,  but  on  the  floor,  where, 
of  course,  it  made  a  great  noise.  The  child 
immediately  awoke,  and  cried.  The  Coun- 
tess, who  had  looked  with  maternal  eager- 
ness to  the  result  of  her  experiment,  fell  on 
her  knees  in  a  transport  of  joy.  She  had 
discovered  that  her  child  possessed  the  sense 
which  was  deficient  in  herself :  it  was  not 
deaf! 

In  the  severe  winter  of  1783,  which  was 
a  time  of  general  distress  at  New  York,  an 
aged  couple  found  themselves  reduced  to 
their  last  stick  of  wood.  They  had  been 
supported  by  the  industry  of  a  daughter 
who  lived  with  them,  but  who  now  found 
herself  unable  to  procure  them  either  fuel  or 
provisions.  Overcome  with  grief  at  their 
destitute  situation,  she  yet  devised  an  expe- 
dient by  which  they  might  be  rescued  from 
the  emergency.  She  had  accidentally  heard 
that  a  dentist  had  advertised  to  give  three 
guineas  for  every  sound  fore-tooth,  provided 
only  that  he  was  allowed  to  extract  it  him- 
self. The  generous  girl,  on  remembering 
this,  came  to  the  resolution  of  disposing  of 
all  her  fore-teeth,  and  went  to  the  dentist 
for  that  purpose  !  On  her  arrival,  she  made 
known  the  circumstances  which  had  induced 
her  to  make  so  uncommon  a  sacrifice. 

Affected  even  to  tears  by  the  girl's  filial 
affection,  the  dentist  refused  to  avail  himself 
of  the  offer,  at  the  same  time  presenting  her 
with  ten  guineas,  with  which,  her  heart 
overflowing  with  joy  and  gratitude,  she  has- 
tened home  to  relieve  her  parents. 

Robert,  Duke  of  Normandy,  eldest  son  of 
William  the  Conqueror,  a  prince  of  a  gener- 
ous and  noble  spirit,  having  been  wounded 
by  a  poisoned  arrow,  the  physicians  declared 
nothing  could  save  him  but  the  venom's  be- 
ing sucked  from  his  wound  by  some  one 
whose  life  must  fall  a  sacrifice.  Robert 
disdained  to  save  his  own  life  by  hazarding 
that  of  another;  but  the  noble  Sibilla  did  this 
in  his  sleep,  and  died  to  save  her  husband ! 

About  the  time  that  Spinola  with  the 
Bavarians  first  entered  the  Palatinate,  Ra- 


thean  Herpin,  finding  that  her  husband, 
Christopher  ThcEon,  was  afflicted  with  apo- 
plexy in  all  his  limbs  —  with  an  invincible 
constancy,  at  several  journeys  bore  him  up- 
on her  back  the  space  of  1,300  English  mi  jes 
to  a  bath,  for  his  recovery  ! 

The  Duke  d'Epernon  was  governor  of  the 
Chateau  d'Angoulcme ;  and  the  chiefs  of 
the  League  in  1588  having  determined  to 
effect  his  ruin,  rendered  him  suspected  at 
court,  and  obtained  an  order  for  his  arrest, 
which  was  given  to  a  magistrate  with  in- 
structions to  proceed  to  the  castle  and  seize 
the  duke.  The  officer  charged  with  the 
execution  of  this  command  found  means  to 
make  the  Duchess  d'Epernon  his  prisoner, 
and  with  a  view  of  compelling  the  duke  to 
surrender,  he  placed  her  before  the  principal 
gate  of  the  citadel,  to  which  the  troops  un- 
der his  command  had  laid  siege.  In  this 
perilous  situation  one  of  the  officers,  by 
whom  the  duchess  was  led,  was  killed  at 
her  feet,  and  another  mortally  wounded. 

Calm,  amidst  the  dangers  which  menaced 
her,  and  insensible  to  the  remonstrances  of 
the  enem}',  who  urged  her  to  exhort  her  hus- 
band to  surrender.  Marguerite  replied  mag- 
nanimously, that  she  knew  not  how  to  give 
ill  counsel,  nor  would  she  enter  into  a  treaty 
with  murderers.  "  In  what  terms,"  said 
she,  "  can  a  wife,  who  is  afflicted  only  that 
she  has  but  one  life  to  offer  for  the  honor 
and  safety  of  her  husband,  persuade  him  to 
an  act  of  cowardice?"  She  went  on  to 
declare  that  she  would  shed,  with  joy,  the 
last  drop  of  her  blood,  to  add  new  lustre  to 
the  reputation  of  her  husband,  or  to  length- 
en his  existence  but  a  single  day ;  that 
she  would  be  guilty  of  no  weakness  that 
should  disgrace  him ;  and  that  she  would 
die  with  pleasure,  at  the  castle  gate,  for 
him  without  whom  she  should  be  indiflerent 
to  life  even  on  a  throne. 

To  the  duke,  whom  they  endeavored  to 
terrify  by  the  dangers  which  threatened  his 
wife,  she  held  out  her  arms,  and  implored 
him  not  to  suffer  his  resolution  to  be  shaken 
by  any  considerations  which  respected  her 
safety.  It  was  her  wish,  she  told  him,  that 
her  body  might  serve  him  fora  new  rampart 
against  his  enemies.  On  him,  shedcchred, 
in  whom  she  lived,  depended  her  fortune 
and  her  fate ;  that  by  sacrificing  himself, 
he  would  gain  no  advantage,  since  she  was 
determined  not  to  survive  him  ;  but  that  to 
live  in  his  remembrance,  would,  in  despite 
of  their  adversaries,  constitute  her  happiness 
and  glory.  The  grace  and  energy -with 
which  the  high-souled  Marguerite  expressed 
herself  softened  the  hearts  of  the  enemy, 


NOBLE    DEEDS    OF    WOJIEN. 


87 


v/ho  deliberated  on  other  means  by  which 
their  purpose  might  be  effected.  In  the 
interval  tlie  duke  was  relieved  by  his  friends ; 
when  Marguerite,  impatient  to  rejoin  this 
beloved  husband,  of  whom  she  had  proved 
herself  so  worthy,  without  waiting  till  the 
castle  gate  was  cleared,  entered  by  a  ladder 
at  one  of  the  windows,  and  was  received 
with  the  honor  and  tenderness  she  merited. 
During  the  siege  of  Ostend,  which  con- 
tinned  three  years,  three  months,  and  three 
daj's,  the  Spaniards  took  a  great  number  of 
Dutch  sailors  and  some  pilots  of  considera- 
tion, whom  they  destined  to  the  galleys,  in 
consequence  of  the  bad  treatment  which 
some  of  their  nation  had  before  experienced 
from  the  Dutch.  Catherine  Herman,  a 
Dutch  woman,  of  great  virtue  and  courage, 
wife  of  one  of  the  pilots  who  had  been  taken 
i   prisoners,   having  resolved   to   deliver  her 

<  husband  from  this  captivity,  cut  off  her  hair, 
5   dressed  herself  in  men's  clothes,  and  repaired 

<  to  the  camp  before  Ostend,  after  having  sur- 
5  mounted,  as  appears,  the  greatest  ditlicul- 
5  ties.  But  what  formed  the  chief  obstacle  to 
i  her  design  was  her  great  beauty,  whicli  at- 
I  traded  the  notice  of  the  officers  and  soldiers 
I  in  the  army  of  the  Archduke  Albert,  who 
'  all  wished  to  speak  to  her ;  and  who,  hav- 
>   ing  found  that  her  accent  was  different  from 

Ithat  of  the  rest,  took  her  for  a  spy  of  Count 
Maurice  of  Nassau.  She  was,  therefore, 
arrested,  and  carried  before  the  provost  of 
I  the  army,  who  caused  chains  to  be  put  on 
I  her  feet  and  hands  and  treated  her  with 
\  great  severity. 

s  Catherine  Herman  would  have  considered 
i  herself  happy  in  this  state  of  affliction  had 
\  she  been  put  into  the  same  prison  with  her 
I  husband,  but  she  was  confined  in  another 
5   place,  and,  to  add  to  her  grief,  she   learnt 

<  that  seven  of  the  prisoners  were  to  be  ex- 
}  ecutcd  next  day,  to  avenge  the  death  of 
{  seven  others  whom  the  besieged  had  treated 
5  in  the  same  manner ;  and  that  the  rest  were 
J  to  be  put  in  chains,  cither  to  serve  as  galley- 
i  slaves  in  the  country,  or  to  be  sent  to  Spain. 
'.  While  this  magnanimous  female  was  agi- 
5   tated  between  hope  and   fear,   she   saw  a 

<  Jesuit  enter,  who  came,  according  to  cus- 
I  torn,  to  visit  the  prisoners,  and  having  con- 
I   fessed  to  him,  she  entrusted  him  with  her 

secret.  The  Jesuit,  admiring  l\cr  resolution, 
promised  her  every  assistance  in  his  power, 
and  he  obtained  leave,  indeed,  from  Count 
de  Bucquoi,  afterwards  marshal  of  the  em- 
pire, for  her  being  removed  to  the  same 
prison  in  which  her  husband  was  confined. 
As  soon  as  slic  perceived  him  in  the  de- 
plorable state  of  those  who  expect  death  or 


slavery,  she  fainted  ;  but  having  recovered, 
she  no  lonc^er  concealed  her  design.  As 
soon,  therefore,  as  she  was  able  to  speak, 
she  declared  that  she  had  sold  her  most  val- 
uable articles  in  order  to  release  her  hus- 
band;  that  she  had  disguised  herself  that 
she  might  negotiate  for  his  ransom  ;  and 
that  if  she  were  not  so  fortunate  as  to  suc- 
ceed in  her  enterprise,  she  was  resolved  to 
accompany  her  husliand  wherever  hemi<:ht 
be  sent,  to  assist  him  in  pulling  the  oar,  and 
to  share  in  his  punishment,  however  cruel. 
Count  Bucquoi,  having  lieard  of  her  deter- 
mination, was  so  sensiblv  affected  by  the 
generosity  of  this  Dutch  woman,  that  he  not 
only  bestowed  on  her  the  highest  praise,  but 
set  her  and  her  husband  at  liberty  . 

Let  us  turn  from  these  grave  recitals  to 
a  humorous  anecdote,  related  by  Napoleon 
himself,  of  the  conjugal  affection  displayed 
by  some  women  who  accompanied  his  troops 
when  he  was  at  Col  de  Tende.  To  enter 
this  mountainous  and  difficult  country,  it 
was  necessary  for  the  soldiers  to  pass  over 
a  narrow  bridge,  and,  as  the  enterprise  was 
of  a  very  hazardous  description.  Napoleon 
had  given  orders  that  no  women  should  be 
permitted  to  cross  it  with  them,  especially 
as  the  service  reauired  that  the  men  should 
bo  constantly  on  the  alert.  To  enforce  this 
order,  two  captains  were  stationed  on  the 
bridge,  with  instructions,  on  pain  of  death, 
not  to  suffer  a  woman  to  pass.  The  passage 
was  effected,  and  the  troops  continued  theii 
march. 

When  some  miles  beyond  the  bridge,  the 
Emperor  was  thrown  into  the  utmost  aston- 
ishment by  the  appearance  of  a  considerable 
number  of  women  with  the  soldiers.  He 
immediately  ordered  the  two  ca]itains  to  be 
put  under  arrest,  intending  to  have  them 
tried  for  a  breach  of  dutj'.  The  prisoners 
protested  their  innocence,  asserting  that  no 
woman  had  crossed  the  bridge.  Napoleon, 
on  hearing  this,  commanded  that  some  of 
the  women  should  be  brought  before  him, 
when  he  interrogated  them  on  the  subject. 
To  his  utter  surprise  they  readily  acknowl- 
edged that  the  ca])tains  had  not  betrayed 
their  trust,  but  that  a  contrivance  of  their 
own  had  brought  thim  into  their  present 
situation.  Tliey  informed  Napoleon,  that 
having  thrown  the  provisions,  which  had 
been  prepared  for  the  support  of  the  army, 
out  of  some  of  the  casks,  they  had  con- 
cealed themselves  in  them,  and  Ijy  this  strat- 
agem succeeded  in  passing  over  without 
discovery. 

In  the  year  ISl.'J,  M.  Lavaletle,  who  had 
held  high  olHces  in  Paris,  was  condemned, 


NOBLE    DEEDS   OF    WOMEN. 


I'or  his  adherence  to  the  cause  of  Bonaparte, 
to  suffer  death.  The  eve  of  the  day  of  e.\- 
ecution,  the  24th  of  Decemher,  had  already 
arrived,  and  all  hope  of  saving; him  had  been 
abandoned,  except  by  one  heroic  woman 
alone. 

IMadame  Lavalette's  health  had  been  very 
seriously  impaired  by  her  previous  suffer- 
ings;  and  for  several  weeks  preceding,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  movement  of  her  carriage, 
she  had  used  a  sedan  chair.  About  half- 
past  three,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  23d,  she 
arrived  at  the  Concioroferie,  a  state  prison 
at  Paris,  seated  as  usual  in  this  chair,  and 
clothed  in  a  furred  riding  coat  of  rod  merino, 
with  a  large  black  hat  and  feathers  on  her 
head.  She  was  accompanied  by  her  daugh- 
ter, a  young  lady  of  about  twelve  years  of 
age,  and  an  elderly  woman,  attached  to  M. 
Lavalette's  service,  of  the  name  of  Dutoil. 
The  chair  was  ordered  to  wait  for  her  at  the 
gate  of  the  Conciergerie. 

At  five  o'clock  Jacques  Eberle,  one  of  the 
wicket-keepers  of  the  Conciergerie,  who  had 
been  specially  appointed  by  the  keeper  of 
the  prison  to  the  guard  and  service  of  Lava- 
lette,  took  his  dinner  to  him,  of  which  Ma- 
dame and  Mademoiselle  Lavalette,  and  the 
widow  Dutoil,  partook. 

After  dinner,  which  lasted  an  hour,  Eberle 
served  up  coffee,  and  left  Lavalette's  apart- 
ment, with  orders  not  to  return  till  he  was 
rung  for. 

Towards  seven  o'clock  the  bell  rang. 
Roquette,  the  gaoler,  was  at  that  moment 
near  the  fire-place  of  the  Sail,  with  Eberle, 
to  whom  he  immediately  gav3  orders  to  go 
into  Lavalette's  chamber.  Roquette  heard 
Eberle  open  the  door  which  led  to  that 
chamber,  and  immediately  after  he  saw  three 
persons,  dressed  in  female  attire,  advance, 
who  were  followed  by  Eberle.  The  person 
whom  he  took  to  be  Madame  Lavalette  was 
attired  in  a  dress  exactly  the  same  as  she 
was,  in  every  particular ;  and,  to  all  outward 
appearance,  no  one  could  have  imagined  but 
that  ihey  saw  that  lady  herself  passing  be- 
fore them.  A  white  handkerchief  covered 
the  face  of  this  person,  who  seemed  to  be 
sobbing  heavily,  while  Mademoiselle  Lava- 
lette, who  walked  by  the  side,  uttered  the 
most  lamentable  cries. 

Everything  presented  the  spectacle  of  a 
family  given  up  to  the  feelings  of  a  last 
adieu.  The  keeper,  melted  and  deceived 
by  the  disguise  and  by  the  scanty  light  of 
two  lamps,  had  not  the  power,  as  he  after- 
wards said,'  to  take  away  the  handkerchief 
which  concealed  the  features  of  the  princi- 
pal individual  in  the  group,  and  instead  of 


performing  his  duty,  presented  his  hand  to 
the  person,  —  as  he  had  been  used  to  do  to 
Madame  Lavalette,  —  whom  he  conducted, 
along  with  the  other  two  persons,  to  the  last 
wicket.  Eberle  then  stepped  forward,  f.iJ 
ran  to  call  Madame  Lavalette's  chair.  ]t 
came  instantly,  the  feigned  Madame  Lava- 
lette stepped  into  it,  and  was  slowly  carried 
forward,  followed  by  JMademoiselle  Lavalette 
and  the  widow  Dutoil.  When  they  reached 
the  Quay  des  Orfeveres,  they  stopped  ; 
Lavalette  came  out  of  the  chair,  and  in  an 
instant  disappeared. 

Soon  after,  the  keeper,  Roquette,  entered 
the  chamber  of  Lavalette,  where  he  saw  no 
one,  but  heard  some  one  stirring  behind  the 
screen,  which  formed  part  of  the  furniture 
of  the  apartment.  He  concluded  it  was 
Lavalette,  and  withdrew  without  speaking. 
After  a  few  minutes,  he  returned  a  second 
time,  and  called;  no  one  answered.  He 
began  to  fear  some  mischief,  advanced  be- 
yond the  screen,  and  there  saw  Madame 
Lavalette.  "JZ  est  parti"  she  tremulously 
ejaculated.  "Ah!  Madame,"  e.xclaimed 
Roquette,  "  you  have  deceived  me."  He 
wislied  to  run  out  to  give  the  alarm,  but 
Madame  Lavalette  caught  hold  of  him  by 
the  coat-sleeve.  "  Stay,  Monsieur  Roquette, 
stay."  "  No,  Madame,  this  is  not  to  be 
borne."  A  struggle  ensued,  in  which  the 
coat  was  torn  ;  but  Roquette  at  last  forced 
himself  away,  and  gave  the  alarm. 

Lavalette,  after  having  escaped  from  the 
Conciergerie,  was  still  far  from  being  out 
of  danger.  He  had  to  get  out  of  Paris,  — 
out  of  France  ;  and  a  more  difficult  achieve- 
ment it  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive;  for 
the  moment  his  escape  was  discovered,  noth- 
ing could  e.xceed  the  activity  with  which  he 
was  sought  after  by  the  agents  of  govern- 
ment. Bills  describing  his  person  with  the 
greatest  exactness  were  quickly  distributed 
all  over  France  ;  and  there  was  not  a  post- 
master, postilion,  or  gendarme  on  any  of  the 
roads,  who  had  not  one  of  them  in  his  pocket. 
Lavalette  sought  the  means  of  escape,  not 
among  those  of  his  countrj'men  whom  he 
knew  to  be  attached  to  the  cause  for  which 
he  was  persecuted ;  nor  even  from  those 
whom  afiection  or  gratitude  bound  to  his 
family ;  but  among  those  strangers  whose 
presence,  as  conquerors,  on  his  native  soil, 
he  had  so  much  cause  to  lament. 

He  had  heard,  that  to  a  truly  British 
heart  the  pleadings  of  humanity  were  never 
made  in  vain ;  and  he  was  now  to  try  the 
experiment,  in  his  own  person,  of  the  truth 
of  the  eulogium.  On  the  2d  of  January  he 
sent  a  person  with  an  unsigned  letter  to 


THE    WILD    TURKEY. 


89 


Mr.  Michael  Bruce,  an  English  gentleman 
resident  at  Paris;  in  which,  after  e.xtoUing 
the  goodness  of  his  heart,  the  writer  said 
he  was  induced,  by  tiie  confidence  which  he 
inspired,  to  disclose  to  him  a  grcatsecret  — 
that  Lavalette  was  still  in  Paris ;  adding 
tiiat  he,  Bruce,  alone  could  save  him,  and 
requesting  him  to  send  a  letter  to  a  certain 
place,  stating  whether  he  would  embark  in 
the  generous  design.  Mr.  Bruce  was 
touched  with  commiseration  ;  he  spoke  on 
the  subject  to  two  other  countrymen,  Sir 
Robert  Wilson  and  Captain  Hutchinson  ; 
and  the  result  was,  that  the  whole  three 
joined  in  a  determination  to  allbrd  the  un- 
fortunate fugitive  every  assistance  in  their 
power  to  complete  his  escape. 

The  scheme  which  they  devised  for  that 
purpose  was  crowned  with  complete  success. 
Lavalette  was  conveyed  in  safety  into  a 
neutral  territory,  where  he  lived  in  quiet 
obscurity,  until  the  fury  of  the  party  perse- 
cution which  exiled  him  having  exJiausted 


itself,  he  was  restored  by  a  free  pardon  to 
his  country,  his  family,  and  his  friends. 
From  the  Slemoirs  of  Count  Lavalette,  sub- 
sequently written  by  himself,  it,  however, 
appears  that  the  noble-hearted  Madame 
Lavalette  paid  with  her  reason  the  price  of 
her  husband's  safety.  Her  mind,  at  once 
excited  and  sustained  by  the  presence  of 
danger,  sank  with  the  absence  of  peril ;  and 
when  Lavalette,  after  five  years'  e.xile,  re- 
turned to  France,  he  found  his  devoted  and 
beautiful  wife  the  ruin  of  her  former  self. 

The  tribute  due  to  the  conjugal  heroism 
of  ISIadanie  Lavalette  was  universally  paid 
both  in  France  and  throughout  Europe; 
even  party  animosity,  wliich  was  daily  call- 
ing for  the  execution  of  the  husband,  did 
justice  to  the  wife.  When  the  heads  of  the 
diflerent  departments  were  each  vindicating 
themselves  to  the  king  from  any  share  in 
the  blame  of  the  escape,  his  Majesty  coolly 
replied,  "  I  do  not  see  that  anybody  has  done 
their  duty  except  Madame  Lavalette." 


THE   WILD   TURKEY. 


This  beautiful  bird  is  abundant  in  the 
^  wooded  and  imcultivatcd  parts  of  the  West- 
5  em  States,  and  the  vast  forests  of  the  great 
<  valley  of  the  Jlississippi. 
;l  In  the  fall  of  the  year,  which  period  is 
|;  called  the  turkcij  7?w/i!/is,  by  the  Indians,  it 


1'2 


spreads  itself  through  the  country  m  search 
of  food,  upon  which  its  migrations  depend. 
These  are  made  entirely  on  foot,  t;ll  the 
turkeys  reach  a  river.  They  then  ascend 
to  the  tops  of  tall  trees,  and,  at  the  cluck  of 
their  leader,  fly  for  the  opposite  bank,  the 


90 


THE    MOOSE. 


young  ones  sometimes  falling  into  the  water 
and  drowning.  Their  speed  in  running  is 
very  considerable,  and,  wlien  molested,  they 
run  with  the  velocity  of  a  hound.  After  long 
journeys  in  frosty  weather,  they  sometimes 
associate  with  the  poultry  near  farm-houses, 
and  enter  the  barns  for  grain.  During  this 
season,  great  numbers  are  killed  by  the 
inhabitants,  who  preserve  them  in  a  frozen 
state  and  transport  them  to  distant  markets. 
The  female  lays  her  eggs  in  April,  in  a 
hole  slightly  scratched  in  the  ground,  and 
covered  with  withered  leaves.  These  she 
studiously  conceals,  and  seldom  abandons, 
and  hatches  from  ten  to  fifteen  young  birds. 
The  care  and  tenderness  of  the  parent  are 
now  evinced  by  watching  for  the  slightest 
danger,  and  resorting  to  places  where  there 
is  the  best  supply  of  fruit  and  berries. 


As  the  flesh  of  the  turkey  affords  delicious 
food,  they  are  attacked  by  both  men  and 
animals.  The  wild-cat  frequently  seizes 
them,  by  concealing  itself,  and  springing 
upon  its  unsuspecting  prey.  When  the 
hunter  approaches  them  by  moonlight,  they 
arc  readily  shot  from  their  roosting  tree,  one 
after  another,  without  any  apprehension  of 
danger.  In  the  spring,  a  whistle  is  made 
of  the  second  joint  of  the  wing,  which  pro- 
duces a  sound  similar  to  the  voice  of  the 
female  ;  and  the  cocks,  on  coming  up  to  this 
call,  are  then  easily  shot.  They  are  also 
caught  in  pens  made  of  logs. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  the  feathers 
of  the  wings  are  used  by  the  Indians  for 
pluming  arrows,  and  form  an  article  of  com- 
merce amona:  them. 


THE   MOOSE. 


This  animal  is  the  largest  of  the  deer  spe- 
cies, exceeding  even  the  horse  in  the  height 
of  his  shoulders.    Naturalists  have  generally 
considered  the  Moose  Deer  to  be  the  same 
species  with  the  elk  of  the  northern  parts  of 
;:   the  old  world;  but  the  fact  that  few  of  the 
/   American  quadrupeds  have  been  found  pre- 
cisely similar  to  their  European  representa- 
;    tives,  ought  to  excite  doubts  of  the  identity  of 
I    the  moose  and  European  elk.  The  moose  ex- 
;   ists  in  considerable  numbers  near  the  Bay  of 


Fundy,  and  frequents  the  woody  tracts  in  the 
fur  countries  to  their  most  northern  limit, 
and  on  the  Mackenzie  and  Coppermine 
rivers,  where  they  feed  on  ihe  willows  and 
aspen.  They  are  frequent  in  the  norlhern 
parts  of  Maine  and  New  York.  They  are 
rarely  if  ever  found  west  of  the  Eocky 
Mountains. 

The  moose  is  quite  a  solitary  animal :  it 
has  the  sense  of  hearing  in  very  groat  per- 
fection, and  is  the  most  shy  and  wary  of  all 


m^** 


THE    ZEBRA. 


91 


the  deer  species.  On  this  account  moose 
hunting  is  looked  upon  as  the  greatest  of  an 
Indian's  acquirements.  The  skill  of  a  moose 
hunter  is  most  tried  in  the  early  part  of  the 
winter,  as  the  animal  is  tracked  by  its  foot- 
marks on  the  snow ;  and  it  is  necessary 
that  he  should  keep  constantly  to  leeward, 
and  use  the  utmost  caution,  for  the  rustling 
of  a  leaf  is  sufficient  to  alarm  the  watchful 
beast.  In  this  manner  he  tracks  the  ani- 
mal, till  by  the  marks  on  the  snow  he  dis- 
covers that  he  is  very  near  to  him  ;  he  then 
breaks  a  twig,  which,  alarming  the  moose, 
it  springs  up  and  prepares  to  start.  The 
hunter  now  fires,  and  seldom  fails  in  killing 
him. 

In  the  winter,  when  the  snow  is  very 
deep,  the  hunters  frequently  chase  them  on 
snow-shoes.  Notwithstanding  the  length- 
ened chase  which  the  moose  can  susfciin  on 
the  snow,  Hearnc  remarks  that  it  is  both 
tender-footed  and  short-winded,  though  in- 
stances are  recorded  of  its  eluding  pursuit 
for  six  successive  days.  The  same  author 
says  that  in  summer,  moose  deer  are  often 
killed  in  the  water  by  the  Indians,  as  when 


they  are  crossing  the  rivers  or  lakes,  they 
never  make  any  resistance.     They  are  the 
easiest  to  domesticate  of  anj'  of  the  deer  ^ 
kind. 

The  flesh  of  the  moose  is  more  relished 
by  the  Indians,  and  residents  in  the  fur 
countru's  than  that  of  any  other  anmial, 
principally,  we  suppose,  on  account  of  its  soft 
fat.  It  bears  a  greater  resemblance  to  beef, 
m  its  flavor,  than  to  venison.  The  nose  is 
considered  most  excellent  food.  The  moose 
acquires  a  large  size,  occasionally  weighing 
eleven  or  twelve  hundred  pounds.  Their 
skins,  when  properly  dressed,  make  a  soft, 
thick,  pliable  leather,  e.xcellcntly  adapted 
for  moccasins,  or  other  articles  of  winter 
clothing.  Its  movements  arc  very  heavy; 
it  shuffles  or  ambles  along,  its  joints  crack- 
ing at  every  step,  with  a  sound  heard  at 
some  distance.  During  its  progress,  it  holds 
up  its  nose  so  as  to  lay  the  horns  back  hor- 
izontally. Although  its  figure  is  uncouth, 
yet  wlien  seen  in  the  wilderness,  in  all  the 
glory  of  its  full-grown  horns,  no  animal 
could  appear  more  majestic  or  imposing. 


THE   ZEBRA 


Is,  perhaps,  the  handsomest  and  most 
elegantly  clothed  of  all  quadrupeds.  He 
has  the  shape  and  graces  of  the  horse,  the 
swiftness  of  the  stag,  and  a  striped  robe  of 
black  and  white  alternately  disposed  with 
so  much  regularity  and  symmetry,  that  it 
seems  as  if  nature  had  made  use  of  the  rule 


and  compass  to  paint  it.  These  alternate 
bands  of  black  and  white  are  so  much  the 
more  singular,  as  they  are  straight,  parallel, 
and  very  exactly  divided,  like  a  striped 
stufT.  In  other  parts,  they  extend  them- 
selves not  only  over  the  body,  but  over  the 
head,  the  thighs,  the  legs,  and  even  the  ears 


92 


THE    TAPIR. 


and  the  tail ;  so  that,  at  a  distance,  the  ani- 
mal appears  as  if  he  was  surrounded  with 
little  fillets,  which  some  person  had  disposed 
in  a  regular  manner,  over  every  part  of  the 
body.  In  the  females,  these  bands  are  alter- 
nately black  and  white  ;  in  the  male,  they 
are  brown  and  yellow,  but  always  of  a  lively 
and  brilliant  mi.'cture,  upon  a  short,  fine,  and 
thick  hair  —  the  lustre  of  which  still  more 
increases  the  beauty  of  the  colors.  The 
zebra  is,  in  general,  less  than  the  horse, 
and  larger  than  the  ass  ;  and,  although  it 
has  often  been  compared  to  those  two  ani- 
mals, and  called  the  Wild  Horse  and  the 
Striped  Ass,  it  is  a  copy  neither  of  the  one 
nor  the  other,  and  might  rather  be  called 
their  model,  if  all  was  not  equally  original 
m  nature,  and  if  every  species  had  not  an 
equal  right  to  creation. 


The  zebra  is  chiefly  found  in  the  southern 
parts  of  Africa,  and  is  often  seen  near  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Such  of  them  as  are 
caught  alive  are  presented  to  the  governor. 
Several  have  been  brought  to  Europe  and  the 
United  States,  but,  except  in  a  few  instances, 
they  have  displayed  great  wildness,  and 
even  ferocity.  Some  years  ago  there  was 
one  in  London,  which  would  allow  young 
children  to  be  put  upon  its  back,  and  was 
once  ridden  from  the  Lyceum  to  Pimlico  ; 
but  it  was  bred  and  reared  in  Portugal, 
from  parents  half  reclaimed.  In  several 
other  cases,  zebras  have  attempted  to  injure 
spectators,  and  have  not  even  spared  their 
keepers.  The  voice  of  this  creature  is 
thought  to  have  a  distant  resemblance  to 
the  sound  of  a  post-horn. 


^S^i: 


THE   TAPIR. 


The  Tapir  is  of  the  size  of  a  small  cow  : 
it  has  a  short  naked  tail ;  the  legs  are  short 
and  thick,  and  the  feet  have  small  black 
hoofs.  The  body  is  thick  and  clumsy,  and 
the  back  somewhat  arched :  the  hair  is 
of  a  dusky  or  brownish  color.  On  the  short 
thick  neck  is  a  kind  of  bristly  mane,  which, 
near  the  head,  is  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
length.  His  head  is  of  a  tolerable  size,  with 
roundish  erect  ears,  and  small  eyes  :  the 
muzzle  terminates  in  a  kind  of  proboscis, 
which  can  be  extended  or  contracted  at  the 
will  of  the  animal.  The  latter  it  uses  in 
feeding,  to  grasp  its  food  and  convey  it  to 
the  mouth,  in  the  same  way  that  the  rhinoc- 
eros applies  its  upper  lip.  In  this  flexible  snout 
are  contained  the  organs  of- smell.    He  has 


ten  incisive  teeth,  and  ten  grinders,  in  each 
jaw;  a  character  which  separates  him  en- 
tirely from  the  ox,  and  other  ruminating 
animals.  His  skin  is  so  thick  and  hard  as 
to  be  almost  impenetrable  to  a  bullet ;  for 
which  reason  the  Indians  make  shields  of  it. 
The  tapir  seldom  stirs  out  but  in  the 
night,  and  delights  in  the  water,  where  he 
oftener  lives  than  upon  land.  He  is  chiefly 
to  be  found  in  marshes,  and  seldom  goes  far 
from  the  borders  of  rivers  or  lakes.  He 
swims  and  dives  with  singular  facility. 
When  he  is  threatened,  pursued,  or  wounded, 
he  plunges  into  the  water,  and  remains  there 
till  he  has  got  to  a  great  distance  before  he 
reappears.  These  customs,  which  he  has 
in  common  with  the  hippopotamus,  have 


THE    MUSTARD-PLAMT. 


93 


made  some  naturalists  imagine  him  (o  be  I  voice  is  a  kind  of  whistle.  The  flesh  is 
of  the  same  species  ;  but  he  differs  as  much  wholesome  food.  It  may  be  tamed,  and  is 
from  him   in  nature,  as  he  is  distant  from    then  very  gentle  and  docile.     This  animal 


him  in  climate.  To  be  assured  of  this,  there 
needs  no  more  than  to  compare  the  descrip- 
tion we  have  now  recited,  with  that  of  the 
hippopotamus.  Although  the  tapir  inhab- 
its the  water,  he  does  not  feed  upon  fish  ; 
and,  although  his  mouth  is  armed  with 
twenty  sharp  and  incisive  teeth,  he  is  not 
carnivorous.  He  lives  upon  sugar-canes, 
grasses,  the  leaves  of  shrubs,  and  various 
kinds  of  fruit;  and  docs  not  make  use  of 
what  nature  has  armed  him  with,  against 
other  animals.  He  is  of  a  mild  and  timid 
nature,  and  flies  from  every  attack  or  dan- 
ger ;  when,  however,  he  is  cut  off  from  re- 
treat, he  makes  a  vigorous  defence  against 
dogs  and  men.  Its  usual  attitude  is  that 
of  sitting  on  its  rump  like  a  dog ;  and  its 


is  commonly  found  in  Brazil,  Paraguay, 
Guiana,  and  in  all  the  extent  of  South 
America,  from  the  extremity  of  Chili  to 
Colombia. 

A  species  of  tapir,  which  has  recently 
been  discovered,  is  very  common  in  the 
island  of  Sumatra  and  the  forests  of  Malacca. 
Its  bod)-  is  of  a  dirt)'  while,  while  the  head, 
legs,  and  tail  are  of  a  deep  black.  This 
species  has  no  mane,  and  its  proboscis  is 
from  seven  to  eight  inches  long. 

Among  the  nnincrnus  fossil  remains  of  a 
former  world  are  found  fragments  of  tapirs 
of  enormous  size.  One  of  these  extinct 
species,  the  Gigantic  Tapir,  must  have  been 
more  than  equal  to  the  elephant  in  magni- 
tude. 


THE   MUSTARD-PLANT. 


The  seed  of  this  plant,  as  every  one 
knows,  is  of  a  hot  and  biting  taste.  With 
us  it  is  small  and  feeble,  but  in  Palestine, 
and  other  eastern  countries,  it  grows  to  a 
much  grenter  height.  The  Jewish  Talmud 
mentions  an  instance  of  a  mustard-plant 
which  was  .so  high  and  so  large,  that  its 
branches  covered  a  tent.  It  also  mentions 
another  so  large  and  strong,  that  its  stalk 


was  sufficient  to  bear  a  man  climbing  upon 
it ;  and  another,  whose  principal  branch 
bore  three  barrels  of  mustard-seed.  In  our 
climate  we  can  form  little  idea  of  the  rapid- 
ity of  the  growth  of  plants  in  warm  climates 
which  are  annual  or  biennial ;  in  one  .season 
they  will  grow  to  the  height  of  thirty  or 
forty  feet. 


MARIE    ANTOINETTE. 


This  unfortunate  princess,  wife  of  Louis 
XVI.,  of  France,  was  the  daughter  of 
Francis  I.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  and  Ma- 
l  ria  Theresa,  of  Austria,  and  was  born  at 
Vienna,  in  1755.  Her  accomplishments, 
talents,  grace,  virtue,  and  uncommon  love- 
liness, fitted  her  for  the  queen  of  a  gal- 
lant nation,  and  as  such  she  would  have 
been  honored  in  France,  had  she  lived 
before  oppression  had  roused  the  people  to 
madness.  Her  mother,  in  a  letter  to  her 
future  husband,  after  alluding  to  the  care 
with  which  she  had  formed  her  mind,  says, 
"  Above  all  things,  I  have  recommended  to 
her  humility  before  God,  because  I  am  con- 
vinced that  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  secure 
the  happiness  of  the  subjects  confided  to  us, 
without  love  to  Him,  who  destroys  the 
sceptres  and  the  thrones  of  kings  according 
to  his  will." 

The  marriage  took  place  at  Versailles, 
May  16,  1770,  and  was  celebrated  with 
uncommon  splendor ;  but  immediately  after 
the  ceremony,  a  thunder-storm  of  unparal- 
leled violence  broke  over  the  palace  of  Ver- 


sailles, darkened  the  surrounding  scenery, 
and  struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the 
people  for  miles  around.  On  the  thirtieth 
of  May,  the  festivities  of  Paris  were  sad- 
dened by  a  most  terrible  accident ;  a  num- 
ber of  citizens  being  crushed  to  death  in 
the  Rue  Royale,  by  some  mismanagement 
on  the  part  of  the  proper  authorities.  Fifty- 
three  persons  were  found  dead,  and  three 
hundred  more  were  dangerously  injured. 

The  magnanimity  of  Marie  Antoinette 
displayed  itself  soon  after  her  elevation  to 
the  throne,  upon  the  death  of  Louis  XV.  An 
officer  of  the  gardes  du  corps  (body-guard) 
who  had  given  her  oflfence  on  some  former 
occasion,  expressed  his  intention  of  resigning 
his  commission,  but  the  queen  forbade  him. 
"Remain,"  said  she  ;  "  forget  the  past.  Far 
be  it  from  the  Queen  of  France  to  avenge 
the  injuries  of  the  dauphiness."  She  lie- 
voted  herself  to  the  interests  of  her  people 
with  an  assiduity  unparalleled  in  a  sover- 
eign of  her  age,  yet,  becoming  obnoxious 
to  the  court  party,  her  character  was  as- 
sailed  in   every  shape   and   quarter.     She 


MAKIE    ANTOINETTE. 


95 


was  accused  of  setting  on  foot  conspiracies 
which  never  existed,  and  of  entertaining 
views  which  never  entered  her  mind.  She 
was  termed  the  Austrian,  and  it  was  openly 
asserted,  as  well  as  privately  insinuated,  that 
her  heart  was  estranged  from  the  country 
of  her  husband,  and  her  mind  solely  occu- 
pied with  the  interests  of  her  native  land. 

In  her  conduct  there  was  matter  for  gentle 
reproof,  but  none  for  malevolent  accusation. 
A  gayety  which  sometimes  degenerated  in- 
to levity,  a  passion  for  fashion.ible  novelties, 
and  an  unwary  contempt  for  court  formali- 
ties, instead  of  being  regarded  as  the  foibles 
and  imprudences  of  a  young  and  innocent 
mind,  were  construed  into  evidences  of  the 
existence  of  loose  principles,  unbridled  ex- 
travagance, and  hatred  for  the  nation.  She 
was  liliewise  charged  witli  pettishncss  under 
reproof,  and  we  can  readily  conceive  how  a 
female  of  so  high  a  rank,  conscious  of  the 
purity  of  her  intentions,  and  perpetually 
assailed  by  reckless  cavillers,  assumed,  in 
reply  to  the  unworthy  insinuations  of  her 
enemies,  the  tone  which  her  virtue  and 
her  birth  appeared  to  warrant.  The  af- 
fair of  the  diamond  necklace  created  an 
extraordinary  sensation.  A  jeweller,  at 
Paris,  demanded  payment  for  a  necklace  so 
costly  that  the  finances  of  a  queen  would 
hardly  warrant  it.s  purchase.  The  result 
of  an  examination  was  tl>e  proof  of  the 
queen's  integrity.  A  lady,  of  the  stature 
and  complexion  of  the  queen,  had  succeeded 
in  disguising  herself,  and  passing  herself 
of!" as  Antoinette,  upon  a  cardinal,  in  a  mid- 
night meeting  in  the  park  of  Versailles. 

On  the  sixth  of  October,  17S9,  the  mob 
broke  into  the  palace  of  Versailles,  murdered 
some  of  the  body-guards,  and  threatened  the 
queen  in  the  most  frightt'ul  language.  At 
midnight  she  received  a  letter  from  a  friendly 
clergyman,  advising  her  to  seek  safety  in 
flight,  as  her  life  would  He  sacrificed  early 
the  next  morning.  She  resolved  to  remain, 
and  destroyed  the  warning  letter.  She 
heard  the  footsteps  of  the  ruffian  rabble, — 
she  thotight  her  time  had  come,  —  but  her 
life  was  saved.  The  progress  of  the  rutfians 
was  arrested  at  the  very  door  of  her  bed- 
chamber, where  her  faithful  guardsmen  laid 
down  their  lives  to  secure  for  their  queen  a 
retreat  to  the  chamber  of  the  king.  The 
king  and  queen  showed  themselves  with 
their  children  in  the  balcony.  The  mass 
of  heads  beneath,  for  a  moment,  ceased  to 
be  agitated  —  but  it  was  only  for  a  moment. 
Silence  was  broken  by  a  thousand  tongues  : 
"No  children!  no  children  I  —  the  queen! 
'  the  queen,  alone  ! "    This  was  a  trying  mo- 


ment ;  but  Antoinette  had  firmness  for  the 
crisis.  Putting  her  son  and  daughter  into 
her  husband's  arms,  she  advanced  alone  m- 
to  the  balcony.  A  spectacle  like  this  filled 
the  fierce  people  with  admiration,  and  thun- 
dering shouts  of  Yire  la  rcine !  (Long  live 
the  queen  !)  succeeded  to  the  imprecations 
of  the  preceding  moment.  Such  is  the 
fickleness  of  a  mob.  The  march  to  Paris 
was  a  succession  of  terrors.  The  heads  of 
the  two  faithful  guardsmen,  elevated  on 
pikes,  met  the  eyes  of  the  poor  queen  as 
she  looked  from  her  carriage-windows  ! 

The  fate  of  Antoinette  darkened  rapidly. 
With  the  king  she  fled  to  Varennes,  —  with 
him  was  brought  back  to  Paris.  Her  cour- 
age did  not  fail  in  the  scene  of  the  Legisla- 
tive Assembly,  before  which  body  she  was 
present  with  her  husband,  heard  his  depo- 
sition pronounced,  and  then  went  into  the 
Temple,  where  he  was  imprisoned.  Here, 
where  the  light  of  heaven  faintly  fell  through 
grated  windows,  surroinided  by  her  family, 
she  appeared  to  feel  entire  resignation  to 
the  will  of  Hnn,  on  whom  the  hajipiness  of 
the  humblest  individual  depends.  When 
she  heard  tlie  condenmation  of  the  king, 
from  the  lips  of  the  royal  victim,  she  had 
the  firmness  to  congratulate  him  on  the 
speedy  deliverj'  from  trouble  which  awaited 
him.  The  eternal  separation  from  her  son 
did  not  shake  her  firmness,  and,  with  a 
heart  apparently  unbroken,  she  was  con- 
signed to  the  loathsome  depths  of  a  dun- 
geon, August  5,  1793.  The  accusations 
brought  against  the  unhappy  queen,  on  her 
trial,  were  all  unfounded,  and  merely  ad- 
vanced because  her  enemies  had  still  respect 
enough  for  justice  to  mimic  its  forms  in  their 
guilty  court.  She  was  charged  with  having 
squandered  the  public  money,  and  with 
leaguing  in  secret  with  tlie  foreign  enemies 
of  France.  The  clearness  of  her  innocence, 
the  falsehood  and  frivolity  of  witnesses,  the 
eloquence  of  defenders,  were  of  no  avail, — 
Jlarie  Antoinette  was  doomed  to  die  upon 
the  scaflbld  ! 

The  expression  of  her  countenance,  as 
she  passed  to  the  place  of  execution,  awed 
the  bloodthirsty  populace ;  but  the  once 
matchless  beauty  of  that  noble  countenance 
was  gone  forever.  One  unacquainted  with 
the  ravages  of  grief  could  not  have  believed 
that  the  haggard  and  forsaken  being  whom 
they  led  to  sacrifice  was  the  same  young 
queen  who,  a  short  time  before,  held  in 
thrall  the  chivalry  of  France,  by  her  ex- 
quisite loveliness,  her  winning  grace,  and 
sportive  gayety.  Antoinette  cast  back  a 
long  last  look  at  the  Tuilleries  ; — a  look 


I  ■v%i^VVVV»^^^^ VVV»>-^'%»^'V^-'VV'V^'^'^''V^-'W^i'VV^'VVV^^'^'VVV'VVVVV^'%>VV»VVV^>V»VV^VV^V»%iVVVVV%^^VVV^rvv^%/^^^%iV^i^%  i 


^%^V^.^  ^/V%^i'%.^^.'«*^A  (N 


THE    DRUIDS. 


which  told  of  sorrowful  remembrance,  and 
of  agonizing  emotion  ; — then,  with  an  air 
of  dignified  resignation,  she  ascmded  the 
scaffold.  "My  God!"  cried  sh  as  she 
kneeled  on  that  fatal  platform,  "  e  dighten 


and  affect  my  executioner !  Adieu,  my 
children  —  my  beloved  ones  —  forever!  I 
am  going  to  your  father  ! " 

This  noble  woman  perished  in  her  thirty- 
eighth  year,  October  16,  1793. 


THE   DRUIDS. 


Among  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Eng- 
land and  of  France,  formerly  called  Gaul, 
as  well  as  among  some  other  nations  of  an- 
tiquity, the  Druids  were  priests  or  ministers 
of  religion.  They  were  also  the  instructors 
of  the  young,  and  were  the  only  learned 
men  of  tlie  nations  to  which  they  belonged. 
Although  these  men  flourished  long  after 
civilization  had  made  great  progress  among 
neighboring  nations,  yet  they  did  not  make 
use  of  writing,  but  tlieir  scholars  were 
obliged  to  get  by  heart  all  their  lessons  from 
hearing  them  repeated  by  their  masters,  the 
Druids. 

In  general,  little  was  known  about  very 
ancient  tribes  and  nations,  until  the  Romans 
invaded  their  countries  and  conquered  them. 
So  it  is  from  the  Romans  that  we  have  de- 
rived our  knowledge  of  the  habits,  character 
and  religion  of  the  Druids.  The  Druids  of 
Britain  were  very  celebrated.  There  has 
been  much  dispute  about  the  derivation  of 
the  word  Druid,  but  it  is  most  probable  that 
it  comes  from  an  old  British  word,  dru, 
meaning  oak,  because  the  Druids  held  the 
oak-tree  almost  sacred  ;  it  was  their  favorite 
tree,  and  their  groves  contained  no  other. 

Little  is  known  concerning  them  before 


the  age  of  Julius  Ctesar,  the   Roman,  who 

invaded  Britain  after  having  subdued  Gaul. 

about  fifty-four  years  before  Christ.     CiBsar 

I  saj's   that  thej'^  were   divided   into   several 

[ classes  ;    the   priests,   the   soothsayers,   the 

!  poets,  the  judges,  and  instructors  of  youth. 

;  The  priests,  those  Druids  who  were  called 

iso  by  way  of  distinvtion,  had  the  charge  of 

the  religious  ceremor.ies.    They  worshipped 

their  gods,  and  offered    sacrifices  to  them 

upon  altars.     Their  temples,  or  places  of 

worship,  were   very  singular.     They  were 

generally   circles   of   vast  standing  pillars, 

over  which  they  sometimes  laid  huge  stones, 

making  a  circle  in  the  air.     In  the  middle 

stood  the  altar-stone.     Of  this  kind  was  the 

celebrated  Stone-henge,  near  Salisbury,  in 

England.     In  the  island  of  Anglesey,  near 

the  northern  extremity  of  Wales,  there  are 

Druidical  pillars  yet  remaining.  This  island 

is  supposed  to  have  been  the  residence  of 

the  chief,  or  arch-Druid,  of  Britain. 

The  Druids  had  a  very  wrong  idea  about 
religion.  They  thought  that  the  common 
people  could  not  understand  the  simple  and 
rational  principles  of  religion,  and  so  they 
invented  foolish  fables  and  superstitions, 
and  deluded  the  masses  to  worship  tiie  sun, 


THE    DRUIDS. 


97 


and  be  idolaters.  They  had  fires  sacred  to 
the  sun,  like  the  priests  of  Baal,  of  whom 
we  read  in  the  Bible.  The  Druids  were 
criminal  enough  to  sacrifice  human  beings 
to  their  gods,  and  this  cruelty,  which  they 
persisted  in,  notwithstanding  all  remon- 
strance, was  the  cause  of  their  destruction. 
'J  he  poets,  or  bards,  according  to  some,  did 
not  properly  belong  to  the  class  of  Druids, 
because  they  did  not  mi.x  religion  with  their 
songs.  They  inspired  the  people  to  warlike 
actions,  and  sang  the  praise  of  patriotism  and 
bravery.  The  Druids  studied  astronomy, 
and  made  great  proficiency  in  the  science. 

We  all  know  what  terror  and  astonish- 
ment an  eclipse,  or  any  singular  appearance 
in  the  sky,  creates  among  an  ignorant  peo- 
ple, who  do  not  know  the  causes  of  these 
things,  or  tlic  means  of  finding  out,  before- 
hand, at  what  time  they  will  happen.  Per- 
sons among  such  people,  who  can  foretell 
any  occurrence,  even  a  change  of  the  sea- 
sons, are  looked  upon  as  inspired  with  a 
knowledge  more  than  human.  By  such 
arts  the  Druids  extended  and  strengthened 
their  influence  over  the  people.  The  sooth- 
sayers even  pretended  to  be  acquainted  with 
the  intentions  of  Divine  Providence  !  The 
Roman  soothsayers,  or  fortune-tellers,  pre- 
tended to  foretell  events  by  the  appearance 
of  the  entrails  of  beasts  that  were  sacrificed 
on  their  altars  ;  in  the  same  way,  but  with 
much  greater  cruelty,  the  Druidical  sooth- 
sayers examined  the  bleeding  bodies  of  hu- 
man victims. 

When  the  Roman  Suetonius  determined 
to  put  an  end  not  only  to  the  ceremonies 
of  the  Druids,  but  to  the  priests  themselves, 
they  took  refuge  in  the  island  of  Anglesea. 
Here  they  were  determined  to  make  a  bold 
resistance.  Having  some  hopes  of  gaining 
a  victory  over  the  Romans,  they  kindled 
large  fires,  in  which  they  intended  to  con- 
sume the  Roman  prisoners,  should  they  take 
any.  Suetonius  landed  near  Parthamel. 
The  Druids,  in  great  numbers,  encircled  the 
army  of  their  countrymen,  urging  them  to 
be  brave,  and  praying  for  the  vengeance  of 
Heaven  upon  the  invaders.  The  scene  was 
rendered  more  terrilic  to  the  Romans  by  the 
appearance  of  the  British  women,  who  were 
dressed  in  black,  and  ran  yelling  to  and  fro, 
brandishing  torches.  However,  tlie  Romans 
were  brave  men,  and  they  conquered.  They 
cut  down  the  sacred  groves  of  oak  ;  they 
demolished  the  temples  of  the  priests,  and 
cruelly  threw  them  into  their  own  fires. 

The  Druids,  who  were  the  judges  in  all 
cases  which  required  a  recourse  to  law, 
settled  these  matters  by  their  opinion,  from 


13 


which  there  was  no  appeal  except  to  the 
Arch-Druid.  As  the  Druids  were  thought 
to  receive  knowledge  and  instruction  di- 
rectly from  the  gods,  they  had  the  power  of 
making,  altering,  and  e.xecuting  laws.  Any 
persons  who  desired  to  possess  the  great 
power  of  the  order,  could  become  Druids, 
but  only  by  a  long  course  of  very  strict 
study,  and  a  life  of  privation,  which  not 
many  had  patience  to  go  through. 

The  schools  of  the  Druids,  in  Britain, 
were  very  famous  before  the  invasion  of  the 
Romans.  Even  youth  from  Gaul  came 
thither  to  be  instucted  in  the  branches  which 
they  taught.  Scholars  look  an  oath  not  to 
betray  the  secrets  and  learning  which  they 
were  taught ;  and  thus  we  may  see  how 
selfish  was  the  system  of  the  Druids,  and 
how  much  opposed  it  was  to  the  extension 
of  knowledge.  Students  always  resided 
with  their  teachers  and  school-fellows,  and 
were  forbidden  to  converse  with  any  others. 
Academies  were  numerous,  one  being  at- 
tached to  almost  every  temple  of  note. 
Instruction  was  conveyed  in  verse.  The 
whole  circle  of  the  sciences,  with  which  the 
Druids  were  acquainted,  were  taught  in 
twenty-thousand  verses,  which  pupils  were 
twenty  years  in  committing  to  memory. 

The  Druids  measured  time  not  by  the 
days,  but  the  nights,  guided  by  the  changes 
of  the  moon.  They  had  so  great  a  venera- 
tion for  the  oak,  that  they  never  performed 
any  ceremony  without  being  adorned  with 
garlands  woven  of  its  leaves.  Those  avIio 
professed  a  knowledge  of  medicine  would 
never  betray  the  secrets  by  whicii  they 
cured  the  sick.  They  were,  without  doubt, 
only  acquainted  with  the  healing  powers 
of  a  few  herbs.  They  placed  great  faith  in 
the  virtues  of  tiie  plant  mistletoe,  probably 
from  its  growing  on  the  oak-tree.  They 
called  it  by  a  British  name,  meaning  "all- 
heal." The  efficacy  of  this  plant  they 
thought  depended  on  certain  ceremonies  to 
be  observed  in  gathering  it.  Among  the 
annual  festivals  of  the  Gauls  and  Britons 
was  that  in  which  the  Arch-Druid  cut  the 
mistletoe  from  the  oak.  This  ceremony  was 
conducted  with  great  pomp.  When  they 
found  an  oak  which  had  the  rare  plant  upon 
it,  they  made  preparations  for  a  banquet  be- 
neath. Two  milk-white  bulls  were  tied  to 
it  by  the  horns,  and  then  the  Arch-Druid, 
dressed  in  a  snowy  robe,  ascended  the  oak, 
and  detached  the  mistletoe  with  a  golden 
knife.  Sacrifice  and  feasting  followed.  On 
May-day  a  festival  in  honor  of  the  sun  was 
iield.  The  sun  was  called  Bel,  Belinus, 
and  some  other  names. 


THE   OPOSSUM. 


This  curious  animal  is  peculiar  to  North 
America,  but  is  seldom  found  north  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Its  chief  distinction  is  a  pouch 
under  the  belly  of  the  female,  which  serves 
as  a  convenient  pocket  for  the  little  creatures 
to  get  into,  while  young.  It  has  also  fifty 
teeth,  and  its  hind  feet  are  actually  rendered 
hands,  by  short,  fleshy,  and  opposable 
thumbs,  which,  together  with  the  promi- 
nences in  the  palms  of  these  posterior  hands, 
enable  the  animal  to  take  firm  hold  of  objects 
which  no  one  would  think  could  be  thus 
grasped.  An  opossum  can  cling  by  these 
feet-hands  to  a  smooth  silk  handkerchief, 
or  a  silk  dress,  with  great  security,  and 
climb  up  by  the  same.  In^like  manner  he 
can  ascend  by  a  skem  of  silk,  or  even  a  few 
threads.  The  slightest  projection,  or  doub- 
ling, of  any  material,  aflbrds  him  a  certain 
mean  of  climbing  to  any  desired  height. 
Another  curious  and  amusing  peculiarity 
is  his  prehensile  tail;  by  simply  curving 
this  at  the  extremity,  the  opossum  sustains 
his  w-eight,  and  depends  from  a  limb  of  a 
tree,  or  other  projecting  body,  and  hanging 
in  full  security,  gathers  fruit,  or  seizes  any 
prey  within  his  reach  ;  to  regain  his  position 
on  the  limb,  it  is  only  necessary  to  make  a 
little  stronger  effort  with  the  tail,  and  throw 
his  body  upward  at  the  same  time. 

The  mouth  of  the  opossum  is  very  wide 
when  open,  yet  the  animal  does  not  drink 
by  lapping,  but  by  suction.  The  wideness 
of  the  mouth  is  rendered  very  remarkable 
when  the  female  is  approached,  while  in 
company  with  her  young.  She  then  silently 
drops  the  lower  jaw  to  the  greatest  distance 
it  is  capable  of  moving,  retracts  the  angles 
of  the  lips,  and  shows  the  whole  of  her  teeth, 
which  thus  present  a  formidable  array. 
Siie  then  utters  a  muttering  kind  of  snarl, 
but  does  not  snap,  until  the  hand,  or  other 


object,  be  brought  very  close.  If  this  be  a 
stick,  or  any  hard  or  insensible  body,  she 
seldom  closes  her  mouth  on  it  after  the  first 
or  second  time,  but  maintains  the  same  gap- 
ing and  snarling  appearance,  even  when  it 
is  thrust  into  her  mouth.  At  the  same  time, 
the  young,  if  they  have  attained  any  size, 
either  exhibit  their  signs  of  defiance,  take 
refuge  in  the  pouch  of  the  mother,  or,  cling- 
ing to  various  parts  of  her  body,  hide  their 
faces  amidst  her  long  hair. 

The  general  color  of  the  opossum  is  a 
whitish  gray.  From  the  top  of  the  head 
along  the  back  and  upper  part  of  me  »ides, 
the  gray  is  darkest,  and  this  color  is  pro- 
duced by  the  intermixture  of  coarse  white 
hairs,  upwards  of  three  inches  long,  with  a 
shorter,  closer,  and  softer  hair,  which  is 
white  at  base,  and  black  for  about  half  an 
inch  at  tip.  The  whole  fur  is  of  a  woolly 
softness,  and  the  long  white  hairs  diverging 
considerably,  allow  the  back  parts  to  be  seen, 
so  as  to  give  the  general  gray  color  already 
mentioned.  On  the  face  the  w'ool  is  short, 
and  of  a  smoky  white  color ;  that  on  the 
belly  is  of  the  same  character,  but  is  longer 
on  the  fore  and  hind  legs  ;  the  color  is  nearly 
black  from  the  body  to  the  digits,  which  are 
naked  beneath.  The  tail  is  thick  and  black, 
for  upwards  of  three  inches  at  base,  and  is 
covered  by  small  hexagonal  scales,  having 
short  rigid  hairs  interspersed  throughout  its 
length,  which  are  but  slightly  perceptible  at 
a  little  distance.  The  opossum  is  generally 
killed  for  the  sake  of  its  flesh  and  fat.  Its 
wool  is  of  considerable  length  and  fineness 
during  the  winter  season,  and  we  should 
suppose  that  in  manufactures  it  would  be 
equal  to  the  sheep's  wool  which  is  wrought 
into  coarse  hats. 

The  opossum  is  a  noctumal  and  timid 
animal,  depending  for  his  safety  more  on 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 


cunning  than  strength.  His  motions  are 
slow,  and  his  walk,  when  on  the  ground, 
entirely  plantigrade,  which  gives  an  appear- 
ance of  clumsiness  to  his  movements. 
When  on  the  branches  of  trees,  he  moves 
with  much  greater  ease,  and  with  perfect 
security  from  sudden  gusts  of  wind;  even 
were  his  weight  sufficient  to  break  the  limb 
on  which  he  rests,  there  is  no  danger  of  his 
fulling  to  the  earth,  unless  when  on  the 
lowest  branch,  as  he  can  certainly  catch, 
and  securely  cling  to,  the  .smallest  interven- 
ing twigs,  cither  with  the  hands  or  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  tail. 

The  food  of  the  opossum  varies  very 
much,  according  to  circumstances.  It  preys 
upon  birds,  various  small  quadrupeds,  eggs, 
and,  no  doubt,  occasionally  upon  insects. 
The  poultry  yards  are  sometimes  visited, 
and  much  havoc  committed,  by  the  opossum, 
as,  like  the  weasel,  this  animal  is  fonder  of 
cutting  the  throats  and  sucking  the  blood  of 
a  number  of  individuals,  than  of  satisfying 
his  hunger  by  eating  the  flesh  of  one. 
Among  the  wild  fruits,  the  persimmon  is  a 
great  favorite,  and  it  is  generally  after  this 
fruit  is  in  perfection  that  the  opossum  is 
killed  by  the  country  people  for  the  market. 
At  tliat  season  it  is  very  fat,  and  but  little 
difTercnce  is  to  be  perceived  between  the 
flesh  and  that  of  a  young  pig. 

The  hunting  of  the  opossum  is  a  favorite 
sport  with  the  country  people,  who  frequently 
go  out  with  their  dogs  at  night,  after  the 
autumnal  frosts  have  begun,  and  the  per- 
simmon fruit  is  in  its  most  delicious  state. 
The  opossum,  as  soon  as  he  discovers  the 
approach  of  the  enemy,  lies  perfectly  close 
to  the  branch,  or  places  himself  snugly  in 
the  angle  where  two  limbs  separate  from 
each  other.  The  dogs,  however,  soon  an- 
nounce the  fact  of  his  presence,  by  their 
baying,  and  the  hunter,  ascending  the  tree, 
discovers  the  branch  upon  which  the  animal 
is  seated,  and  begins  to  shake  it  with  great 
violence,  to  alarm,  and  cause  him  to  relax 
his  hold.  This  is  soon  cflfccted,  and  the 
opossum,  attempting  to  escape  to  another 
limb,  is  pursued  immediately,  and  the  shak- 
ing is  renewed  with  greater  violence,  until 
at  length  the  terrified  quadruped  allows 
himself  to  drop  to  the  ground,  where  hunters 
or  dogs  are  prepared  to  despatch  him. 

The  usual  haunts  of  the  opossum  are 
thick  forests,  and  their  dens  are  generally 
in  hollows  of  decayed  trees,  where  they  pass 
the  day  asleep,  and  sally  forth,  mostly  after 
nightfall,  to  seek  food.  They  arc  occasion- 
ally seen  out  during  daylight,  especially 
when  they  have  young  ones  of  considerable 


size,  too  large  to  be  carried  in  the  maternal 
pouch.  The  female  then  offers  a  very  sin- 
gular appearance,  as  she  toils  along  with 
twelve  or  sixteen  cubs,  nearly  of  the  size  of 
rats,  each  with  a  turn  of  his  tail  around  the 
root  of  the  mother's,  and  clinging  on  her 
back  and  sides  with  paws,  hands,  and  mouth. 
It  is  exceedingly  curious  and  interesting  to 
see  the  young,  when  the  mother  is  at  rest, 
take  refuge  in  the  pouch,  whence  one  or 
two  of  them  may  bo  seen  peeping  out,  with 
an  air  of  great  comfort  and  satisfaction 
The  mother  in  this  condition,  or  at  any 
time  in  defence  of  her  young,  will  make 
battle,  biting  with  much  keenness  and  sever- 
ity, for  which  her  long  canine  teeth  are  well 
suited. 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

The  history  of  this  great  man  is  very  in- 
teresting, and  very  instructive,  for  it  shows 
how  a  poor  boy,  by  diligence,  honesty,  and 
good  behavior,  may  grow  up  rich,  useful, 
respected,  and  happy. 

Franklin  was  born  at  Boston,  on  the  »Tih 
of  January,  1706,  and  was  the  youngest  but 
two  of  seventeen  children.  He  was  first 
apprenticed  to  a  tallow-chandler;  but  he 
left  this  employment,  and  learned  the  trade 
of  a  printer.  He  established  himself  in  Phil- 
adelphia for  a  time,  and  then  he  went  to 
England,  where  he  supported  himself  by  his 
trade,  and  at  the  same  time  acquired  a  great 
deal  of  knowledge. 

He  returned  to  America,  and  set  up  the 
business  of  a  printer.     He  devoted  himself 


100 


THE    STEEPLE    CHASE. 


with  great  industry  to  his  employment,  and 
soon  won  the  confidence  of  all  around  him. 
He  became  the  publisher  of  a  paper ;  and, 
as  he  had  an  excellent  talent  at  writing,  he 
composed  for  it  many  interesting  articles. 
Thus  the  paper  acquired  celebrity,  and 
Franldin  flourished. 

While  in  the  midst  of  business,  he  loved 
study,  and  not  only  learned  the  French 
language,  but  he  made  himself  acquainted 
with  history,  science,  and  other  matters. 
When  the  troubles  with  England  were  ap- 
proaching, he  was  sent  to  that  country  as 
an  agent  for  Pennsylvania,  and  he  was  after- 
wards intrusted  with  the  concerns  of  other 
colonies.  The  business,  thus  confided  to 
him,  he  managed  with  great  ability  and 
faithfulness,  and  thus  the  eyes  of  his  coun- 
tiymen  were  turned  towards  him,  as  one 
upon  whom  they  could  rely  in  the  hour  of 
trial. 

Franklin  returned  to  America,  and  filled 
many  offices  of  high  trust,  and  thus  acquired 
the  respect  and  love  of  everybody.  Nor 
was  his  whole  time  devoted  to  mere  active 


business.  The  subject  of  electricity  engaged 
his  attention ;  and  at  last  he  set  a  kite  fly- 
ing during  a  thunder-storm,  and,  placing  a 
key  near  the  string  by  which  it  was  held, 
he  saw  small  sparks,  like  lightning,  issuing 
from  the  key,  and  giving  slight  shocks  to 
his  hand.  Thus  he  proved  that  lightning 
is  produced  by  electricity. 

This  wonderful  discovery  gave  Franklin 
great  fame ;  and  when  he  was  afterwards 
sent  to  Europe,  as  ambassador  of  the  United 
States,  he  received  great  honors.  Once  he 
was  at  the  French  court,  and  being  dressed 
in  plain,  Quaker-like  clothes,  some  lady 
asked,  "  Who  is  that  queer  man  ? "  "  Hush ! 
hush ! "  said  the  gentleman  addressed ;  "  that 
is  Dr.  Franklin,  who  bottles  up  thunder  and 
lightning ! " 

Franklin  lived  to  the  age  of  84,  and  he 
has  left  behind  a  name  which  is  respected 
throughout  the  civilized  world.  His  writ- 
ings are  numerous,  and  of  a  very  useful 
kind  ;  among  them  his  Proverbs,  uttered  by 
Poor  Richard,  and  his  Life,  by  his  own  hand, 
are  particularly  valuable  and  interesting. 


THE   STEEPLE   CHASE. 


They  have  a  curious  amusement  in  Eng- 1 
land  called  the  "  Steeple  Chase."  A  num- . 
ber  of  gentlemen  fi-v  upon  a  spot,  a  mile  or 
two  from  some  church,  and  at  an  appointed 
time  they  all  set  out  on  horseback,  to  see 
which  will  get  to  the  church  first.  Away 
they  go,  over  hedges  and  ditches,  over  hills 
and  valleys,  over  rocks  and  rivulets  !  They 
do  not  take  to  the  highway,  for  the  spot 
chosen  is  always  one  which  has  no  direct 
road  to  the  church  ;  so  each  one  chooses  his 
route,  and  it  is  wonderful  to  see  how  madly 


they  all  dash  on.  Nothing  seems  to  impede 
their  wild  career ;  the  horses  enter  heartily 
into  the  frolic,  and  seem  to  be  afraid  of  noth- 
ing. Thousands  of  people  are  present  to 
witness  the  sport,  and  they  cheer  the  racers 
by  their  loud  and  boisterous  applause. 

This  is  a  very  favorite  kind  of  sport  in 
England,  but  it  is  very  dangerous.  The 
riders  arc  often  thrown  from  their  hor.ses, 
and  accidents  fatal  to  man  and  beast  often 
happen. 


Cbch   I'lieach,  in  ihe  vale  of  Glendalough. 

ROUND   TOWERS    OF   IRELAND. 


Who  has  not  heard  of  the  Round  Tmv- 
ers  of  Irdand ;  and  yet  who  lias  been  able 
to  solve  the  mystery  which  hangs  over  their 
origin  and  the  purpose  of  their  erection? 

Of  these  towers,  107  are  known  to  have 
existed ;  but  probably  there  were  many 
more.  Some  arc  still  perfect,  others  are  in 
ruins.  They  bear  a  general  resemblance 
to  each  other,  seeming,  therefore,  to  have 
had  the  same  object  in  view;  yet  there  w-ere 
many  minute  points  of  difference.  Some 
were  but  40  feet  high ;  others  60,  SO,  and 
one  120  feet.  The  common  height  is 
about  SO  or  90  feet.  Most  of  them  were 
of  a  cylindrical  form,  and  were  covered 
with  a  conical  roof  They  were  generally 
divided  into  three  stories,  with  a  window 
to  each.  The  door  of  entrance  was  from 
6  to  24  feet  from  the  ground  ;  but  how 
this  was  reached  is  not  known. 

In  some  cases,  these  towers  were  built 
of  hewn  stone,  nicely  laid  in  mortar ;  in 
others,  the  stones  are  merely  hammered ; 
in  others  still,  they  are  small,  and  of  all 
shapes,  hut  always  firmly  cemented  by 
inort.ar,  nearly  as  hard  as  the  rock  itself. 

Tha't  those  towers  are  very  ancient,  is 
clear  from  the  fact  that  when  Ircdand  was 
first  invaded  by  the  English,  in  the  12th 
century,  they  were  then  deemed  antiqui- 
ties, and  no  one  was  able  to  tell  their 
origin  or  design.  Some  have  been  used 
as  towers  and  belfries  of  churches ;  but 
these  churches  were  built  in  later  times, 
and  this  use  of  the  towers  was,  evidently, 


but  an  adaptation  of  old  structures  to  new 
purposes.  The  fact  that  near  these  tow- 
ers, in  most  cases,  ancient  churches,  or 
their  remains,  are  found,  has  led  to  the 
belief  that  they  were  ecclesiastical  struc- 
tures, erected  by  the  early  Christians  of 
Ireland.  This  idea  is  exploded  by  the  cir- 
cumstance that  no  such  buildings  have  ever 
been  known  to  be  erected  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world,  in  connection  with  the 
Christian  religion ;  nor  is  it  possible  to 
conjecture  for  what  object,  as  part  of 
Christian  worship,  they  could  have  been 
designed. 

The  best  opinion,  on  the  subject,  seems 
to  be  this:  that  these  towers  were  erected 
by  the  Pha:nicians  or  Carthaginians,  who 
are  known  to  have  had  settlements  in  Ire- 
land before  the  Christian  era ;  or  that 
they  were  built  by  the  remote  Irish,  who 
bore  the  name  of  Scoti,  and  who  were  of 
Asiatic  origin.  The  object  of  these  build- 
ings, on  this  supposition,  was  the  preser- 
vation of  the  sacred  fire,  kindled  in  honor 
of  Bel,  or  Baal,  a  heathen  divinity  of  the 
East,  and  who  is  known  to  have  been 
worshipped  in  Ireland.  Indeed,  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  some  of  the  religious  rites  of  the 
Irish  are  evidently  but  the  perpetuation 
of  the  ceremonies  of  their  ancestors,  turned 
from  their  pagan  origin  and  blended  with 
Catholic  observances. 

This  view  of  the  origin  and  object  of  the 
round  towers  is  strongly  confirmed  by  tlie 
fact  that  in   their  vicinity  are   still   to  be 


102 


CRATER    m    THE    MOOM. 


found  the  well-known  relics  of  ancient  pa- 
ganism, such  as  the  sun-stone,  the  cromlech, 
the  firehouse,  the  spring  of  sacred  water, 
necessary  in  mj^stic  rites,  &c.  To  this  it 
may  be  added,  that  in  Persia  and  India, 
where  fire-worship  originated,  and  has  had 
its  most  extensive  and  enduring  seat,  there 
are  towers  of  various  forms  and  sizes,  as- 
cribed, in  their  origin,  to  this  species  of 
idolatry.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  the 
early  settlers  of  Ireland  brought  from  Asia, 
their  original  country,  ideas  of  religion, 
which  became  modified  in  the  course  of 
ages,  but  which,  still  remaining  essentially 
the  same,  displayed  themselves  in  the  struc- 
tures which  we  have  described. 

The  fact  that  Christian  churches,  or  their 
remains,  are  found  near  these  towers  in 
Ireland,  does  not  controvert  the  opinion 
we  express,  as,  in  the  first  place,  they  are 
evidently  more  modern  than  the  towers 
themselves,  and  are  of  a  different  style  of 
architecture ;  and,  moreover,  we  know  that 
the  early  Christians  often  chose,  as  the  seat 
of  their  churches,  the  very  sites  on  which 
paganism  had  reared  its  structures,  and  fre- 
quently adapted  the  structures  themselves 
to  the  purposes  of  Christian  worship.  In 
truth,  this  fact,  to  which  we  here  allude, 
rather  confirms  than  opposes  the  theory  we 
have  adopted. 


THE  GREAT  CRATER  IN 
THE  MOON. 

MoDEKN  improvements  in  the  telescope 
seem  to  have  given  a  new  impulse  and  in- 
terest, evcrj'wheie,  to  astronomical  research. 
We  have  a  remarkable  description  of  one 
of  those  vast  caverns  or  craters  in  the 
moon,  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles  in  diameter, 
to  which  the  telescope  of  Lord  Rosse  has 
introduced  the  inhabitants  of  our  earth. 
To  this  crater  the  name  of  Tycho  has  been 


given  :  and  the  following  highly  graphic, 
though  somewhat  indistinct,  account  of  it 
is  taken  from  Dr.  Nichol's  "  Contemplation 
of  the  Solar  System." 

"Wandering  through  a  district,  perhaps 
the  most  chaotic  in  the  moon,  where  ranges, 
peaks,  round  mountains  with  flat  tops,  are 
intermingled  in  apparently  inextricable  con- 
fusion, where  there  is  no  plain  larger  than 
a  common  field,  and  that  rent  by  fissures 
and  strewn  with  blocks  that  have  fallen  from 
the  overhanging  precipices  ;  we  descry  in 
the  horizon  what  seems  an  immense  ridge, 
stretching  further  than  the  eye  can  carry 
us,  and  reflecting  the  sun's  rays  with  daz- 
zling lustre.  On  approaching  this  wall, 
thro\igh  a  country  still  as  toilsome,  it  ap- 
pears not  so  steep,  but  to  have  an  outward 
sloping,  which,  however  rough,  is  yet  prac- 
ticable to  the  strong  of  head  and  firm  in 
knee.  Ascend,  then,  0  traveller  I  Avert- 
ing your  eyes  from  the  burning  sun,  and 
having  gained  the  summit,  examine  the 
landscape  beyond.  Landscape !  It  is  a 
type  for  the  most  horrible  dream  —  a  thing 
to  be  thought  of  only  with  a  shudder. 

"  We  are  on  the  top  of  a  circular  preci- 
pice, which  seems  to  have  enclosed  a  sjiace 
fifty-five  miles  in  diameter  from  all  the 
living  world  forever  and  ever.  Below, 
where  the  wall  casts  its  shadow,  it  is  black 
as  Orcus  ;  no  eye  can  penetrate  its  utter 
gloom ;  but  where  daylight  has  touched 
the  bare  chasm,  its  character  is  disclosed. 
Giddy  it  must  be  to  stand  on  the  summit 
of  Mont  Blanc,  or  the  Jungfrau,  or  Tene- 
riflie  ;  but  suppose  Jacques  Balmat,  when 
he  set  the  first  foot  on  that  loftiest  Alpine 
peak,  had  found  on  the  other  side,  not  the 
natural  mountain  he  had  ascended,  but  one 
unbroken  precipice  thirteen  thousand  feet 
deep,  below  which  a  few  terraces  disturbed 
the  unifomiity,  and  at  some  ten  miles  dis- 
tant from  its  base,  a  chasm  deeper,  from 
where  he  looked,  by  two  thousand  feet,  than 
Mont  Blanc  is  elevated  above  the  level  of 
the  sea  —  would  even  the  stout  Swiss  have 
brought  home  his  senses  ?  or  rather  would 
he  have  returned  at  all,  and  not  lain  there 
to  this  hour,  fascinated  as  by  ten  thousand 
rattlesnakes ! 

"  But  onwards  and  to  the  bottom  of  this 
mysterious  place  !  No  foot  of  man  can 
take  us  there,  so  that  we  must  borrow  a 
wing  from  the  condor.  Off",  then  —  down, 
down,  and  arrive  !  It  is  indeed  a  terrible 
place  !  There  are  mountains  in  it,  espe- 
cially a  central  one,  four  thousand  feet  high, 
and  five  or  six  concentric  ridges  of  nearly 
the  same  height  encircling  the  chasm  ;  but 


THE    HUMBLE-BEE. 


m 


the  eye  can  rest  on  nothing  except  that 
impassable  wall,  without  breach,  with  onty 
a  few  pinnacles  on  its  top,  towering  seven- 
teen thousand  feet  aloft  on  every  side,  at 
the  short  distance  of  twenty-seven  miles, 
and  baffling-  our  escape  into  the  larger 
world.  Notliing  here  but  tiie  scorching 
sun  and  burning  sky  ;  no  rain  ever  refreshes 
if,  no  cloud  ever  shelters  it ;  only  benign 
night  with  its  stars,  and  the  mild  face  of 
the  earth.  But  we  tarry  no  longer  ;  so  off 
again,  and  rest  for  a  moment  on  the  top  of 
the  highest  pinnacle.  Look  around  now, 
and  away  from  Tycho.  What  a  scene  I 
Those  round  hills  with  flat  tops  are  craters, 
and  the  whole  visible  surface  is  studded 
wilh  them  ;  all  of  less  diameter  than  Tycho, 
but  probably  as  deep. 

"  Look  yet  furtlior.    What  are  those  daz- 
zling beams,  like  liquid  silver,  passing  in 


countless  multitudes  away  from  us,  along 
the  whole  surface  of  the  moon  ?  Favorites 
they  are  of  the  sun  ;  for  he  illumines  them 
more  than  all  else  besides,  and  assimilates 
them  to  his  burning  glory.  And  see  !  they 
go  on  every  side  from  Tycho.  In  his  very 
centre,  overspreading  the  verj'  chasm  we 
have  left,  there  is,  now  that  the  sun  has 
further  ascended,  a  plain  of  brilliant  light ; 
and,  outside  the  wall,  at  this  place,  at  least, 
a  large  space  of  similar  splendor  from  which 
these  rays  depart.  What  they  are,  we 
know  not,  but  they  spread  over,  at  least, 
one  third  of  the  moon's  whole  surface. 
And  so  this  chasm,  which,  in  first  rashness, 
we  termed  a  hideous  dream,  is  bound  in- 
dissolubly  to  that  orb,  on  which,  when  the 
heart  is  pained,  one  loves  to  look  and  be 
consoled,  and  through  her  to  the  beneficent 


THE   HUMBLE-BEE. 


The  humble-bee,  which  is  very  often 
called  bumblc-hce,  owes  its  naiue  to  the 
Immming  noise  by  which  its  flight  is  al- 
ways announced. 

It  lives  in  societies  of  twenty,  fifty,  or  one 
hundred  together.  They  dwell  iii  hollow 
trees,  cavities  of  the  earth,  or  tufts  of  moss. 
They  collect  honey  from  plants,  and  store 
it  up  in  cells,  though  it  is  doubtful  whether 
thej'  intend  it  for  winter  provision.  They 
are  remarlcably  subject  to  torpidity,  and, 
towards  the  end  of  autumn,  tliey  may  be 
seen,  languid  and  inactive,  on  the  few 
flowers  that  yet  remain  in  the  gardens  and 


woods,  quite  incapable  of  defending  them- 
selves from  injury. 

The  life  of  nearly  the  whole  swarm  of 
humble-bees  seems  to  end  witii  the  season. 
Only  a  few  individuals  are  preserved,  and 
these  by  accident ;  how  they  survive  the 
winter  is  not  known.  Very  few  of  them 
appear  in  spring;  and  it  is  not  till  the  heat 
of  summer,  or  rather  later,  that  they  become 
numerous.  The  manners  of  the  humble- 
bees  differ  from  those  of  the  lioney-boes  in 
many  important  points.  They  never  kill 
their  drones,  as  the  latter  do.  and  are  much 
less  disposed  to  make  use  of  their  stings. 


THE   MAMERTINE   PRISON     AT   ROME. 


I 


This  celebrated  prison  is  one  of  the  oldest 
of  all  the  antiquities  of  Rome.  It  was  con- 
structed, as  we  are  told  by  Li\y,  by  Ancus 
Manias,  abDut  600  years  before  Christ. 

Juvenal,  in  one  of  his  satires,  refers  to 
those  virtuous  and  happy  times,  under  the 
kings  and  tribunes,  when  one  prison  was 
sufficient  to  contain  all  the  criminals  of 
Rome  ;  alluding,  no  doubt,  to  this  ancient 
structure.  It  is  a  dungeon,  under  ground, 
cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  with  an  upper 
story  of  rude  stone  masonry.  A  church  is 
now  built  over  the  whole,  and  the  curious 
visitor,  who  wishes  to  explore  these  dreary 
precincts,  descends  a  flight  of  steps  from 
the  church,  into  the  upper  story  of  the 
prison,  where  he  finds  himself  in  a  cell 
about  twenty  feet  long  and  thirty  wide. 
This  is  now  converted  into  an  oratorio. 

This  cell  has  no  window,  but  is  kept 
constantly  lighted  with  blazing  tapers,  and 
the  walls  glitter  with  shrines  and  oflTerings. 
In  the  floor  is  a  circular  opening,  which 
leads  to  the  frightful  dungeon  beneath. 
Into  this  horrid  receptacle  the  prisoners 
were  thrown,  who  were  condemned  to  be 
starved  to  death,  according  to  the  barbarous 
practice  of  the  Romans.  In  this  manner 
died  Jugurtha,  the  king  of  Numidia,  whose 
history  has  been  so  ably  written  by  Sallust. 
Here  Lentulus,  Cethegus,  and  other  accom- 
plices of  Catiline,  were  strangled.  Sejanus, 
the  minister  of  Tiberius,  ended  his  days 
here. 

It  was  the  general  custom  of  the  Romans 
to  lead  captive  kings  and  princes,  in  their 


triumphal  processions,  through  the  streets 
of  the  city,  and  then  to  cast  them  into  the 
Mamertine  dungeon  to  die.  This  practice 
alone  is  sufficient  to  display  the  barbarous 
and  ferocious  manners  of  a  people  whose 
military  glory  has  dazzled  the  eyes  of  the 
universe. 

The  Mamertine  prison  is  now  consecrated 
to  St.  Peter,  the  apostle.  According  to  the 
traditions  of  the  Romans,  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul  were  both  confined  in  this  dungeon 
by  order  of  Nero.  The  former,  during  his 
imprisonment,  converted  his  two  jailers, 
Processus  and  Martinianus,  to  Christianity. 
These  persons  desired  to  be  baptized  ;  but 
there  was  no  water  in  the  prison,  and  it 
was  forbidden  to  introduce  any  for  the  use 
of  the  apostles.  In  this  emergency,  a  foun- 
tain miraculously  burst  up  from  the  ground, 
and  the  apostle  baptized  his  converts. 

In  confirmation  of  this  storj',  a  spring  of 
water  is  shown  actually  bubbling  up  out  of 
the  rock  !  The  pillar  to  which  St.  Peter 
was  bound  in  the  dungeon  is  also  exhibited 
to  the  eyes  of  believers.  The  people  kneel 
before  these  venerated  objects,  and  never  sus- 
pect that  the  story  is  an  invention  of  modern 
times,  adapted  to  a  spot  which  has  been 
famous  from  the  earliest  ages  of  the  city. 

To  illustrate  the  manner  in  which  these 
legends  have  their  origin,  we  may  relate 
another  fable,  of  St.  Peter.  It  is  stated  that 
he  went  to  Rome  to  oppose  Simon  Magus, 
or  Simon  the  Magician,  who  is  mentioned 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Their  first 
interview  was  held  in  the  presence  of  Nero. 


• 


KOBIN    GOODFELLOW. 


105 


Simon  flew  up  into  the  air,  in  the  sight  of 
the  emperor  and  all  the  people.  But  the 
devil,  who  raised  him,  on  hearing  the  name 
of  Jesus  invoked  by  the  apostle,  was  stmck 
with  such  terror,  that  he  let  him  fall  to  the 
o'round  and  break  his  ieirs. 


There  is  little  doubt  this  story  is  taken 
from  Suetonius,  who  speaks  of  a  person,  in 
the  public  sports,  having  undertaken  to  fly 
in  the  presence  of  Nero.  In  this  attempt 
he  fell  to  the  ground,  and  spattered  the 
emperor  with  his  blood. 


IIOBIN   GOODFELLOW. 


The  superstitious  legends  which  have 
come  down  to  us  from  antiipiity.  are  among 
the  most  curious  points  of  human  history. 
Of  tliesp,  England  has  furnished  us  with 
an  ample  share ;  and  Robin  Goodfellow, 
sometimes  called  Puck,  takes  a  prominent 
place  in  these  mystic  annals.  He  was 
imagined  to  be  a  little  fairy  being,  who 
haunted  the  rural  districts  of  the  countr}'. 
He  is  described  as  a  very  roguish  and 
meddlesome  sprite,  not  altogether  malicious, 
but  fond  of  playing  troublesome  tricks,  and 
doing  petty  mischief. 

Tlie  country  people  believed  that  Robin 
might  be   kept  in  gocd  humor  by  bribes  ; 

14 


and  hence  they  were  accustomed  to  set 
bowls  of  curds  and  cream  standing  for  him 
on  the  tables  and  dressers,  when  they  went 
to  bed  at  night.  The  next  morning,  if  the 
bowls  were  found  empty,  they  felt  certain 
that  Robin  Goodfellow  had  eaten  the  con- 
tents. They  never  thought  of  the  cats  and 
rats. 

An  old  writer,  describing  this  superstit  jon, 
says,  "  And  if  that  the  bowls  of  curds  and 
cream  were  not  duly  set  out  for  Robin 
Goodfellow,  the  friar,  and  Sisse  the  dairj  - 
maid,  why,  then  the  pottage  was  burnt  next 
day  in  the  pot,  or  the  cheeses  would  not 
curdle,  or  the  butter  would  not  come,  or 


'\  106 


WATER. 


the  ale  in  the  vat  never  would  have  good 
head."  Reginald  Scot,  in  his  "  Discovery 
of  Witchcraft,"  also  says,  "  Your  grandam's 
maids  were  wont  to  set  a  bowl  of  milk  for 
him,  for  has  pains  in  grinding  malt  and 
mustard,  and  sweeping  the  house  at  mid- 
night. This  white  bread  and  milk  was  his 
standing  fee." 

Shakspeare,  in  his  wild  and  romantic 
play  of  the  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream," 
thus  describes  this  frolicsome  creature  :  — 

"  Either  I  mistake  your  shape  and  meaning  quite, 
Or  else  you  are  iiiat  slirewd  and  knavisli  sprite, 
Called  Rohin  Goodfellow.     Are  you  not  he 
Thai  fright  the  maidens  of  the  viUagcry, 
Si{ini  miik,  and  sometimes  lal^or  in  tlie  quern, 
And  liootless  make  the  hrcathless  housewife  churn? 
And  sometimes  make  tlie  drink  to  hear  no  balm, 
Mislead  night-wanderers,  lau,^ningat  their  harm? 
Those  that  Hobgoblin  call  you,  and  sweet  Puck, 
You  do  their  work,  and  they  shall  have  good  luck." 

Drayton,  in  his  poem  entitled  "  Nym- 
phidia,"  also  introduces  this  familiar  per- 
sonage. 

"  He  meeteth  Puck,  which  most  men  call 
Hobgoidin,  and  on  him  doth  fall. 
This  Puck  seems  but  a  dreamiuij  dolt, 
Still  walking  like  a  ragged  colt, 
And  oft  out  of  a  bush  doth  bolt, 

Of  purpose  to  deceive  us  ; 
And  leading  us,  makes  us  to  stray, 
Long  winter's  nights,  out  of  the  way. 
And  when  we  stick  in  mire  and  clay, 

He  doth  with  laughter  leave  us." 

One  of  his  pranks  is  thus  described  by 
an  old  writer :  "  Hoio  Rohhi  we?it  in  the 
shape  of  a  fiddler  to  q.  wedding,  atid  of  the 
sport  that  he  had  there :  First,  he  put  out 
the  candles,  and  then,  being  dark,  he  struck 
the  men  good  bo.xes  on  the  ears.  They, 
thinking  it  had  been  those  that  did  sit  next 
theiri,  fell  a-fighting  one  with  the  other,  so 
that  there  was  not  one  of  fhom  but  had 
cither  a  broken  head  or  a  bloody  nose.  At 
this  Robin  laughed  heartily.  The  women 
did  not  escape  him ;  for  the  handsomest  he 
kissed ;  the  others  he  pinched,  and  made 
thein  scratch  one  another  as  if  they  had 
been  cats.  Candles  being  lighted  again, 
they  all  were  friends,  and  fell  again  to 
dancing,  and  after  to  supper.  Supper  being 
ended,  a  groat  posset  was  brought;  at  this 
Robin  Goodfellow's  teeth  did  water,  for  it 
looked  so  lovely  that  he  could  not  keep  from 
it.  To  attain  his  wish,  he  did  turn  himself 
to  a  bear.  Both  men  and  women,  seeing  a 
bear  amongst  them,  ran  away,  and  left  the 
whole  posset  to  Robin  Goodfellow,  who 
quickly  made  an  end  of  it ! " 

Puck,  or  puke,  is  an  old  Gothic  word, 
signifying  a  spirit.  In  New  York,  a  ghost 
is  called  a  spook,  from  its  Dutch  name. 
Robin  Goodfellow's  other  appellation  of 
liohgohlin  was  originally  hopgoUin,  because 
he  was  always  hopping  and  frislcing  about. 


WATER. 

There  are  few  things  in  nature  so  beau- 
tiful as  water ;  and  this  beauty  is  increased 
by  the  variety  of  forms  in  which  it  appears. 
It  first  comes  to  us  in  the  shape  of  rain, 
descending  from  the  heavens.  It  is  then 
broken  into  myriads  of  drops,  each  one 
of  which  is  a  little  round  shining  globe. 
Sometimes  it  is  frozen,  and  comes  sailing 
down  from  the  clouds  in  white  crystals, 
which  we  call  snow.  Collected  in  large 
masses,  water  forms  seas,  lakes,  and  rivers. 
So  great  is  the  quantity  of  it  on  the  earth, 
that  it  is  faid  to  cover  three  quarters  of  the 
surface  of  the  globe. 

When  at  rest,  the  surface  of  the  water 
becomes  smooth  as  a  mirror,  and  reflects 
objects  which  stand  along  its  border,  or  are 
suspended  over  it.  How  charmingly  the 
banks  of  a  lake  are  often  pictured  in  its 
bosom  ! 

When  water  is  in  motion,  it  presents  a 
great  variety  of  aspects ;  the  sea,  lashed  by 
the  tempest,  rises  into  furious  and  foaming 
waves,  sometimes  dashing  ships  in  pieces, 
and  bursting  with  terrific  roar  against  the 
rocky  margin  of  the  deep. 

Water  flowing  over  the  land  is  called  a 
river  ;  if  the  stream  be  small,  it  is  called  a 
rill,  rivulet,  or  brook.  What  can  be  more 
charming  than  a  little  stream  of  water  just 
setting  out  upon  its  course  !  It  rises  in 
some  quiet  spring,  and  issues  tiinidly  forth, 
turning  hither  and  thither  to  avoid  the 
stones,  and  occasionally  falling  headlong 
over  some  obstacle  that  crosses  its  path. 
It  goes  on  and  on,  increasing  by  receiving 
other  streams  into  its  bosom,  and,  flowing 
broader  and  deeper,  at  last  loses  itself  in 
the  sea. 


THE    NEW    PLANET,    NEPTUNE. 


107 


How  pleasingfis  all  this  to  the  eye  ;  and 
hew  many  agreeable  images  docs  it  suggest 
to  the  mind  !  How  like  to  childhood  is 
the  rivulet  —  toddling  and  tumbling  in  its 
course  at  the  beginning  !  How  like  to  man- 
hood is  the  deep,  broad  river  —  flowing 
bravely  on  for  a  time,  and  at  last  disap- 
pearing in  the  ocean  ! 

In  these,  and  many  other  ways,  this 
element  contributes  to  our  pleasure.  We 
speak  not  now  of  its  utility,  but  only  of  its 
beauty.    We  could  not  indeed  live  without 


water  ;  but  even  if  we  could,  how  large  a 
share  of  our  happiness  would  be  destroyed 
if  we  could  not  see  it !  If  the  clouds  were 
to  disappear,  —  if  the  dew  that  sprinkles 
the  shrub  and  flower,  as  with  diamonds, 
was  to  vanish,  —  if  sea  and  lake  and  river, 
and  stream  and  waterfall,  were  to  be  annihi- 
lated,—  if  rain,  snow,  and  mist,  were  to 
come  no  more,  how  large  a  share  of  the 
pleasure  and  poetry  of  the  world  would  be 
gone  forever ! 


^^jL^0^^_f^riif^m:a 


-"^^■^a 


THE  NEW  PLANET,  NEPTUNE. 


One  of  the  most  interesting  discoveries 
ever  made  is  that  of  a  new  planet,  which 
has  been  found  to  exist  in  the  heavens, 
during  the  last  year  (1S47).  The  mode  in 
which  this  discoverj'  was  accomplished  was 
interesting  and  wonderful. 

Our  readers  all  know,  that  the  shining 
points  in  the  heavens  which  we  see  at 
niijht,  and  which  are  called  stars,  are  in 
reality  worlds  ;  some  of  them  much  larger 
than  this  earth  on  which  we  live.  These 
stars  are  divided  into  two  kinds  — fixed 
stars  and  planets.  The  former  are  at  such 
an  immense  distance,  as  to  defy  calculation, 
and  even  conception.  They  do  not  gener- 
ally appear  to  move,  but  continue  fi,\cd  in 
their  places  from  age  to  age.  The  latter 
are  seen  to  revolve  around  the  sun,  like  our 
own  earth  ;  they  belong,  in  fact,  to  the  solar 
system,  which  consists  of  the  sun  and  a 
brotlierhood  of  twelve  worlds,  which  forever 
are  moving  in  circles  around  it. 

Now,  these  planets  are  of  diflerent  sizes, 


some  being  larger  and  some  smaller  than 
our  world.  They  are  all  at  immense  dis- 
tances from  us,  and  from  the  sun.  They 
are  also  of  different  doisitics,  some  being 
nearly  as  heavy  as  iron,  and  others  as  light 
as  cork. 

The  study  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  called 
astrojiomy,  is  one  of  the  most  lofty  and 
sublime  to  wliich  the  mind  can  be  devoted ; 
and  this  study  has  brought  to  light  many 
curious  and  wonderful  things.  Though  the 
planets  are  so  far  off,  philosophers  have 
been  able  to  ascertain  their  size,  their 
densitj%  how  often  they  turn  round  on  their 
owm  a.\is,  and  how  often  they  perform  their 
circuit  around  the  sun.  This  knowledge  is 
gained  partly  by  the  telescope,  but  chiefly  by 
calculations  in  figures,  called  mathematics. 
Among  the  planets,  there  is  one  called 
Uranus,  which  was  discovered  by  Herschcl, 
in  the  year  17S1 ;  it  is  not  visible  to  the 
naked  eye,  and  can  only  be  seen  by  the 
telescope.    The  distance  of  this  planet  from 


lOS 


MATTHEW    HOPKINS. 


the  sun  is  about  eighteen  hundred  millions 
of  miles,  and  its  average  distance  from  us 
about  the  same.  Yet  philosophers  have 
found  out  some  strange  things  in  regard  to 
this  far-off  planet.  They  perceived  that, 
in  moving  around  the  sun,  it  deviated 
slightly  from  its  orbit,  or  regular  track. 

This  led  to  the  supposition  that  there 
must  be  some  planet  in  that  quarter  which 
attracted  it,  and  drew  it  aside,  thus  giving 
it  an  irregular  and  bending  course.  How 
was  this  planet  to  be  discovered  ?  The  tel- 
escopes had  swept  the  heavens  over  without 
finding  it.  Where  the  spaces  are  so  im- 
mense, it  seemed  a  hopeless  task  to  under- 
take to  find  this  new  world,  and  which, 
indeed,  was  only  supposed  to  exist. 

It  seems,  however,  that  this  difficulty  did 
not  prevent  the  attempt  being  made.  Two 
young  men,  one  by  the  name  of  Adams,  in 
England,  and  another  by  the  name  of  Le 
Verrier,  in  Paris,  undertook  to  trace  out 
the  hiding-place  of  the  planet.  They  pro- 
ceeded merely  on  mathematical  principles. 
They  got  accurate  tables  of  the  deviations 
made  by  Uranus,  and  which  had  been  noted 
down  by  astronomers  ;  they  then  calculated 
how  large  and  how  distant  the  body  must 
be  that  would  thus  draw  Uranus  aside. 

The  two  young  men  proceeded  for  several 
years,  making  the  most  profound  calcula- 
tions. Neither  of  them  knew  that  the  other 
was  at  work,  but  they  both  came  to  the 
same  conclusion.  Le  Verrier  wrote  to  an 
astronomer  in  Germany,  who  had  a  very 
fine  telescope,  "  Point  your  glass,"  said  he, 
"  to  such  a  particular  quarter  of  the  heavens, 
and,  if  my  calculations  are  right,  you  will 
there  discover  a  planet  of  the  eighth  mag- 
nitude." The  astronomer  did  as  he  was 
directed,  and  there,  in  the  precise  place 
which  the  young  man  had  pointed  out,  was 
the  new  world. 

It  was  of  the  size  he  had  foretold,  and 
therefore  only  visible  to  telescopes  of  high 
magnitude.  Its  distance  from  us  is  thirty- 
five  hundred  millions  of  miles. 

What  an  amazing  discovery  was  this  ! 
and  what  power  does  it  show  in  the  human 
mind,  thus  to  find  out  a  planet  hid  in  the 
remote  depths  of  space,  and  that  by  calcu- 
lation alone  ! 

Le  Verrier,  having  been  the  first  to  make 
the  new  star  known  to  the  world,  was  con- 
sidered as  its  discoverer.  Accordingly,  he 
has  received  the  greatest  honors  from  emi- 
nent men  in  Europe  ;  he  is  now  esteemed 
one  of  the  ablest  mathematicians  of  the 
age. 


MATTHEW   HOPKINS. 

About  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago, 
the  reality  of  witchcraft  was  very  generally 
admitted  throughout  Europe.  The  belief 
in  the  active  agency  of  the  Spirit  of  Evil 
in  human  affairs,  had  existed  among  Chris- 
tians from  the  earliest  period,  and  the  le- 
gends of  saints,  their  trials  and  temptations, 
in  which  the  devil  plays  so  important  a  part, 
served  to  e.xtend  and  confirm  these  popular 
notions.  At  last,  the  direct  agency  of  dia- 
bolical powers,  and  its  open  manifestation, 
was  assumed,  and,  at  the  period  of  which 
we  speak,  was  held  to  be  a  point  of  Christian 
faith.  The  pious  Baxter  considered  the 
disbelief  of  witchcraft  as  equivalent  to  infi- 
delity ;  the  just  and  sagacious  Sir  Matthew 
Hale  admitted  its  reality,  and  pronounced 
sentence  against  those  who  were  convicted 
of  it ;  and,  alas  !  the  pedantic  king  James  I., 
of  England,  WTOte  a  book  entitled  "  Daemon- 
ologia,  or  a  Discourse  on  Witchcraft." 

The  purpose  of  this  work  was  to  prove 
the  reality  of  witchcraft,  its  prevalence 
among  mankind,  its  great  enormity,  and 
the  means  of  its  detection  and  punishment. 
Its  effect  was  to  extend  the  belief  in  witch- 
craft, and,  of  course,  to  multiply  the  appar- 
ent instances  of  it  existence.  The  insane 
fancies  of  diseased  minds,  unusual  phe- 
nomena of  nature,  and  the  artful  machinery 
of  designing  malignity,  ambition,  or  hypoc- 
risy, were  all  laid  at  Satan's  door.  Of  the 
horrors  that  followed,  history  furnishes  a 
melancholy  account.     It  is  supposed  that 


109 


I  thirty  thousand  persons  were  executed  for 
witchcraft  in  England,  from  the  year  1500 
to  1722.  The  same  dreadful  delusion 
prevailed  in  other  parts  of  Europe,  and 
extended  in  due  time  to  this  countr}' ;  and 
about  the  year  1692,  twenty  persons  were 
executed  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  for  the 
crime  of  witchcraft. 

During  the  period  in  which  this  fearful 
mania  was  prevalent  in  England,  Matthew 
Hopkins,  denominated  Witch-Fhider  Gen- 
eral, acted  a  conspicuous  part.  He  pre- 
tended to  be  a  great  critic  in  special  marks 
or  signs  of  witchcraft.  Moles,  warts,  scor- 
butic spots,  were,  in  his  eyes,  teats  to 
suckle  imps,  and  were  sufficient  evidences 
to  bring  a  victim  to  the  halter.  He  was 
assisted  by  one  John  Stern,  a  kindred  ge- 
nius, and  in  the  years  1644,  1645,  and 
1646,  they  brought  a  great  number  of  poor 
wretches  to  the  fatal  tree.  Matthew  him- 
self hung,  in  one  year,  no  less  than  sixty 
reputed  witches  of  his  own  county  of  Essex. 
He  received  twenty  shillings  a  head,  from 
the  public  authorities,  for  every  witch  he 
discovered.  The  old,  the  ignorant,  and 
the  indigent,  —  such  as  could  neither  plead 
their  own  cause  nor  hire  an  advocate, — 
were  the  miserable  victims  of  his  credulity, 
avarice,  and  spleen. 

When  other  evidences  of  guilt  were 
wanting,  Hopkins  adopted  the  trial  by 
water,  which  had  been  suggested  by  king 
James,  who  remarks,  that,  "  as  some  per- 
sons have  renounced  their  baptism  by 
water,  so  water  refuses  to  receive  them." 
Those  accused  of  diabolical  practices,  there- 
fore, were  thrown  into  a  pond.  If  they 
floated  or  swam,  according  to  king  James' 
notion,  the  water  refused  to  receive  them, 
and  they  were  therefore  guilty.  These 
were  consequently  taken  out,  and  burnt 
or  hanged.  If  they  were  innocent,  they 
sunk,  and  were  only  drowned. 

Suspicion  was  at  last  turned  against 
Hopkins  himself,  and  the  ordeal  of  swim- 
ming was  applied  in  his  own  case.  In 
consequence  of  this  experiment,  he  was 
convicted  and  executed  as  a  wizard.  An 
allusion  to  this  extraordinary  character  is 
made  in  the  third  canto  of  Hudibras,  who 
says,  — 

"  Has  not  the  present  parliament 
A  lodger  to  ilic  devil  scnl, 
Fully  empowered  to  treat  about 
Finding  revolted  witches  out  1 
And  has  he  not,  within  a  year, 
Hanged  threescore  of  them  in  one  shire  7  " 

Happily  for  mankind,  the  belief  in  witch- 
craft is  now  generally  treated  as  a  delusion. 


GASSENDI. 

Pierre  Gassendf,  one  of  the  most  famous 
naturalists  and  philosophers  of  France,  was 
born  at  Chantersier,  January  22,  1592,  of 
poor  parents.  They  were,  however,  wise 
and  virtuous  people,  and,  perceiving  the 
extraordinary  gifts  of  their  son,  did  every- 
thing in  tlicir  power  to  promote  his  educa- 
tion. At  the  age  of  four  years,  young 
Pierre  used  to  declaim  little  sermons  of  his 
owTi  composition,  which  were  quite  inter- 
esting. At  die  age  of  seven,  he  would 
steal  away  from  his  parents,  and  sjx;nd  a 
great  part  of  the  night  in  observing  the 
stars.  This  made  his  friends  say  he  was 
born  an  astronomer.  At  this  age,  he  had 
a  dispute  with  some  boys,  whether  it  was 
the  ijioon  or  the  clouds  that  moved  so  rap- 
idly ;  to  convince  them  it  was  the  latter,  he 
took  them  behind  a  tree,  and  made  thein 
take  notice  tliat  the  moon  kept  its  situation 
between  the  same  leaves,  while  the  clouds 
passed  on. 

This  early  disposition  to  observation  led 
his  parents  to  place  him  under  the  care  of 
the  clergj'man  of  the  village,  who  gave  him 
the  first  elements  of  learning.  His  ardor 
for  study  then  became  extreme  ;  the  day 
was  not  long  enough  for  him  ;  and  he  often 
read  a  great  part  of  the  night,  by  (he  light 
of  the  lamp  that  was  burning  in  the  church 
of  the  village,  his  family  being  too  poor  to 
allow  him  candles  for  his  nocturnal  studies. 
He  often  took  only  four  hours'  sleep  in  the 
night.  At  the  age  of  ten,  he  harangued 
his  bishop  in  Latin,  who  was  passing 
through  the  village  on  his  visitation  ;  and 


;  no 


THE    POLYGAHS. 


he  did  this  with  such  ease  and  spirit,  that 
the  prolate  exclaimed,  "That  lad  will,  one 
day  or  other,  be  the  wonder  of  his  age." 
The  modest  and  unassuming  conduct  of 
Gassendi  gave  an  additional  charm  to  his 
talents. 

In  his  manners,  this  remarkable  youth 
was  generally  silent,  never  ostentatiously 
obtruding  upon  others  either  the  acuteness 
of  his  understanding  or  the  eloquence  of 
his  conversation.  He  was  never  in  a  hurry 
to  give  his  opinion,  before  he  knew  that  of 
the  persons  who  were  conversing  with  him. 
When  men  of  learning  introduced  them- 
selves to  him,  he  was  contented  with  be- 
having to  them  with  great  civility,  and 
was  not  anxious  to  surprise  them  into  admi- 
ration. The  entire  tendency  of  his  studies 
was  to  make  himself  wiser  and  better ;  and, 
to  have  his  intention  more  constantly  before 
his  eyes,  he  had  all  his  books  inscribed  with 
these  words  —  Sapere  aude  ;  "  Dare  to  be 
wise." 

Such  was  Gassendi's  reputation,  that  at 
sixteen  he  was  called  to  teach  rhetoric  at 
the  seminary  of  Digne.     In  1614,  he  was 


made  professor  of  theology  in  the  same 
institution  ;  and,  two  years  after,  he  was 
invited  to  fill  the  chair  of  divinity  and 
philosophy  at  Aix.  After  passing  through 
various  promotions,  and  publishing  several 
works  of  great  merit  on  pliilosophital  sub- 
jects, Gassendi  went  at  last  to  Paris,  where 
he  gained  the  friendship  of  Cardinal  liiche- 
lieu,  and  shared  the  admiration  of  the 
learned  world  with  the  famous  philosopher 
Descartes. 

Being  appointed  a  professor  of  mathe- 
matics in  the  College  Royal  of  Paris,  he 
gave  his  attention  to  astronomical  subjects, 
and  greatly  increased  his  reputation.  After 
a  life  devoted  to  science,  in  which  his 
achievements  were  wonderful,  he  died  at 
Paris,  October  14,  1655,  aged  sixty-three 
years.  Distinguished  by  his  vast  learning, 
his  admirable  clearness  of  mind,  the  diver- 
sity of  his  acquirements,  the  calmness  and 
dignity  of  his  character,  and  the  amiable- 
ness  of  his  manners,  Gassendi  was  one  of 
the  brightest  ornaments  of  his  age  and  of 
human  nature. 


THE   POLYGARS. 


These  people  are  mountaineers  of  Hin- 
dostan.  They  inhabit  the  thick  woody 
fastnesses  of  that  country,  and  practise 
robbery  as  a  profession  during  peace  ;  but, 
in  time  of  war,  they  act  as  regular  soldiers 


in  the  defence  of  their  countrj'  against  ii- 
vaders. 

They  derive  their  name  from  the  pollams, 
or  thick  forests,  which  exist  abundantly  in 
all  the  southern  part  of  Hindostan.     They 


i 


APOLLONIUS    TYANiEUS. 


Ill 


have  a  sort  of  government,  organized  under 
military  leaders,  and  levy  Made  mail,  as  the 
Scotch  call  it,  upon  their  neighbors  ;  that 
is,  they  tax  them  for  protecting  their  prop- 
erty, or  for  abstaining  from  plundering  it. 
The  people  of  Hindostan  are  under  the  ne- 
cessity of  tolerating  this  singular  banditti ; 
many  of  the  Polygar  chieftains  are  so 
powerful  as  to  be  able  to  bring  15,000  or 


20,000  men  into  the  field.  When  they  are 
not  paid  for  sparing  a  territory,  thev  seize 
the  cattle,  cut  and  carrj'  oflf  the  crops  of 
grain,  &c.  If  they  meet  with  opposition, 
they  commit  murder ;  yet,  wlien  a  war 
breaks  out,  the  inhabitants  intrust  to  these 
bands,  for  protection,  their  old  an<l  infirm 
people,  their  wives,  their  children,  and  their 
treasures. 


APOLLONIUS  TYAN.EUS. 


Apollonius  —  whose  surname  of  T y- 
anajus  is  derived  from  Tyana,  a  city  of 
Cappadocia,  in  Asia  Minor,  the  place  where 
he  was  bom  —  is  one  of  the  most  remarlca- 
ble  characters  in  all  antiquity.  By  some 
writers  he  has  been  regarded  as  a  philoso- 
l)hcr  and  sage,  by  some  as  a  fanatic,  and 
by  others  as  a  crafty  impostor.  During  his 
lifetime,  he  was  reverenced  as  a  divine  per- 
son, and  after  his  death  he  was  even  wor- 
shipped as  a  god. 


In  the  story  of  his  life,  it  is  difficult  to 
separate  the  facts  from  the  exaggerations 
and  inventions  which  have  been  added  by 
his  biographers.  We  shall  relate  what  is 
said  of  him  by  ancient  authors,  and  what 
was  firmly  believed  by  his  followers  and 
admirers,  though  much  of  this  is  fabulous. 

He  was  born,  as  above  stated,  at  Tyana, 
four  years  before  Christ.  Wonders  are 
said  to  have  marked  the  hour  of  his  birth. 
A  marvellous  flash  of  lightning  fell  from 


112 


AFOLLONIUS    TYAN^US. 


the  slcy,  and  darted  back  again  ;  the  swans 
in  a  meadow  flocked  round  him,  clapping 
their  wings  with  an  unearthly  sound,  &c. 
But  similar  tales  are  told  of  Mohammed, 
and  numerous  other  persons,  who  from 
obscure  birth  have  raised  themselves  to 
celebrity. 

The  father  of  Apollonius  was  a  rich  citi- 
zen of  Tyana,  and  he  sent  his  son  to  be 
educated  at  Tarsus,  in  Cilicia.  But  the 
young  man,  disliking  the  luxury  and  indo- 
lence of  the  people  of  this  place,  obtained 
leave  to  remove  to  jEgK,  a  town  not  far 
distant,  where  he  pursued  the  study  of  phi- 
losophy, undisturbed  by  the  dissipation  of 
the  greater  city.  He  embraced  the  doc- 
trines of  Pythagoras,  who,  in  imitation  of 
the  Egyptian  priests,  subjected  his  pupils 
to  a  strict  course  of  discipline.  They  were 
compelled  to  begin  their  studies  by  a 
silence  of  five  years,  during  which  time, 
they  had  the  privilege  of  listening,  but 
were  not  allowed  to  speak  a  single  word. 
Even  afterwards,  they  were  expected  al- 
ways to  discourse  with  moderation.  They 
were  obliged  to  throw  all  their  property  into 
a  common  stock,  and  to  abstain  from  eating 
beans,  and  certain  other  articles  of  food. 

In  conformity  to  the  institutions  of  Py- 
thagoras, the  young  philosopher  Apollo- 
nius refrained  from  animal  food,  and  lived 
entirely  upon  fruits  and  herbs.  He  wore 
linen  garments,  walked  barefooted,  and  suf- 
fered his  hair  to  grow  to  its  full  length.  In 
the  town  of  JEgs  was  a  temple  consecrated 
to  the  god  ^sculapius,  which  was  famous 
through  all  the  country  for  its  miraculous 
cures  performed  upon  sick  persons  by  the 
god  of  health.  The  priests  of  this  temple 
found  means  to  persuade  their  credulous 
votaries  that  the  god'  himself  sometimes 
condescended  to  become  visible  to  mortals. 

Apollonius  took  up  his  residence  in  this 
temple,. and  is  supposed  to  have  been  ini- 
tiated by  the  priests  into  their  arts  of  im- 
posture. He  went  through  a  probation- 
ary discipline  of  five  years'  silence,  during 
which  time  he  travelled  and  visited  various 
cities  of  Pamphylia  and  Cicilia,  without 
speaking  a  word ;  yet,  by  his  looks  and 
gestures,  conveying  to  the  people  instruc- 
tion and  admonition. 

At  the  city  of  Aspenda,  the  corn-specu- 
lators had  made  an  artificial  famine,  by 
buying  up  all  the  grain.  A  riot  was  the 
consequence,  and  the  whole  city  Avas 
thrown  into  confusion.  Apollonius  was 
walking  in  the  market-place  during  the 
tumult.  The  men,  women,  and  children, 
were    running   up   and    down,  crying   out 


that  they  were  starving ;  and  the  more 
furious  of  them  anned  themselves  with 
firebrands,  lighted  fagots,  and  torches,  to 
burn  the  governor  of  the  city  alive.  Apol- 
lonius made  signs  to  the  people  to  be  quiet; 
he  then  took  a  style  and  tablet,  and  wrote 
as  follows  to  the  corn-speculators  :  — 

"  The  earth,  the  common  mother  of  all, 
is  just.  But  ye,  being  unjust,  would  make 
her  a  bountiful  mother  to  yourselves  alone. 
Leave  ofT  your  dishonest  traffic,  or  you  shall 
no  longer  be  suffered  to  Uve."  This  was 
read  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  multitude, 
and  produced  so  instantaneous  an  efTect 
that  the  speculators  immediately  opened 
their  stores,  and  relieved  the  people.  This 
transaction  was  exaggerated  into  a  miracle  ; 
but  we  see  nothing  in  it  more  than  the 
operation  of  natural  causes. 

After  the  termination  of  his  noviciate  of 
silence,  Apollonius  visited  Antioch,  Ephe- 
sus,  and  other  cities,  where  he  collected  a 
train  of  disciples,  whom  he  instructed  by 
his  lectures  and  conversation.  He  also 
delivered  harangues  in  public,  inculcating 
good  morals  and  orderly  habits.  He  then 
resolved  to  travel,  by  the  way  of  Babylon, 
to  India,  in  order  to  visit  the  Brahmins, 
whose  wisdom  was  famous  all  over  the 
East.  His  disciples  had  not  the  courage 
to  accompany  him  on  so  long  a  journey, 
and  he  travelled  with  only  three  compan- 
ions. One  of  tliese,  named  Damis,  wrote 
an  account  of  this  journey,  and  informs  us 
that  Apollonius  understood  all  languages, 
even  those  of  animals  ;  and  that  he  could 
even  read  the  thoughts  of  men. 

On  his  way  to  Babylon,  Apollonius,  see- 
ing a  lioness,  with  eight  whelps,  killed  by 
some  huntsmen,  predicted  to  Damis  that 
the  time  of  their  stay  with  the  king  of 
Babylon  would  be  a  year  and  eight  months, 
which  of  course  came  to  pass.  He  was 
received  by  the  monarch  with  great  favor, 
and  so  delighted  him  with  the  wisdom  of 
his  discourse,  that  the  king  gave  him  the 
privilege  of  asking  twelve  gifts.  But  the 
philosopher  demanded  nothing  e.xcept  food 
for  his  journey.  The  king  gave  him  camels 
to  ride  upon  and  to  carry  his  provisions. 
He  crossed  the  lofty  mountains  on  the 
north  of  Hindostan  ;  and  here,  we  are  told, 
on  a  moonlight  night,  the  travellers  met 
one  of  those  ghosts,  or  hobgoblins,  called 
by  the  Greeks  an  enipusa.  His  companions 
were  very  much  frightened  ;  but  Apollonius 
cried  out  lustily,  and  called  the  hobgoblin 
all  the  hard  names  he  could  invent,  on 
which  it  immediately  gave  a  loud  shriek 
and  disappeared.     Such  is  the  Greek  ghost- 


APOLLOMUS    TYA>'JEUS. 


113 


story,  and  it  is  probably  as  true  as  most 
others  of  this  character. 

Having  crossed  the  mountains,  they  ar- 
rived at  a  city  called  Taxila,  which  was  the 
residence  of  the  Indian  king.  This  mon- 
arch, Phraortes,  a  descendant  of  Porus,  paid 
great  attention  to  Apollonius,  and  recom- 
mended him  to  the  chief  Brahmins  These 
men,  we  are  told,  revealed  to  him  all  their 
secrets,  and  compelled  him  to  recognize 
their  superiority  in  working  miracles.  It 
is  supposed  that  the  art  of  jugglery,  which 
the  Hindoos  of  the  present  day  practise 
with  such  astonishing  efll'ct,  was  also  well 
known  at  that  time,  and  that,  by  the  ac- 
quisition of  this  knowledge,  Apollonius 
was  enabled  to  perform  the  feats  which 
afterwards  gained  him  the  character  of  a 
magician. 

Having  travelled  over  India,  he  returned 
to  Europe  by  the  way  of  the  Red  Sea.  So 
great  was  the  fame  which  he  had  now  ac- 
quired, that,  when  he  entered  Ephesus,  the 
whole  population  of  the  city  crowded  to  see 
him.  Even  the  artisans  and  lahorcrs  left 
their  work  to  follow  him  through  the 
streets.  The  Ephesians  were  notorious  for 
their  profligate  manners  ;  Apollonius  threat- 
ened them  with  a  pestilence  unless  they 
reformed.  After  he  had  left  the  city,  the 
jilague  made  its  appearance  there.  The 
inhabitants  sent  messengers  to  Apollonius, 
who  was  then  at  Smyrna,  requesting  him  to 
drive  away  the  plague.  In  the  twinkling 
of  an  eve,  we  are  told,  he  transported  him- 
self to  Ephesus,  and  appeared  in  tlie  midst 
of  a  crowd  at  the  theatre.  He  pointed  to 
a  beggar,  and  ordered  the  people  to  stone 
him.  They  immediately  showered  stones 
upon  him,  till  he  was  covered  under  an 
enormous  heap.  The  next  day,  Apollonius 
ordered  them  to  remove  the  stones  ;  when 
lo  !  the  beggar  had  disappeared,  and  a  dog 
was  found  in  his  place,  into  which  the 
demon  of  the  plague  had  entered,  and  the 
ravages  of  the  pestilence  instantly  ceased. 

Apollonius  then  visited  Pergamus,  and 
the  seat  of  ancient  Troy.  He  passed  a 
night  alone  at  the  tomb  of  Achilles,  where, 
as  we  are  told,  he  raised  that  hero  from  the 
dead  by  the  power  of  an  incantation  which 
he  had  learned  in  India,  and  held  a  conver- 
sation with  him.  He  then  made  a  tour 
through  the  cities  of  Greece,  visiting  Ath- 
ens, Sparta,  Olympia,  and  other  famous 
places.  He  addressed  the  people  with  great 
eloquence  in  the  character  of  a  reformer, 
exhorting  them  to  amend  their  vicious  man- 
ners. At  Athens,  he  is  said  to  have  cured 
a  demoniac,  on  which  occasion,  the  demon 


who  was  cast  out  made  his  escape  with 
such  fury  as  to  throw  down  a  marble  statiie 
which  stood  near  him.  While  he  was  in 
the  Island  of  Crete,  an  eartliquake  took 
place  ;  and  Apollonius,  in  the  midst  of  the 
shock,  cried  out,  "  The  sea  is  bringing  forth 
land  I "  At  this  instant,  we  are  assured, 
an  island  rose  out  of  the  sea  between  Crete 
and  Therae. 

From  Crete  he  went  to  Rome,  where 
the  Emperor  Nero  had  just  issued  an  edict 
banishing  from  the  city  all  persons  who 
practised  magical  arts.  Apollonius  knew 
that  he  should  be  comprehended  in  this 
description  ;  but  he  was  not  to  he  deterred 
from  his  purpose.  He  boldly  ventured  into 
the  city,  and  being  arrested  and  carried 
before  the  magistrates,  he  intimidated  his 
judges  by  restoring  to  life  the  dead  body 
of  a  noble  lady,  and  predicting  an  eclipse 
of  the  sun. 

Apollonius  next  went  to  Spain,  where  he 
raised  a  sedition  against  Nero.  He  then 
visited  Africa,  the  south  of  Italy,  and  Sicily, 
where  he  heard  of  the  death  of  Nero.  He 
aftenvards  travelled  in  Egypt  and  Ethiopia, 
and  sought  to  discover  the  sources  of  the 
Nile.  Vespasian  was  then  endeavoring 
to  establish  his  power  in  E^'pt.  That 
prince  knew  the  value  of  such  an  auxiliary 
as  Apollonius,  who  appears  to  have  been 
well  practised  in  the  arts  of  gaining  popu- 
larity ;  and  he' attached  him  to  his  interest 
by  consulting  him  as  a  sort  of  divine  oracle. 
In  return,  the  philosopher  employed  his  in- 
fluence among  the  people  in  favor  of  Ves- 
pasian. 

He  was  also  consulted  on  matters  of 
government  by  Titus,  the  successor  of 
Vespasian.  When  this  prince  refused  a 
crown  of  victory  for  capturing  Jerusalem. 
Apollonius  wrote  him  this  laconic  epistle  : 
"Apollonius  to  Titus,  emperor  of  the  Ro- 
mans, sendeth  greeting.  Since  you  refuse 
to  be  applauded  for  bloodshed  and  victory 
in  war,  I  send  you  the  crown  of  modera- 
tion. You  know  to  what  kind  of  merit 
crowns  are  due." 

When  Domitian  became  emperor,  Apol- 
lonius declared  against  him,  and  took  the 
part  of  his  rival,  Nerva.  For  this  he  was 
arrested  and  carried  to  Rome.  There,  he 
was  arraigned  before  the  emperor;  and,  in- 
stead of  being  intimidated  by  his  presence, 
he  launched  out  into  praises  of  Nerva. 
Domitian  ordered  him  to  be  thrown  into 
prison,  and  loaded  with  chains  ;  and  some 
days  afterward  he  was  earned  into  court 
and  put  upon  a  formal  trial.  In  the  midst 
of  the  pleadings,  as  the  story  is  related,  he 


16 


114 


GAU.   INSECTS. 


suddenly  vanished  from  sight,  and  trans- 
ported himself  to  Puteoli,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  distant. 

From  Italy  he  made  his  escape  into 
Greece,  and  thence  into  Asia  Minor,  where, 
after  many  rambles,  he  settled  at  Ephesus. 
Here  he  established  a  school  or  college  for 
teaching  the  Pythagorean  philosophy,  and 
collected  many  disciples  and  students.  In 
this  place,  one  of  the  most  marvellous  events 
of  his  life  took  place,  as  it  is  related 
by  the  historian  Dion  Cassius.  Apollonius 
was  in  the  midst  of  a  public  lecture,  when 
suddenly  he  stopped  short,  and,  changing 
his  tone,  exclaimed,  "  Well  done.  Stephen  I 
take  courage,  kill  the  tyrant!  kill  him!" 
Then,  after  a  short  pause,  he  exclaimed, 
"  The  tyrant  is  dead  ! "  At  that  very  mo- 
ment Domitian  was  assassinated  in  Rome 
by  a  person  named  Stephen.  Some  writers 
explain  this  extraordinary  occurrence  by  sup- 
posing Apollonius  to  have  been  previously 
acquainted  with  the  plot  which  led  to  the 
tyrant's  death. 

After  this  we  hear  nothing  of  Apollonius, 
except  that  Nerva  wrote  to  him  on  his  ac- 
cession to  the  empire,  soliciting  the  aid  of 
his  counsels,  and  that  he  returned  the  fol- 
lowing answer :  "  O  emperor,  we  shall  live 
togethsr  during  a  very  long  period,  in 
which  we  shall  have  no  authority  over 
others,  nor  shall  others  have  any  authority 
over  us."  This  is  considered  as  intimating 
his  expectation  that  they  would  soon  live 
together  in  another  world.  Concerning  the 
time,  place,  or  manner  of  the  death  of  Apol- 
lonius, we  have  no  certain  information,  un- 
less we  are  disposed  to  credit  a  miraculous 
account,  to  the  following  purport :  — 

He  was  condemned  to  death  by  the  Cre- 
tans ;  and  after  being  loaded  with  chains, 
was  shut  up  in  the  temple  of  Dictynna,  to 
be  devoured  by  dogs.  When  the  temple 
was  reopened,  Apollonius  was  not  to  be 
found  ;  the  chains  were  discovered  shattered 
to  pieces,  and  voices  of  invisible  virgins 
were  heard  proclaiming  his  elevation  to  the 
skies.  So  much  for  the  Cretan  story;  but 
all  accounts  agree  that  he  lived  to  the  age 
of  ninet3'-seven. 

Such  is  the  outline  of  the  history  of  this 
extraordinary  man,  as  transmitted  to  us  by 
the  writers  of  antiquity.  It  is  not  easy  to 
conjecture  what  part  of  these  marvels  are 
pure  impostures,  and  what  part  are  exag- 
gerations of  real  events.  Apollonius  was 
certainly  a  man  of  uncommon  talent,  and 
vv'as  doubtless  one  of  those  pretenders  to  mi- 
raculous power,  who  were  not  uncommon 
in    his  age.      His   great  celebrity  appears 


from  numerous  attestations  to  be  foimd  in 
ancient  history.  In  liis  lifetime  he  wa? 
called  a  god,  and  accepted  that  appellation, 
saying  that  every  good  man  ought  to  be 
honored  with  it.  After  his  death,  he  long 
continued  to  be  ranked  among  the  divini- 
ties. The  inhabitants  of  Tj'ana  dedicated 
a  temple    to    his    name.      The     Ephesians 

I  erected  a  statue  to  him,  in  commemoration 
of  his  delivering  them  from  the  plague. 
The  Emperor  Aurelian  refrained  from  sack- 
ing Tyana,  out  of  reverence  to  his  memory. 

I  Divine  honors  were  paid  to  him  by  many 
of  the  emperors,  and  magical  virtue  was 
attributed  to  his  name. 

It  is  very  certain  that  Apollonius  imposed 
not  only  upon  the  vulgar  and  the  ignorant, 
but  upon  those  who  called  themselves  en- 
lightened. The  most  probable  supposition 
is,  that,  like  his  master  Pythagoras,  he 
varied  his  arts  of  delusion  according  to 
the  character  of  those  with  whom  he  dealt. 
With  wise  men  he  acted  the  part  of  a  phi- 
losopher ;  and  among  the  vulgar  he  passed 
himself  off  for  a  magician.  Of  his  motives 
of  action,  we  can  only  form  a  conjecture ; 
but  he  seems  to  have  been  infected  with 
the  very  common  failing  of  a  desire  to  excite 
the  astonishment  of  mankind  by  any  meanu 
that  lay  in  his  power.  His  efforts  appear 
to  have  been  crowned  with  great  success ; 
but  how  he  was  able  to  practise  his  decep- 
tions through  a  long  life,  undetected,  it  is 
impossible  for  us  to  conjecture. 


GALL   INSECTS. 

These  are  bred  in  an  excrescence  of  a 
species  of  oak  which  grows  in  Africa,  and 
are  formed  by  a  kind  of  fly,  which  bores 
into   the  bark  of  the  tree,  for  a  place  in 


i 


ANCIENT    CASTLES. 


115 


which  to  deposit  its  eggs.  The  sap  of  the 
tree  hardens  round  the  egg,  gi-o\vs  with 
the  growth  of  the  tree,  and  becomes  what 
we  call  the  gall-nut,  and  which  is  used  for 
dyeing.     The  worm  that  is  hatched  within 


this  spacious  vault  lives  upon  the  sub- 
stance of  tlie  ball,  till  after  its  change  into 
a  chrysalis  and  tlien  a  fly,  when  it  eats  its 
way  through  into  the  air,  and  gains  its 
freedom. 


r  nl  dlt.ukiriL^  ,1  cx^lle  iii  the  iiiiiMlo  rt^c.^. 


ANCIENT   CASTLES. 


In  ancient  times,  when  war  was  common, 
Kinijs  and  chiefs  or  Barons  used  to  live  in 
stronp;  places, called  castles.  These  consisted 
of  high  stone  walls,  built  so  as  to  enclose  a 
square  piece  of  ground  in  the  centre,  called 
the  court.  They  were,  in  fact,  quailrangular 
buildinrjs,  with  a  great  many  rooms  in  them. 
They  were  contrived  so  that  the  king  or 
chief  to  whom  they  belonged  might  shut 
liiiiisclf  in,  with  all  his  soldiers,  and  thus 
defend  himself  from  armies  witliout. 

The  castle  had  always  a  well  for  water ; 
stables  for  horses,  and  room  for  their  food  ; 
it  had  places  for  soldiers  ;  dimgeons  for  pris- 
oners ;  and  apartments  for  many  hundreds 
of  people.  In  time  of  war,  all  the  people 
round  about  would  flock  to  the  castle,  and 
there  they  would  live,  sometimes  for  months. 

Castles  were  usually  built  upon  lofty 
pieces  of  ground,  the  access  to  which  was 
very  difTicult.  These  were  generally  sur- 
rounded by  deep  ditches,  filled  with  water, 
across  which  an  enemy  could  not  easily 
pass.  Over  this  was  a  bridge  for  the  use 
of  the  people  of  the  castle,  which  was  taken 


away  whenever  any  fear  of  an  enemy  was 
entertained. 

Castles  had  tower.'',  generally  at  the  four 
comers,  and  sometimes  each  side  of  tlie  gate. 
These  were  of  a  circular  form,  and  had  loop- 
holes, like  narrow  windows,  out  of  which 
the  soldiers  within  shot  their  arrows. 

Sometimes  a  castle  would  be  besieged  for 
months,  by  armies  encoinjiassing  it.  The 
army  without  would  try  every  means  to  get 
into  the  castle,  or  kill  the  people.  They 
would  shoot  tl'.eir  arrows  with  cross-bows, 
and  endeavor  to  knock  down  the  walls  with 
battering-rams. 

In  travelling  over  Europe,  the  ruins  of 
many  castles  arc  still  to  be  seen.  Few  are 
met  with  which  are  in  good  repair,  as  over 
all  Europe  the  people  are  now  governed  by 
laAVS  which  afford  protection,  without  resort- 
ing to  castles.  These  are,  therefore,  but 
little  used  at  the  present  day ;  and  even  in 
cases  where  they  are  f  till  occupied,  it  is  gen- 
erally as  dwellings,  and  not  as  strong-holds 
for  safety  against  enemies. 


;: 


Slalue  of  Guileiiburgh,  at  Suaslwurg. 


THE  PKESS. 


This  is  the  great  instrument  by  which 
liuinan  knowledge  is  recorded  and  dissemi- 
nated. It  is  the  Printi7ig  Press,  which 
speaks  with  a  thousand  tongues,  —  which 
carries  light  everywhere,  —  which  analyzes 
all  things,  —  which  penetrates  all  things,  — 


which  has  become  a  1,-^ver  of  more -fewer 
than  that  which  Archimedes  dreamed.  It 
is  a  lever  that  not  oiily  moves  the  woi  Id, 
but  while  it  moves,  it  also  benefits  mankind. 
It  agitates,  —  it  ploughs  up  the  surface  of 
society,  but  it  produces  in  the  place  of  weeds 


THE    PRESS. 


in 


the  legitimate  and  useful  fruits  of  cultivation. 
It  soinjtimes  sweeps  and  rends  like  the 
tempest,  but  it  purifies  the  air,  and  gives 
the  shrub  and  tree  and  flower  its  refreshing 
rain.  It  brings  good  from  what  might  seem 
to  be  evil,  and,  as  it  leaves  each  successive 
generation  better,  wiser,  and  happier,  it  may 
reconcile  us  to  that  otherwise  disheartening 
fluctuation,  which  is  written  on  the  face  of 
all  human  things. 

The  history  of  the  press  is  in  the  highest 
degree  interesting ;  at  the  same  time,  it  is 
familiar  to  most  readers.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  our  purpose  to  do  more  than  give  it 
a  very  general  notice. 

Of  the  several  European  claimants  to  the 
invention  of  printing,  Guttenburgh,  of  ]\Ientz, 
in  Germany,  seems  entitled  to  tiie  preference ; 
and  it  would  appear  that  he  had  succeeded 
in  his  experiment  about  the  year  1444.  In 
1455,  ho  produced  his  forty-two  lined  Bible, 
as  it  is  called,  because  each  column  con- 
sisted of  just  forty-two  lines.  Faustus,  one 
of  his  partners,  after  separating  from  him, 
devoted  himself  to  the  printing  of  Latin  and 
German  Bibles.  It  was  matter  of  astonish- 
ment that  ho  could  produce  them  with  such 
celerity,  for,  before,  books  were  only  written 
with  the  pen.  In  those  days  a  copy  of  the 
Bible  was  worth  a  good  house  ami  f^rm, 
and  the  monks,  who  derived  considerable 
sums  from  writing  them,  seeking  to  turn 
tlie  current  against  Faustus,  attributed  his 
mvention  to  the  assistance  of  the  DovU. 
When  Faustus  paid  a  visit  to  Paris  to  dis- 
pose of  his  books,  the  charge  of  sorcery  was 
raised  against  him,  and  to  save  his  life,  he 
suddenly  disappeared  from  the  city.  Tliis 
gave  rise  to  the  popular  legend,  that  he  was 
carried  ofl"by  his  sable  Majesty.  The  part- 
nership firm  of  "The  Devil  and  Dr.  Faus- 
tus" is  familiar,  even  in  our  day. 

The  invention  of  printing  was  kept  secret 
for  a  time,  but  about  the  year  1462,  several 
of  the  workmen  who  had  been  employed  by 
the  originators  of  the  art,  at  Mentz,  estab- 
lished presses  in  difTerent  parts  of  Germany, 
and  also  in  Italy  and  France.  From  this 
period,  it  rapidly  extended  itself  over  Europe, 
and  has  ever  since  been  making  progress  as 
well  in  the  facility  and  cheapness  with 
which  printing  is  performed,  as  in  the  beauty 
and  perfection  of  its  execution.  Within  the 
last  thirty  years,  immense  strides  have  been 
made  in  these  respects.  The  casting  of 
types  has  been  greatly  accelerated  ;  machine 
presses  have  been  invented,  and  steam,  the 


great  worker  of  the  present  day,  has  been 
applied  to  them  with  complete  success. 

A  few  simple  details  will  show  an  almost 
miraculous  change  which  has  thus  been  pro- 
duced in  the  art  of  making  books.  An  ex- 
pert mechanic  will  now  cast  five  thousand 
letters  in  a  day.  A  good  compositor  will 
set  up  seven  thousand,  that  is,  about  six 
common  octavo  pages,  in  the  same  space  of 
time.  When  these  pages  are  once  com- 
posed, an  almost  endless  number  of  impres- 
sions may  be  struck  ofl".  By  the  common 
hand-press,  which  was  wholly  in  use  twenty 
years  ago,  two  hundred  and  fifty  impressions 
may  be  taken  in  an  hour ;  but  by  the  steam- 
press,  four  thousand  impressions  may  be 
thrown  off  in  that  space  of  time.  Such  is 
the  amazing  celerity  of  the  process  of  print- 
ing, that  in  two  hours  after  a  Britisli  steam- 
packet  arrives,  the  substance  of  the  news 
she  brings,  occupying  a  newspaper  page  of 
close  matter,  and  detailing  the  doings  of  an 
entire  hemisphere  for  several  weeks,  is 
spread  before  the  public,  and  the  sheets  are 
sold  at  a  cent  apiece  I 

In  six  days  after  a  copy  of  a  book  is  re- 
crived,  —  the  product,  it  may  be,  of  the  first 
minds  in  Christendom,  —  it  is  published 
here,  and  sold  for  twelve  and  a  half  cents  ! 
Of  this,  a  mechanic  may  buy  ton  copies  for 
one  day's  work.  Such  are  the  wonderful 
results  of  the  invention  of  the  art  of  print- 
ing. Let  us  look  at  tliis  matter  attentively. 
Before  this  invention,  that  is,  four  hundred 
years  ago,  all  books  were  written  with  a 
pen.  A  copy  of  the  Bible  rctpiired  four 
years  of  severe  labor  for  its  production. 
And,  after  all,  how  inferior  in  beauty  and 
ease  of  perusal  is  the  written  to  the  printed 
copy  ! 

Such,  then,  are  the  amazing  conse- 
quences,—  that  before  the  art  of  printing, 
a  book  which  now  costs  fifty  cents,  and 
which  involves  an  expenditure  of  but  one 
hoiir's  time  for  its  production,  required  four 
years  !  Thus,  by  the  aid  of  mechanical 
invention,  man's  physical  power  is  increased 
more  than  five  thousand  fold.  A  man  to- 
day may  produce  five  thousand  times  as 
great  results  by  the  labor  of  his  hands  as 
he  could  have  done  four  hundred  years  ago; 
and  let  ns  reflect  that  this  advantage  is  ap- 
plied to  the  noblest  of  all  purposes,  —  to 
the  diflusion  of  knowledge,  the  dissemina- 
tion of  intellectual  and  moral  light.  It  is 
applied  to  the  teaching  of  human  rights  and 
social  obligations. 


*^v 


THE   AFGHANS. 


These  are  a  fierce  race  of  men,  inhabiting 
a  mountainous  country  on  tire  eastern  bor- 
ders of  Persia.  It  is  supposed  that  they  arc 
descended  from  tlie  Arabs,  as  they  have  no 
resemblance  to  the  Tartars  s:  Mongrels  in 
person,  language,  or  manners. 

Afghanistan  anciently  bore  the  name  of 
Paropancitus,  and  was  invaded  by  Alexan- 
der, in  his  expedition  to  India.  This  coun- 
try belonged  successively  to  several  con- 
querors. The  people,  however,  in  the 
fastnesses  of  their  mountains,  presenting 
little  to  excite  the  ambition  or  avarice  of 
neighboring  princes,  remained  for  ages  in  a 
sort  of  independence,  preserving  their  origi- 
nal customs  and  character. 

About  the  year  1712,  they  threw  ofT  the 
yoke  of  Persia,  to  which  they  had  been 
nominally  subject,  and  soon  established  their 
independence.  In  1717,  Ispahan,  the  capi- 
tal of  Persia,  surrendered  to  the  Afghans, 
who  were  subsequently  expelled  from  the 
country  by  the  celebrated  leader,  Shah.  In 
183S,  Afghanistan  was  conquered  by  the 
British,  but  since  that  period,  the  people 
have  rebelled,  and  wreaked  terrible  ven- 
geance upon  the  armies  of  their  oppressors 
and  invaders.  The  capital  of  this  country 
is  Cabul,  which  had  a  population  of  60,000, 
before  it  was  ravaged  by  the  British  in 
1842. 

The  Afghans  present  many  interesting 
traits  of  character.     They  have  harsh  feat- 


ures, sunburnt  countenances,  and  ong 
beards.  They  wear  loose  garments,  and 
often  appear  in  shaggy  mantles  of  skin. 
They  have  a  martial  spirit,  and  are  bold, 
sober,  simple,  hospitable,  and  independent. 
They  are  divided  into  dwellers  in  tents  and 
dwellers  in  houses.  The  latter  carrj'  on 
trade,  and  constitute  one  half  the  people. 
The  habitations  of  the  mass  are  rude,  being 
built  of  unburnt  brick,  with  roofs  of  wood. 
The  palaces  of  the  rich  are  in  the  Persian 
style.  Those  who  live  in  tents  are  a  wan- 
dering race,  bearing  a  resemblance  to  the 
nomadic  Arabs. 

The  Afghans  are  fond  of  all  sorts  of  bois- 
terous amusements ;  particularly  those  which 
involve  great  dispkiy  of  bodily  activity. 
Hunting  is  the  rage  through  Afghanistan, 
and  the  people  pursue  it,  not  only  in  all  the 
known  and  usual  modes,  but  in  others  pecu- 
liar to  the  country  itself.  Sometimes  a 
whole  neighborhood  assembles,  forms  a  cir- 
cle, and  sweeps  together  within  it  all  the 
game  belonging  to  a  certain  district.  In 
the  villages,  much  delight  is  taken  in  the 
attum,  a  hearty  and  noisy  dance,  consisting 
of  violent  movements,  in  which  both  sexes 
join.  They  delight  in  the  fighting  of  quails, 
cocks,  and  other  animals ;  and  they  amuse 
themselves  at  marbles,  hopping  on  one  foot, 
and  other  games,  considered  in  Europe  as 
suited  only  to  children. 


i 


KOSCIUSKO. 


Tfns  celebrated  man  was  born  in  Poland, 
ir.  17r)6,  and  was  educated  at  the  military 
sihool  at  Warsaw.  He  was  sent  to  France, 
where  he  pursued  his  studies,  and  on  his 
return  was  made  captain.  He  became  at- 
tached to  a  young  lady,  but  she  married  a 
prince, and  leavini;^  Poland,  Kosciusko  soui,'ht 
to  forg-et  his  unhappy  passion  in  solitary 
studies.  Hearing-  of  the  strugirle  of  the 
American  colonies  for  liberty,  he  came 
hither,  and  gained  the  confidence  of  Wash- 
ington, who  made  him  his  aid.  He  distin- 
guished himself,  particularly  at  the  siege  of 
Ninety-six,  and  was  very  highly  esteemeil 
by  the  army  and  commander-in-chief.  He 
and  La  Fayette  were  the  only  foreigners 
admitted  into  the  celebrated  society  of  Cin- 
cinnati. 

In  our  service  Kosciusko  received  the 
rank  of  general,  and  in  17S6  he  returned 
to  Poland.  In  the  troubles  which  arose  in 
that  country  at  various  periods,  he  per- 
fonned  extraordinary  services,  and  was  at 


last  proclaimed  Dictator,  having  the  abso- 
lute cotnmand  of  the  armies,  and  the  regu- 
lation of  all  aftairs  political  and  civil.  In  a 
contest  with  the  Russians,  he  performed  the 
most  extraordinary  services.  He  was,  how- 
e\er,  at  length  defeated,  and  fell,  covered 
w.th  wounds,  amid  a  band  of  Cossacks.  He 
was  plainU' dressed,  but  these  savage  people 
soon  learned  who  he  was,  and  his  name 
commanded  respect  even  among  them.  They 
instantly  formed  a  litter  with  tlieir  lances, 
and  conveyed  him  to  the  Russian  general. 

The  news  of  his  cajitivily  spread  like 
lightning  to  Warsaw.  Every  one  received 
it  as  the  announcement  of  the  country's  fall. 
Snch  was  the  idolatry  of  the  people,  that 
many  invalids  were  seized  with  fevers. 
Some  fell  into  fits  of  madness  which  never 
left  them,  and  men  and  women  were  seen 
in  the  streets,  wringing  their  hands,  beating 
their  heads  against  the  walls,  and  exclaim- 
ing in  despair,  "Kosciusko  is  no  more!  the 
countiT  is  lost !"     In  fact,  the  Poles  seemed 


120 


THE    PUPLE-TKEE    TEMPLE    AT    MATIBO. 


paralyzed  by  the  blow.  Warsaw  capitulated 
a  short  time  after,  and  the  soldiers  and  gen- 
erals of  the  revolution  were  either  killed  or 
dispersed,  immured  in  the  prisons  of  Peters- 
Lurs;,  or  sent  to  Siberia. 

Kosciusko  was   liberated  from  prison  in 


he  was  joyfully  received.  He  returned  to 
Europe  in  179S,  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  days  in  France  and  Switzerland.  He 
died  at  Soleure,  in  1S17,  leaving  behind 
him  a  name  endeared  to  all  lovers  of  liberty, 
and  all  who  admire  greatness  of  talents  asso- 


179(J,  and  visited  the  United  States,  where  |  ciated  with  gentleness  and  kindness  of  heart. 


THE   MAPLE-TREE   TEMPLE   AT  MATIBO. 


The  beautiful  tree  which  our  engraving 
represents  is  one  of  the  most  curious  orna- 
ments of  a  charming  estate  called  Matibo, 
situated  in  the  neighborhood  of  Savigliano, 
in  Piedmont,  Italy.  It  was  planted  more 
than  sixty  years  ago,  but  it  is  not  more  than 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years  since  the  idea 
was  started  of  making  it  grow  in  the  form 


of  a  temple,  which,  after  much  t'me  and 
perseverance,  was  completely  realized. 

This  elegant  little  edifice  consists  of  two 
stories,  each  of  which  has  eight  windows, 
and  is  capable  of  containing  twenty  persons. . 
The  floors  are  formed  of  branches  twined 
together  with  great  skill,  and  by  nature  are 
covered  with  leafy  carpets ;  all  round,  the 


THE    ELEPHANT. 


121 


verdure  has  formed  thick  walls,  where  a 
great  number  of  birds  have  taken  up  their 
sojourn. 

The  proprietor  of  the  island  of  Matibo 
has  never  disturbed  those  joyous  little  song- 
sters, but  has  ratherencouraged  them  ;  and 


;; 


at  all  hours  of  the  day  they  may  be  heard 
fearlessly  sporting  and  warbling,  by  the 
delighted  visitors,  who,  looking  from  the 
windows,  admire  the  prospect  that  opens 
before  them. 


!^S^^^'^>  ijiM/(.-i9'^^:^^ir^ 


THE   ELEPHANT. 


The  elephant,  on  first  view,  appears  to 
be  a  largo  mass  of  unwieldy  flesh,  and  on 
further  examination,  scarcely  gives  us  any 
idea  but  of  an  animal  of  extreme  stupidity, 
with  small  eyes,  large  pendnlous  ears,  and 
an  enormous  trunk.  He  is  generally  about 
ten  feet  high,  but  does  sometimes  attain  the 
astonishing  height  of  twelve  or  fourteen  feet. 
It  is  covered  with  a  hide,  without  hair,  which 
is  liard  and  callous  ;  it  has  heavy  and  mis- 
shapen legs,  with  round  feet,  and  a  tail  with 
a  tuft  of  hair  at  the  end. 

There  are  two  species  of  the  elephant,  the 
Asiatic  and  African  ;  they  are  much  alike, 
thoutrh  tliere  is  some  dillerence  in  the  teeth. 
In  Africa,  the  people  never  train  the  ele- 
phant to  any  useful  purposes,  but  in  Asia 


by  men  are  taken  when  wild,  and  trained 
to  their  state  of  servitude.  An  elephant  will 
carry  three  thousand  pounds  on  his  back, 
which  is  ahout  six  times  as  much  as  a  horse 
will  carry.  In  its  natural  state  it  is  a  mild 
and  peaceable  animal,  and  will  always  run 
away  from  a  man.  It  seems  to  have  no 
disposition  to  quarrel  even  with  the  brute 
creation;  and  as  lions,  tigers,  and  rhinoce- 
roses, usually  let  the  elephant  alone,  he  lets 
them  alone. 

Though  the  elephant  looks  like  a  stupid 
creature,  it  is  in  fact  very  intelligent,  and 
appears  to  liave  some  faculties  and  senti- 
ments almost  human.  It  delights  in  music, 
and  easily  learns  to  beat  time  ;  it  is  fond  of 
sweet  odors,  and  often  picks  flowers,  unites 


this  is  quite  common.    In  India,  the  animal  i  them  into  a  nosegay,  and  seems  delighted 


is  taught  to  carry  burdens,  and  it  perfonns 
a  great  deal  of  labor.  We  know  that  two 
thousand  years  ago  elephants  were  used  for 
war;  this  does  not  appear  common  now. 
They,  however,  carry  large  loads,  and  often, 
in  hunting  tigers,  they  are  very  expert. 

Though  extensively  used,  the  elephant  is 
not  so  domesticated  as  to  breed  in  its  state 
of  confinement.    All  those  that  are  enqiloyed 


with  the  perfume;  it  has  adelicacy  of  touch 
in  its  trunk,  like  that  of  the  fingers,  by  which 
it  can  pick  up  a  pin,  tie  and  untie  knots, 
lock  and  unlock  doors,  and  even  write  with 
a  pen.  It  learns  to  love  its  keeper,  whom  it 
caresses  and  obeys ;  it  seems  gratified  with 
kindness,  and  distressed  by  abuse ;  it  has 
even  been  known  to  die  of  grief,  when,  in 
a  fit  of  madness,  it  has  killed  its  conductor. 


16 


"> 


.  j^^r^^f  ^g;^;;^'?^:g^^ay^-^^'sSIg^^?^^^ 


Aliar  for'lhe  Christening,  at  WinJaor  Castle, 

ENGLISH  LOYALTY  AND  ROYALTY. 


It  would  seem  that  nothing  could  exceed 
the  alluring  and  seductive  aspect  which  life 
assumes  with  the  English  nobility.  But 
there  is  still  one  step  higher  in  the  grada- 
tions of  rank.  Eoyalty  is  above  mere  no- 
bility. Educated  in  a  species  of  every-day 
protestantism  against  kings,  queens,  and 
pi  inces,  we  Americans  can  hardly  compre- 
hend the  depth  and  energy  of  English  loy- 
alty. It  is  unquestionably  the  strongest 
sentiment  in  an  Englishman's  bosom.  He 
will  hear  profanity  toward  God  with  more 
equanimity  than  contempt  of  the  king  or 
qieen.     This  will  enable  us  to  understand 


the  lively  and  loving  interest  with  which  the 
whole  nation  read  accounts  of  the  most  tri- 
fling incidents  in  relation  to  the  royal  famhy. 
To  us  it  is  amazing  as  well  as  amusing 
to  look  over  the  English  papers,  and  remark 
the  regular  bulletins  which  are  issued,  set- 
ting forth  the  proceedings  of  the  queen,  her 
babies,  and  her  roj'al  consort.  It  is  said 
that  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  have 
been  expended  in  pictures  of  the  queen 
alone  ;  and  it  may  be  easily  believed,  for 
not  only  are  there  pictures  of  her  without 
number,  but  almost  every  event  of  her  life 
is  represented  by  wood  cuts  in  the  illustrated 


i 


ENGUSH    LOYALTY    AUD    ROYALTY, 


newspipers.  Nor  is  this  all  —  we  have 
pictures  of  Prince  Albert  and  the  little  Prince 
of  Wales ;  of  the  queen's  ponies,  poodles, 
and  pigeons ;  of  her  hens  and  chickens  ;  her 
coaches  and  costumes  —  everything  indeed 
that  belongs  to  her,  of  which  a  visible  repre- 
sentation cm  be  made. 

The  greediness  with  which  these  things 
are  read,  leads  the  editors  of  the  papers  to 
seize  upon  every  incident  fit  for  pictorial 
representation,  and  the  ready  artist  furnishes 
a  lively  and  efTective  sketch,  of  course  "  taJ^C7i 
on  ike  spot."  The  following  fact  will  show 
the  quackery  resorted  to  to  gratify  the  pub- 
lic appetite  for  Victoriana.  The  "  Illus- 
trated News"  recently  published  a  "correct 
view,"  as  they  said,  of  a  shearing  in  Scot- 
land, at  which  the  queen  was  stated  to  have 
been  present.  There  were  the  sheep,  in 
the  act  of  being  denuded  of  their  natural 
overcoats,  and  the  queen,  looking  sympa- 
thizingly  at  the  undressed  mutton  —  as  well 
she  might,  the  season  being  the  latter  end 
of  September.  It  appeared  afterwards, 
however,  that  the  shearing  at  which  her 
majesty  was  present  was  a  reaping  —  shear- 
ing being  the  Scotch  for  that  operation. 
The  conductor  of  the  "  News"  saw  from  the 
Scotch  papers  that  the  queen  had  been  at  a 
shearing,  and  concluding  that  the  word  re- 
lated to  sheep,  perpetrated  tliis  gross  blunder. 
The  engraving  was  said  to  be  "  from  a  draw- 
ing made  on  the  spot !  " 

In  our  brief  P|)ace,  we  cannot  furni.sh  a  bet- 
ter idea  of  (he  pomp  and  circumstance  sur- 
rounding tiie  tiironc  of  England,  than  by 
giving  the  following  account  from  a  recent 
English  paper. 

"  Lofty  was  the  ceremonial,  splendid  the 
feast,  in  Windsor  Castle  last  nigiit ;  when 
Queen  Victoria's  second  son  was  christened. 
Koyal  visitors  began  to  arrive  early  in  the  I 
afternoon,  —  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  the 
Queen  Dowager,  with  Prince  Edward  of 
Saxe  Weimar,  the  Dnke  and  Duchess  of 
Cambridge  witli  the  Hereditary  Grand  Duke 
and  Grand  Duchess  of  Mccklenberg  Strelitz, 
the  Duchess  of  Gloucester,  Prince  William 
of  Prussia  ;  ail  suitably  attended.  Many 
more  distinguished  visitors  also  came  — 
foreign  ministers,  cabinet  ministers,  and 
others,  and  were  admitted  to  scats  in  the 
chapel.  The  sacred  place  was  gorgeously 
fitted  up  for  the  occasion  ;  the  altar  covered 
v/ith  crimson  velvet  and  gold,  and  illum- 
ined by  wax  lights  in  golden  candlesticks. 
The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  presided  at 
the  altar,  aided  by  the  Bisiiop  of  Norwich 
and  the  Bisluip  of  Oxford,  with  the  Queen's 


123  I 

o'clock  all  was  ready,  and  the  roj-al  proces-  J 
sion  entered  the  chapel.  This  was  distin- 
guished from  previous  pag  -ants  by  the  pres- 
ence of  the  elder  children.  First  came  some 
officers  of  the  household.  Then  the  spon- 
sors—  namely,  the  Duke  of  Cambridge, 
proxy  for  Prince  George;  the  Duchess  of 
Kent,  proxy  for  the  Duchess  of  Saxe  Coburg 
Gotha ;  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  proxy  for 
the  Prince  of  Lciningen  ;  followed  by  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen  of  their  suites.  More 
officers  of  the  household.  The  Queen,  lead- 
ing the  Princess  Koyal,  walked  with  Prince 
William  of  Prussia  by  her  side :  Prince 
Albert  was  beside  (he  Queen  Dowager,  and 
led  the  Prince  of  Wales.  Then  came  the 
rest  of  the  royal  visitors  ;  and  lastly,  more 
officers.  The  Queen  wore  a  white  satin 
dress  trimmed  with  Iloniton  lace,  a  diamond 
tiara  on  her  head,  with  the  insignia  of  the 
Garter:  the  little  children  were  dressed  in 
white  satin  and  lace  ;  the  princes  in  military 
uniforms.  The  service  beg-an  with  Palcs- 
(rina's  '  O  be  joyful.'  When  the  music 
ceased.  Prince  AlberCs  Groom  of  (he  S(ole 
conducted  into  the  chapel  the  Dowager 
Lady  Ly((le(on,  bearing  the  royal  infant; 
who  was  bap(ized  by  (he  Archbishop ;  the 
Duke  of  Cambridge  giving  the  name  — '  Al- 
fred-Erncst-Albert.'  His  Eoyal  Highness 
Prince  Alfred  was  carried  out  of  (he  chapel  to 
the  sound  of  Handel's  Hallelujah  Chorus  from 
Judas  ]\IaccaL(rus.  A  benediction  closed  the 
service,  at  seven  o'clock  ;  and  the  proces- 
sion withdrew  in  the  order  of  its  entrance. 

"Within  half  an  hour  aftenvards,  a  be\'y 
of  guests  entered  St.  George's  Hall  for  the 
banquet.  Numberless  wa.x-lights  made  it 
brighter  than  day :  the  tables  and  sideboards, 
covered  with  the  riches  of  the  household 
treasury,  '  shone  all  with  gold  and  stones 
that  flame-like  blazed.'  The  Queen  sat  at 
one  end  of  the  table.  Prince  William  on  her 
right,  the  duke  her  uncle  on  her  left ;  Prince 
Albert  sat  at  the  o(her  end,  be(ween  Queen 
xYdelaide  and  (he  Duchess  of  Kent.  IMore 
royal  guests,  the  clergj',  cabinet  and  foreign 
mmisters,  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  house- 
hold and  of  the  several  suites,  surrounded 
the  board.  The  Steward  of  the  Household 
gave  the  toasts,  beginning  with  '  His  Royal 
Highness  Prince  Alfred  ;'  music  playing  at 
the  meal  and  between  the  toasts. 

"  After  dinner,  the  Queen  led  the  way  to 
the  Waterloo  Chamber  ;  where  a  concert 
was  perfonned  of  instrumental  music  by 
Beethoven,  Haydn,  Meyerbeer,  Spohr,  Men- 
delssohn, Bartholdy,  and  Weber.  Spohr's 
piece  was  a  manuscript  symphony,  dcscrib- 


and  Prince  Albert's  chaplains.      After  six  '  ing  the  moral  career  of  man  —  (he  bright 


124 


JERUSALEM. 


innocence  of  childhood,  the  age  of  passion, 
and  the  reign  of  mature  virtue  :  it  was  com- 
posed for  two  orchestras,  and  was  performed 
accordingly,  by  eleven  solo-players  in  the 
east  gallerj',  and  a  numerous  orchestra  in 
the  west  gallery,  more  than  a  hundred  feet 
distant ;  seventy  performers  in  all.  Thus 
the  rejoicings  terminated." 

The  preceding  sketches  will  enable  the 
reader  to  form  some  idea  of  the  gorgeous 
and  imposing  attributes  with  which  royalty 
is  clothed  in  England.  Though  the  good 
sense  of  the  people  forbid  the  Asiatic  belief 
that  the  sovereign  is  a  divinity,  there  is  still 
an  habitual  idolatry  toward  the  king  and 
queen,  which  is  scarcely  less  profound.  The 
present  sovereign  is  seen  to  revolve  in  an 
orbit  of  peculiar  splendor,  and  her  sex,  youth, 
and  fair  fame,  have  added  a  lively  personal 
interest  to  the  usual  attractions  of  the  occu- 
pant of  the  throne. 


It  would  be  painful  to  turn  from  this  glit-  | 
tering  spectacle,  to  what  are  tenned  the 
Imver  classes  of  England.  While  the  bril- 
liant train  of  those  who  are  called  noble  are 
rushing  by  in  wealth  and  splendor,  there 
are  millions  of  suffering  beings  crushed  be- 
neath the  relentless  wheels  of  pomp  and 
power.  It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  these 
pages  to  exhibit  the  condition  of  the  people 
of  England,  and  if  it  were,  the  subject  is 
too  familiar  to  require  enlargement  here. 
We  need  only  say  that  the  pictures  of  pov- 
erty, degradation  and  misery,  throughout 
the  three  kingdoms,  which  are  brought  to 
us  in  the  English  papers,  by  every  steamer, 
are  indeed  frightful  —  and  it  would  seem 
that  even  the  musical  voice  of  adulation 
which  fills  the  ear  of  majesty,  must  be 
drowned  by  the  groans  of  suffering  millions 
throughout  the  realm. 


JERUSALEM. 


Jerusalem  is  the  metropolis  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Judea,  and  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable cities  in  the  world.  Manetho, 
an  Egyptian  historian,  says  it  was  founded 
by  the  shepherds,  who  once  invaded  Egypt 
in  great  numbers;  but  who  these  shepherds 
were,  is  still  a  mystery.  The  first  we 
know  of  it,  however,  with  any  good  degree 
of  certainty,  is  in  the  time  of  Melchizedek, 
who  lived  in  the  days  of  Abraham.  It  was 
then  called  Salem.  Josephus  says  it  was 
the  capital  of  Melchizedek's  kingdom. 

After  this,  it  became  the  metropolis  of 
the  people  called  Jebusites.  Its  name  at 
that  time  was  Jebus.  When  the  Israelites, 
under  Joshua,  attempted  to  take  the  city, 
they  found  the  Jebusites  too  strong  for 
them,  and  could  only  take  that  part  of  it 


which  was  divided  between  the  tribes  of 
Judah  and  Benjamin.  David,  however, 
completely  conquered  it,  and  made  it  the 
capital  of  his  own  kingdom.  Tliis  is  one 
reason  why  Jerusalem  is  sometimes  called 
the  "  City  of  David."  Under  David  and 
his  son  Solomon,  Jerusalem  rose  to  a  very 
high  degree  of  splendor. 

It  is  in  thirty-one  degrees  fifty  minutes 
north  latitude,  and  thirty-five  deg.  twenty 
minutes  east  longitude  ;  being  about  twen- 
ty-five miles  west  of  the  river  Jordan,, 
forty-two  east  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 
one  hundred  and  two  south  of  Damascus, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  north  of  tha 
eastern  branch  of  the  Eed  Sea.  It  was 
built  on  four  hills  :  Zion,  Acra,  Moriah, 
and  Bezetha  ;  but  Moriah,  on  the  east,  and 


I 


JERUSALEM. 


125 


Zion,  on  the  south-west,  are  the  principal,    in  the  time  of  our  Saviour  was  somewhat 


It  was  surrounded  by  a  strong  wall,  forty 
or  fi'ty  feet  high.  The  general  form  of  the 
city  is  at  present  nearly  a  heptagon,  or  fig- 
ure with  seven  sides. 

The  glory  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  was 
its  temple.  The  pattern  for  building  the 
temple  was  given  by  David  to  his  son 
Solomon ;  David  himself  not  being  per- 
mitted by  God  to  erect  it.  He,  however, 
made  great  preparations  for  it.  He  and 
his  princes  made  \'ast  contributions  for 
the  purpose  ;  amounting,  it  is  saiu,  to  more 
than  one  thousand  millions  of  pounds  ster- 
ling. Solomon,  who  was  the  man  selected 
by  divine  appointment,  employed  one  hun- 
dred eighty-four  thousand  men  —  a  number 
equal  to  all  the  grown  men  who  are  able  to 
labor  in  the  whole  State  of  Massachusetts  — 
about  seven  years  in  completing  this  mighty 
work.  When  completed,  the  temple  occu- 
pied, within  its  walls,  about  thirty-one  acres 
of  ground;  and  was,  unquestionably,  one  of 
the  most  costly  edifices  of  its  size  that  the 
world  ever  saw.  To  it  every  male  Jew 
was  required  to  go  twice  a  year,  to  perform 
worship. 

But  the  glory  of  this  costly  edifice  lasted 
only  thirty-four  years  ;  for,  during  the  reign 
of  Rehoboam,  the  son  and  successor  of  Sol- 
omon, Shishak,  king  of  Egj'pt,  seized  and 
fillagcd  it,  and  carried  away  its  treasures, 
ndecd,  the  city  of  Jerusalem  was  several 
times  taken,  during  those  early  periods,  and 
sometimes  it  was  burnt ;  but  it  was  as  often 
rebuilt. 

About  six  hundred  and  two  years  before 
Christ,  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Egypt,. 
invaded  Palestine,  and  threatened  the  de- 
struction of  the  city  and  temple  ;  but  was 
prevented  from  effecting  his  object  by  the 
submission  of  Johoiakim,  the  king.  Efforts 
being  made  soon  after,  however,  to  throw 
off"  the  yoke,  Nebuchadnezzar  again  ap- 
peared with  his  army  before  the  city,  and, 
after  a  siege  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  months, 
took  it,  and  laid  both  the  temple  and  the 
whole  city  in  ashes.     This  was  B.  C.  590. 

About  B.  C.  530,  by  permission  of  Cyrus, 
Jerusalem  began  to  be  rebuilt  under  Nehe- 
miah,  and  repeopled  ;  but  the  walls  were  not 
completed  till  B.  C.  456.  The  temple  was 
also  rebuilt  by  Zerubbabel  ;  but  this  last 
_  temple  was  never  so  splendid  as  the  former. 

The  city  itself  was  again  destroyed,  many 
years  aftenvards,  by  Ptolemy.  It  met  with 
a  similar  fate,  still  later,  from  Antiochus 
Epiphanes,  who  slew  forty  thousand  of  the 
people,  and  made  slaves  of  as  many  more. 
It  was  rebuilt   by  Judas  Maccabeus,  and 


flourishing.  But  about  A.  D.  70,  after  a 
dreadful  sicffe  of  two  years  by  the  Romans, 
during  which  the  inhabitants  suffered  so 
much  from  famine,  as  to  cat,  in  some  in- 
stances, the  dead  bodies  of  their  friends, 
the  city  was  taken,  and,  according  to  the 
prediction  of  our  Saviour  nearly  forty  years 
before,  it  was  made  a  heap  of  ruins.  The 
temple  was  completely  destroyed,  so  that 
not  one  stone  lay  upon  another ;  and  the 
ground  where  it  had  stood  was  ploughed  up. 
Even  the  name  of  the  city  was  changed. 

Adrian,  another  Roman  emperor,  under- 
took afterwards  to  rebuild  the  city,  but  his 
plan  only  partially  succeeded.  In  the  moan 
time  he  banished  all  the  Jews,  forbidding 
their  return.  Constantine  the  Great  en- 
larged the  city,  and  restored  its  ancient  name. 

Since  that  time  the  fate  of  Jerusalem  has 
been  various  and  singular.  In  614,  the 
Persians  captured  it,  and  in  the  capture 
ninety  thousand  Christians  were  slain.  In 
637,  it  was  seized  by  the  Saracens,  who 
held  it  till  1079,  when  the  Scljukian  Turks 
got  possession  of  it.  After  the  Crusades, 
the  Ottoman  Turks  became  its  masters  ; 
and  those  own  it  at  the  present  day. 

We  have  already  represented  Jerusalem 
as  standing  upon  several  eminences,  and 
surrounded"  by  a  wall  forty  or  fifty  feet 
high.  Towers  rose  at  various  places  on 
these  walls,  some  of  them  to  the  height  of 
one  hundred  or  one  hundred  twenty  feet. 
The  length  of  the  wall,  or  circumference 
of  the  city,  about  the  time  of  Christ,  must 
have  been,  according  to  the  best  accounts, 
;ibout  four  miles  and  a  half.  It  was  very 
thickly  populated ;  containing,  as  some 
suppose,  nearly  three  million  inhabitants. 
This  may  be  too  high  an  estimate  ;  but  the 
population  was  certainly  very  large.  One 
evidence  of  its  great  population  is  the  fact, 
that  there  were  in  it,  at  this  time,  nearly 
five  hundred  Jewish  synagogues.  At  pres- 
ent, Jerusalem  contains  five  synagogues, 
eleven  mosques,  and  twenty  monasteries. 

But  Jerusalem  is  very  far  from  being  now 
what  it  once  was.  Instead  of  containing 
millions  of  inhabitants,  as  some  suppose  it 
formerly  did,  it  scarcely  contains  twenty 
thousand.  Of  these,  perhaps  ten  thousand 
are  Mohammedans,  six  thousand  are  Jews, 
two  thousand  are  Greeks,  one  thousand  five 
hundred  Catholics,  and  five  hundred  Ar- 
menians. Instead  of  being  four  and  a  half 
miles  in  circumference,  the  city  scarcely 
measures  two  miles  and  two  thirds.  The 
following  spirited  account  of  Jerusalem,  as 
it  now  is,  is  from  the  "  Modem  Traveller." 


126 


JKRUSALEM. 


When  seen  from  the  valley  of  Jehosha- 
phat,  Jerusalem  presents  an  inclined  plane, 
descending  from  west  to  east.  An  embat- 
tled wall,  fortified  with  towers  and  a  Gothic 
castle,  compasses  the  city  all  round,  exclud- 
ing, however,  a  part  of  Mount  Zion,  which  it 
formerly  enclosed.  In  the  western  quarter, 
and  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  the  houses 
stand  vei"y  close  ;  but  in  the  eastern  part, 
towards  the  brook  Kidron,  you  perceive  va- 
cant spaces. 

The  houses  of  Jerusalem  are  heavy, 
square  masses,  very  low,  without  chimneys 
or  windows.  Tliey  have  flat  terraces  or 
domes  on  the  top,  and  look  like  prisons  or 
sepulchres.  The  whole  would  appear  to 
the  eye  one  uninterrupted  level,  did  not 
the  steeples  of  the  churches,  the  minarets 
of  the  mosques,  and  the  summits  of  a  few 
cypresses,  break  the  \iniformity  of  the  plan. 
On  beholding  these  stone  buildings,  in  the 
midst  of  a  stony  country,  you  are  ready  to 
inquire  if  they  are  not  the  confused  monu- 
ments of  a  cemetery  in  the  midst  of  a  desert. 

Enter  the  city,  and  you  will  find  nothing 
there  to  make  amends  for  the  dulness  of  its 
exterior.  You  lose  yourself  among  narrow, 
unpaved  streets,  here  going  up  hill,  there 
down,  from  the  inequality  of  the  ground, 
and  you  walk  among  clouds  of  dust,  or  loose 
stones.  Canvass  stretched  from  house  to 
house,  increases  the  gloom.  Bazars,  roofed 
over,  and  fraught  with  infection,  completely 
exclude  the  light  from  the  desolate  city. 
A  few  paltry  shops  expose  nothing  but 
wretchedness  to  view ;  and  even  these  are 
frequently  shut,  from  apprehension  of  the 
passage  of  a  cadi. 

Not  a  creature  is  to  be  seen  in  the  streets, 
not  a  creature  at  the  gates,  except  now  and 
then  a  peasant  gliding  through  the  gloom, 
concealing  under  his  garments  the  fruits  of 
his  labor,  lest  he  should  be  rohbcd  of  his 
hard  earnings  b}^  the  rapacious  soldier. 

Aside,  in  a  corner,  the  Arab  butcher  is 
slaughtering  some  animal,  suspended  by 
the  legs  from  a  wall  in  ruins.  From  his 
haggard  and  ferocious  look  and  his  bloody 
hands,  you  would  suppose  that  he  had  been 
cutting  tlie  thront  of  a  fellow-creature, 
rather  than  killing  a  lamb. 

The  only  noise  heard  from  time  to  time 
in  the  city  is  the  galloping  of  the  steed  of 
the  desert ;  it  is  the  Janissary,  who  brings 
the  head  of  the  Bedouin,  or  who  returns 
from  plundering  the  unhappy  Fellah. 

Here,  among  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem, 
reside  communities  of  Christian  monks, 
whom  nothing  can  compel  to  forsake  the 
tomb  of  Christ  —  neither  plunder,  nor  per- 


sonal ill-treatment,  nor  menaces  of  death 
itself.  Night  and  day  they  chant  their 
hymns  around  the  holy  sepulchre. 

Driven  by  the  cudgel  and  the  sabre, 
women,  children,  flocks  and  herds,  seek 
refuge  in  the  cloisters  of  these  recluses. 
What  prevents  the  armed  oppressor  from 
pursuing  his  prey,  and  overthrowing  such 
feeble  ramparts  ?  It  is  the  charity  of  the 
monks  ;  they  deprive  themselves  of  the  last 
resources  of  life,  to  ransom  their  supplicants. 

Cast  your  eyes  between  the  tenqiie  and 
Mount  Zion.  Behold  another  petty  tribe 
(the  Jevi's)  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  in- 
habitants of  this  city.  Tiiese  people  bow 
their  heads  without  murmuring  ;  they  en- 
dure every  kind  of  insult,  without  demand- 
ing justice ;  they  sink  beneath  repeated 
blows,  without  sighing  ;  if  their  head  be 
required,  they  present  it  to  the  cimeter. 
On  the  death  of  any  member  of  this  pro- 
scribed community,  his  companion  goes  at 
night,  and  inters  him  by  stealth,  in  the 
shadow  of  Solomon's  temple. 

Enter  the  abodes  of  these  people.  You 
will  find  them,  amidst  the  most  abject 
wretchedness,  instructing  their  children  to 
read  a  book  mysterious  to  them,  which 
they,  in  their  turn,  will  teach  to  their  off- 
spring. What  they  did  five  thousand  years 
ago,  this  people  still  continue  to  do.  Sev- 
enteen times  have  they  witnessed  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem,  yet  nothing  can 
discourage  them,  nothing  can  prevent  them 
from  turning  their  faces  towards  Zion. 

To  see  the  Jews  scattered  over  the  whole 
world,  according  to  the  word  of  God,  must, 
(doubtless,  excite  surprise  ;  but  to  be  struck 
with  astonishment,  you  must  view  them  at 
Jerusalem  ;  you  must  behold  these  rightful 
masters  of  Judea  living  as  slaves  and 
strangers  in  their  own  country  ;  you  must 
behold  them  expecting,  under  all  oppres- 
sions, a  king  who  is  to  deliver  them. 

We  will  only  mention,  in  conclusion  of 
this  article,  that  the  most  ancient  as  well 
as  most  splendid  edifice  in  the  whole  mod- 
ern city  of  Jerusalem,  is  the  mosque  of 
Omar.  It  stands  on  Mount  Moriali,  pre- 
cisely—  it  is  supposed  —  where  once  stood 
the  temple  of  Solomon.  It  is  one  thousand 
four  hundred  eighty-nine  feet  —  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  —  long,  and  nine  hun- 
dred ninety-five  feet  broad.  It  was  built 
A.  D.  636,  and  has  therefore  stood  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  thirteen  years. 
It  is  indeed  rather  a  collection  of  mosques, 
than  a  single  one.  The  whole  is  included 
in  two  grand  divisions;  the  Sakhara,  in  the 
centre,  and  the  Akhsa,  on  the  south  side. 


Cdlhc'lrjl  Church  of  ihe  Virgin  Mary,  or  Si.  Basil,  Moscow. 


MOSCOW   AND   ST.   rETERSBURG. 


Moscow,  whose  terrible  catastrophe  in 
1S12  is  known  to  every  one,  has  risen  from 
its  ashes  in  greater  splendor  tl.an  ever ; 
scarcely  a  trace  of  the  great  conflagration 
is  now  to  be  seen,  and  it  would  seem  to 
have  suflbred  on  that  occasion  only  to  make 
way  for  nnprovcmcnts.  The  Russians  were 
always  proud  of  Moscow,  and  its  destruc- 
tion being  connected  with  the  overthrow 
of  a  hated  invader,  made  them  still  more 
proud  of  it ;  every  one  bearing  the  name 
of  Russian,  from  the  emperor  to  the  lowest 
peasant,  felt  honored  in  contributing  to  the 
patriotic  work  of  its  restoration.  The  view 
of  this  city  at  a  distance  has  excited  the 
admiration  of  all  travellers.  The  countless 
number  of  towers,  some  with  cupolas,  cither 
gilt  or  painted  green,  and  others  rising  in 
the  form  of  minarets,  and  the  many  gardens 
and  trees  intermixed  with  the  houses,  give 
the  city  a  perfectly  Oriental  appearance. 
The  towers  are  said  to  amount  to  six  hun- 
dred, nearly  every  church  having  several 
besides  the  steeple.  The  cupolas  or  domes 
are  in  the  form  of  a  bulb  or  onion,  sur- 
mounted by  a  crescent,  with  the  cross  above 
it.  The  towers  vary  considerably  in  form 
and  color,  and  give  the  city  its  characteris- 
tic appearance  ;  tliey  are  all  built  of  stone, 
and  most  of  them  arc  situated  in  open 
squares,  in  consequence  of  which  they 
escaped  the  fire  of  1S12.  Hence  Moscow 
has  lost  little  or  nothing  of  its  original  as- 
p«'ct.     In  the  palaces  and  public  buildings. 


almost  every  stv'le  of  architecture  has  been 
copied.  The  Kremlin  is  the  most  famous 
building  in  the  city  —  it  is  a  fortified  palace 
of  vast  extent,  adorned  with  numerous  tow- 
ers and  minarets,  and  is  a  most  singular 
and  magnificent  pile  of  architecture. 

St.  Petersburg  strikes  every  visitor  with 
astonishment  by  the  splendor  of  its  archi- 
tecture. Its  long  lines  of  liouses  and  pal- 
aces are  generally  of  a  uniform  plan,  and 
have  a  freshness  of  appearance  that  indi- 
cates the  recent  origin  of  the  city.  "  The 
united  magnificence  of  all  the  cities  of  Eu- 
rope," says  Dr.  Clarke,  since  whose  time  it 
has  been  very  much  improved,  "could  but 
equal  St.  Petersburg."  There  is  nothing 
mean  or  little  to  olTend  the  eye ;  all  is 
grand,  extensive,  large,  and  open  ;  the 
streets  seem  to  consist  entirely  of  palaces  ; 
the  structures  are  lofty  and  elegant.  The 
piddic  buildings,  quays,  piers,  ramparts,  &c., 
are  composed  of  masses  of  solid  granite  ; 
and  our  admiration  is  increased,  when  we 
reflect  that  not  two  centuries  have  elapsed 
since  the  foundation  of  the  city.  Palaces, 
cathedrals,  triumphal  arches  and  monu- 
mental statues,  all  of  most  tasteful  design 
and  costly  workmanship,  stand  in  thick  and 
fair  array  on  a  spot  which  was  recently 
covered  with  marshes  and  forests.  The 
plasterer's  trowel  and  the  painter's  brusli 
are  kept  in  constant  activity  throughout 
the  city,  so  that  there  is  no  appearance  of 
decay  in  any  quarter.     Repairs  are  not  left 


'■'■^^M 


128 


to  the  caprice  or  indolence  of  the  owners  of 
houses  ;  the  government  immediately  steps 
in  and  orders  them  to  be  made.  It  can 
create  also  as  well  as  preserve,  for  much 
of  St.  Petersburg  has  been  built  by  compul- 
sion ;  it  would  never  have  attained  to  half 
its  present  magnitude  but  for  the  interfer- 
ence of  the  authorities,  who  were  accus- 
tomed to  say  to  a  man  in  very  plain  terms, 
"  You,  who  have  this  income  or  that,  or  this 
or  that  number  of  houses,  are  hereby  called 
upon  to  build  forthwith  so  many  more." 

In  spite,  however,  of  the  magnificence  of 
this  city,  there  are  deficiencies  which  de- 
prive it  of  the  character  of  a  great  capital, 
and  cause  it  to  rank  no  higher  than  an 
enormous  countrj'-village.  Of  mere  bulk, 
wealth,  and  population,  it  has  enough ;  but 
this  splendid  city,  "  built  to  order  "  by  the 
commands  of  a  despot,  wants  the  indescrib- 
able something  which  makes  the  capitals 


CHINESE    EMPEROR  S    BARGE.  ', 

f 

of  France  and  England  the  capitals  also  of    { 
the  intellect  and  fashion  of  Europe.     The   i 
Russian   metropolis   has  filled  the  nations  | 
with  wonder  by  its  sudden  rise,  and  it  may  j 
fill  them  with  greater  wonder  by  its  yet   i 
more  sudden  fall.     The  proud   monarch  of    \ 
the  north  may  have  it  said  of  that  stately   i 
city  as  was  said  of  Jonah's  gourd,  that  it  j 
came  up  in  a  night  and  perished  in  a  night.   5 
Such  a  calamity,  if  we  may  believe  those   i 
who    have    long   resided    there,   is   bv  no   5 
means  improbable.     The  ground  is  so  low,   i 
that  the  Neva  at  times  sweeps  irresistibly   J 
over  the   city  ;   and  the  inundations  have 
often  risen  so  high  as  to  threaten  the  com- 
plete   submersion   of    the    finest   quarters. 
Should  a  rise  of  the  river  happen  simulta- 
neously with  a  strong  wind  blowing  up  the 
Gulf  of  Finland,  nothing  can  save  the  city 
from  total  destruction. 


CHINESE   EMPEROR'S  BARGE. 


The  Chinese,  though  neither  savage  nor 
barbarous,  are  still,  in  most  respects,  very 
unlike  other  civilized  nations.  In  houses, 
dress,  furniture,  equipage,  worship,  —  in- 
deed, in  most  of  the  actions,  feelings,  and 
opinions  of  life,  they  are  a  peculiar  people. 
They  have,  in  fact,  struck  out  a  civilization 
of  their  own.  Their  religion,  their  litera- 
ture, their  arts,  are  all  Chinese,  and  nothing 
but  Chinese.  It  is  curious  to  observe  that 
although,  for  many  centuries,  they  have 
been  a  cultivated  people,  and  even  preceded 
the  Europeans  in  many  useful  and  ingen- 
ious discoveries,  they  seem  to  stand  still  at 
a  certain  point,  beyond  which  they  are 
not  capable  of  improvement.  There  they 
remain,  century  after  century  ;  and,  while 
other  nations  have   surpassed  them,  they 


still  conceive  that  they  are  the  most 
learned,  civilized,  and  polished  people  in 
the  world.  All  other  nations  they  conceive 
to  be  barbarians,  and  hold  them  in  super- 
cilious contempt. 

The  Chinese  vessels  may  serve  as  a 
sample  of  their  national  character.  We 
give  above  a  picture  of  the  emperor's  barge, 
which  shows  some  taste,  some  ingenuity, 
and  no  little  industry  ;  yet  how  clumsy, 
how  ineffective,  is  it  in  comparison  with  a 
Yankee  steamboat !  The  Chinese  empe- 
ror can  go,  by  dint  of  rowing,  three  miles 
an  hour,  while  we  go  fifteen.  This  is 
about  the  difference  between  the  energy 
of  the  Chinese  and  the  civilized  people  of 
Europe  and  America. 


%  ^^  >>^  ^««.I^'V^>^^'^^  ^ 


Queen  Elizabeth  in  procession. 


ELIZABETH,   QUEEN   OF   ENGLAND. 


This  extraordinary  woman,  the  daughter 
of  Henry  VIII.  and  Anne  Bolcyn,  was  born 
in  1533.  Being  educated  a  Protestant,  and 
having  adopted  the  principles  of  the  Refor- 
mation, she  was  looked  upon  with  suspicion 
and  treated  with  harsliness  during  tlie  reign 
of  her  sister  Mary.  She  devoted  herself, 
however,  to  study,  and  is  thus  described  at 
this  period  :  "  She  was  of  admirable  beauty, 
and  well  deserving  a  crown  ;  of  a  modest 
gravity,  e.xcellent  wit,  royal  soul,  happy 
memory,  and  indefatigably  given  to  the 
study  of  learning,  insomuch  as,  before  she 
was  seventeen  years  of  age,  she  understood 
well  the  Latin,  French,  and  Italian  tongues, 
and  had  an  indifferent  knowledge  of  the 
Greek.  Neither  did  she  neglect  music,  so 
far  as  it  U.'came  a  princess,  being  able  to  sing 
sweetly,  and  play  handsomely  on  the  lute." 

On  the  death  of  Mary,  in  1558,  she  was 
immediately  proclaimed  queen,  and  was  re- 
ceived in  the  metropolis  with  the  loudest 
acclamations.  She  consigned  to  oblivion 
all  the  aflronts  she  had  received  durin?  the 


late  reign,  and  prudently  assumfid  the  gra- 
cious demeanor  of  the  common  .sovereign 
of  all  her  subjects.  Philip  of  Spain  soon 
made  her  proposals  of  marriage ;  but  she 
knew  the  aversion  borne  him  by  the  nation 
too  well  to  think  of  accepting  him. 

She  now  proceeded  to  the  arduous  task 
of  settling  the  religion  of  the  state.  In  com- 
parison with  the  harsh  and  cruel  measures 
of  her  predecessor,  her  conduct  was  marked 
with  moderation.  Yet  the  Catholics  were 
made  to  feel  the  severest  restraints  upon 
their  liberty  of  thought  and  action.  It  was 
not  long  before  she  began  that  interference 
in  the  affairs  of  Scotland  which  produced 
the  most  singular  and  painful  events  in  her 
reign.  These  will  be  detailed  in  the  life  of 
the  unhappy  Queen  Mary,  in  another  part 
of  this  volume. 

The  political  history  of  Elizabeth  would 
fill  a  volume.  She  soon  acquired  great 
reputation  for  vigor  and  Sagacity,  and  was 
regarded  as  the  head  of  the  Protestant  party 
in  Europe.    She  took  the  part  of  the  revolted 


17 


130 


ELIZABjril,    QJ£EN    OF    ENGLAND. 


provinces  of  Holland  against  Spain  }n  1535, 
and  three  years  after,  when  threatened  by 
what  was  called  the  "  Invincible  Armada," 
she  displayed  a  degree  of  energy  and  per- 
sonal courage  which  would  have  done  credit 
to  a  sovereign  of  the  other  sex.  She  min- 
gled largely  in  the  political  affairs  of  the 
continent,  and,  in  1601,  held  a  conference 
with  the  celebrated  Sully,  with  a  view  to 
the  adjustment  of  a  new  balance  of  Europe- 
an power.  While  thus  directing  her  atten- 
tion to  general  politics,  she  did  not  neglect 
the  internal  affairs  of  her  kingdom.  These 
were  indeed  conducted  with  great  sagacity 
and  wisdom ;  and  such  was  the  state  of 
prosperity  among  the  people,  that  the  "  good 
old  days  of  Queen  Bess"  is  still  a  proverb 
in  England.  Although  thus  attentive  to 
the  concerns  of  government,  Elizabeth  de- 
voted much  time  and  expense  to  dress,  of 
which  she  vi^as  excessively  fond ;  and  she 
even  affected  a  love  of  literature  and  learn- 
ing. The  age  in  which  she  lived  is  remark- 
able for  the  great  men  it  produced  —  Shak- 
speare,  Bacon,  Sidney,  Hooker,and  Raleigh, 
whose  works  contributed  so  much  to  give 
vigor,  strength,  and  elegance,  to  the  English 
tongue.  Literature  owes,  however,  little  to 
her;  she  was  much  more  fond  of  displaying 
her  own  acquirements  than  encouraging  the 
learned.  Whatever  countenance  Shakspeare 
received  from  royalty,  he  owed  to  his  friends 
Essex  and  Southampton ;  and  Spenser,  who 
has  sung  the  praises  of  the  queen  in  "  strains 
divine,"  died  in  neglect  and  poverty. 

Elizabeth  was  fond  of  multiplying  pic- 
tures of  lierself,  and  so  far  encouraged  paint- 
ing. One  of  her  most  characteristic  ordi- 
nances is  a  proclamation  forbidding  all 
manner  of  persons  from  drawing,  painting, 
graving,  &c.,  her  majesty's  person  and  vis- 
age, till  some  perfect  pattern  should  be  pre- 
pared by  a  skilful  limner,  "  for  the  consola- 
tion of  her  majesty's  loving  subjects,  who 
were  grieved,  and  took  great  offence,  at  the 
errors  and  deformities  committed  by  sundry 
persons  in  this  respect."  She  was  so  little 
capable  of  judging  of  works  of  art,  that  she 
would  not  allow  a  painter  to  put  any  shad- 
ows upon  the  face,  "  because,"  as  she  said, 
"  shade  is  an  accident,  and  not  in  nature." 

During  her  whole  reign,  Elizabeth  was 
subjected  to  the  influence  of  favorites.  The 
most  celebrated  of  these  are  the  Earls  of 
Leicester  and  of  Essex.  The  first  was  a 
most  weak  and  worthless  man,  contemned 
and  feared  by  the  nobles,  and  odious  to  the 
people ;  yet,  in  spite  of  all  his  vices  and 
incapacity,  he  maintained  his  influence  for 
nearly   thirty   years.       Her    partiality   for 


Eso€x  seems  to  have  been  the  dotage  of  a 
vain  old  woman.  She  could  not  appreciate 
his  ."ine  qualities;  she  would  not  make 
allovvance  for  his  faults;  and  he  was  too 
frank  and  spirited  to  cringe  at  her  footstool. 
"I  owe  her  majesty,"  said  he  upon  an  occa- 
sion when  she  had  repaid  some  want  of 
obsequiousne.'<s  by  a  blow,  "  the  duty  ol  an 
earl,  but  I  wiil  never  serve  her  as  a  villain 
and  a  slave ! "  Essex  was  too  rash  and 
unsuspecting  to  be  a  match  for  the  cool  and 
wily  ministers,  whose  interest  it  was  to  have 
him  out  of  their  way,  not  only  as  the  favor- 
ite of  the  present  sovereign,  but  as  likely  to 
be  all  powerful  with  her  successor;  and 
partly  by  their  arts,  and  partly  by  his  own 
fiery  temper,  he  was  brought  to  the  block  in 
the  thirty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  In  the 
exasperation  of  offended  power  and  jealous 
self-will,  the  queen  signed  the  warrant  for 
his  execution,  and  pined  away  the  remain- 
der of  her  life  in  unavailing  remorse.  This 
grief,  with  which  she  long  struggled  in 
secret,  at  length  broke  forth  superior  to  con- 
trol.    The  occasion  was  as  follows  :  — 

The  Countess  of  Nottingham,  a  near  re- 
lation, but  no  friend,  of  Essex,  being  on  her 
death-bed,  entreated  to  see  the  queen,  de- 
claring that  she  had  something  to  confess 
to  her  before  she  could  die  in  peace.  On 
her  majesty's  arrival,  the  countess  produced 
a  ring,  which  she  said  the  Earl  of  Essex 
had  sent  to  her,  after  his  condemnation, 
with  an  earnest  request  that  she  would 
deliver  it  to  the  queen,  as  a  token  by  which 
he  implored  her  mercy  ;  but  that,  in  obedi- 
ence to  her  husband,  she  withheld  it.  Eliz- 
abeth at  once  recognized  the  ring  as  one 
whicli  she  had  herself  presented  to  her 
favorite,  with  the  tender  promise,  that  of 
whatsoever  crimes  his  enemies  might  have 
accused  him,  or  whatever  offences  he  might 
actually  have  committed  against  her,  on  his 
returning  to  her  that  pledge,  she  would 
either  pardon  him,  or  admit  him,  at  least, 
to  justify  himself  in  her  presence.  It  was 
in  a  moment  of  pique  at  his  supposed  pride 
and  obstinacy  in  refusing  to  ask  her  forgive- 
ness, that  she  had  signed  the  death-warrant. 
She  now  learned  that  he  had  been  the  vic- 
tim, and  herself  the  dupe,  of  the  most  bar- 
barous treachery.  Transported  with  grief 
and  rage,  she  shook  the  dying  countess  in 
her  bed  ;  and,  vehemently  exclaiming,  "  God 
may  forgive,  but  I  never  wiU ! "  she  flung 
herself  out  of  the  chamber. 

Returning  to  the  palace,  she  surrendered 
herself  without  resistance  to  the  despair 
which  had  seized  her  heart  on  this  fatal 
disclosure.     She  refused  medicine,  and  al- 


NEW    ZEALAND. 


131 


;;  most  the  means  of  sustenance  ;  days  and 
nights  she  sat  upon  the  floor,  sleepless,  her 
eyes  fixed,  and  her  finger  pressed  upon  her 
mouth,  the  silence  only  broken  by  her  sighs, 
groans,  and  ejaculations  of  anguish.  Her 
sufl^erings  were  at  length  relieved  by  her 
death,  on  the  24th  of  ]\Iarch,  1603.  Her 
last  words  were  strongly  characteristic.  Dar- 
ing her  whole  life,  she  had  shown  a  perverse 
dread  of  naming  her  successor ;  but  it  was 
necessary  that  the  question  should  be  put 
to  her  in  her  last  moments.  She  replied, 
"  My  seat  has  been  the  seat  of  kings,  and  I 
will  have  no  rascal  to  succeed  me."  Cecil, 
whom  the  weakness  of  the  dying  lioness 
rendered  bold,  inquired  what  she  meant  by 


the  words,  "  that  no  rascal  should  succeed 
her;"  to  which  she  answered,  "1  will  have 
a  king  to  succeed  me,  and  who  should  that 
be  but  the  king  of  Scots  ?" 

The  personal  character  of  Elizabeth  pre- 
sents little  that  excites  our  sj-mpathy  or 
respect.  She  was  vain,  jealous,  and  selfish, 
in  the  extreme.  She  was  capable  of  the 
deepest  hypocrisy,  and  often  practised  it. 
She  sacrificed  everything  to  her  despotic 
"love  of  sway,  her  pride,  and  her  vanity,  ex- 
cept the  interests  of  her  kingdom.  These 
she  guarded  with  care,  and,  though  a  tyranni- 
cal and  selfish  monarch,  she  must  be  ranked 
as  among  the  most  successful  sovereigns 
that  have  swayed  the  British  sceptre. 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


New  Zealand  consists  of  two  islands,  ly- 
ing in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  some  two  or  three 
thousand  miles  west  of  Cape  Horn,  and  sev- 
eral hundred   miles  east  of  New  Holland. 
.  They  are  about  1000  miles   in  length,  and 
I  contain  62,000  square  miles.    They  possess 
J   Itfty  chains  of  mountains,  whose  tops  are 
}   covered  with  perpetual  snow.     From  these, 
\   numerous  streams  pour  down  into  the  val- 
leys below.     Nothing  can  exceed  the  gran- 
;    dcur  of  the  mountain  scene,  or  the  beauty 
:    and  fertility  of  the  plains  and  vales  which 
checker  the  islands.     Mighty  torrents,  bold 
cliffs,  and  lofty  forests,  diversify  the  land- 


scape.  The  natural  products  are  rich  and 
varied.  Along  the  coast  are  many  charm- 
ing bays,  enlivened  by  the  canoes  and  skirted 
by  the  villages  of  the  natives. 

The  New  Zealanders  are  divided  into 
numerous  little  bands,  who  make  war  upon 
each  other  in  the  most  savage  and  ferocious 
manner.  They  have  many  odious  customs, 
among  which  cannibalism  is  practised.  Not- 
withstanding this,  to  the  members  of  their 
own  tribe,  or  those  whom  they  regard  as 
friends,  they  are  not  only  mild  and  courte- 
ous, but  display  the  fondest  attachment  and 
most  tender  sensibility.     Families  live  to- 


)((-v 


132 


VALLEY    OF    JEHOSHAPHAT. 


gether  in  great  harmony,  and  are  seen  as- 
sembled together  in  pleasing  and  harmoni- 
ous groups.  On  the  death  of  their  relations, 
they  exliibit  the  most  impassioned  and  aflect- 
ing  symptoms  of  grief,  cutting  their  faces 
with  pieces  of  shell  or  bone,  till  the  blood 
flows  and  mixes  with  their  tears. 

They  have  a  great  turn  for  oratory,  the 
chiefs  making  speeches  of  two  or  three  hours, 
accompanied  with  lively  gestures,  to  which 
those  of  the  audience  correspond.  Their 
war  canoes  are  very  large,  adorned  with 
much  curious  and  elaborate  carving.  Great 
diligence  is  also  exercised,  and  great  pain 
endured,  in  bestowing  upon  their  skins  the 
ornament  of  tattooing,  and  the  visages  of  the 
chiefs  are  often  entirely  covered  over  with 
various  regular  figures.     This,  however,  is 


not  effected  without  severe  pain,  causing 
even  attacks  of  fe  t-er ;  but  to  shrink  in  any 
degree  from  the  operation,  is  considered  as 
altogether  derogatory  to  a  manly  spirit. 
They  have  also  a  horrid  art,  by  which  the 
heads  of  their  enemies,  being  dried  in  an 
oven,  and  exposed  to  a  stream  of  fresh  air,  are 
maintained  in  a  state  of  perfect  preservation. 
We  have  described  the  natives  of  New 
Zealand  as  they  were  some  years  ago,  be- 
fore the  settlement  of  Europeans  in  the 
country.  The  English  have  now  established 
stations  there,  and  the  missionaries  have 
done  a  good  deal  toward  softening  and  civ- 
ilizing the  people.  They  are,  on  the  whole, 
an  intelligent,  vigorous,  and  noble  race,  and 
when  redeemed  by  the  influence  of  Chris- 
tianity, they  will  be  very  interesting. 


VALLEY   OF    JEHOSHAPHAT. 


jEHOSHArHAT  is  a  narrow  valley  or  glen, 
which  runs  from  north  to  south,  between 
the  city  of  Jerusalem  or  Mount  Moriah,  on 
which  it  stands,  on  the  one  side,  and  Geth- 
semane  and  the  Mount  of  Olives,  on  the 
other.  The  brook  Kidron,  or  Cedron,  runs 
through  this  valley ;  on  which  account  it 
was  sometimes  called  the  valley  of  Kidron. 
It  had  also  several  other  names,  among 
which  were  "  the  Vale  of  Shevah,"  the 
"  King's  Dale,"  &c. 

This  glen  received  its  more  common  name 
from  the  fact,  that  Jehoshaphat,  one  of  the 
kings  of  Judah,  erected  a  most  magnificent 
tomb  in  it.  It  abounds  with  monuments, 
ancient  and  modern,  and  appears  to  have 
served  as  a  burying-place  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem  for  many  ages.  The  Jews 
think  so  highly  of  being  buried  there,  that 
it  is  said  they  resort  thither  to  die,  from  ail 


parts  of  the  world ;  and,  for  such  a  privilege, 
sometimes  paj^  to  the  merciless  Turks,  v.'ho 
own  the  soil,  almost  its  weight  in  gold. 

There  are  three  monuments  pointed  out 
here,  which  are  of  particular  interest ;  those 
of  Absalom,  Zechariah,  and  Jehoshaphat. 
A  traveller  thus  describes  them. 

"  The  first  mentioned  is  a  square  mass 
of  rock,  hewn  down  into  form,  and  separated 
from  the  quarry  out  of  which  it  was  cut,  by 
a  passage  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  on  three 
of  its  sides ;  the  fourth  or  western  front 
being  open  towards  the  valley,  and  to  Mount 
Moriah ;  the  foot  of  which  is  only  a  few 
yards  distant.  This  huge  stone  is  eight 
paces  in  length  on  each  side,  and  about 
twenty  high  in  the  front  and  ten  feet  high 
at  the  back ;  the  hill  on  which  it  stands  hav- 
ing a  steep  ascent.  It  has  four  semi-columns 
cut  out  of  the  same  rock,  on  each  of  its  faces, 


SAVAGES    OF    BRAZIL. 


133 


with  a  pilaster  at  pach  angle,  all  of  a  mixed 
Ionic  order,  and  ornamented  in  bad  taste. 

"In  the  immediate  vicinity  is  the  tomb 
of  Jchoshaphat,  a  cavern,  which  is  more 
commonly  called  the  Grotto  of  the  Disciples, 
from  an  idea  that  the  disciples  of  our  Sa- 
viour went  frequently  tliither  to  be  taught 
by  tlicir  Master.  The  front  of  this  excava- 
tion has  two  Doric  pillars,  of  small  size,  but 
of  just  proportions.  In  the  interior  are  three 
chambers,  all  of  them  rude  and  irregular  in 
their  form,  in  one  of  which  were  several 
grove-stones,  removed,  we  may  suppose, 
from  the  open  ground,  for  greater  security. 

"  Opposite  to  this  is  the  reputed  tomb  of 


Ab.salom,  resembling  nearly,  in  the  size,  form 
and  description  of  its  square  base,  that  of 
Zechariah.  This  is  surmounted  by  a  sharp 
conical  dome,  having  large  mouldings  run- 
ning round  its  base,  and  on  the  summit 
something  like  an  imitation  of  flame." 

Here  is  also  shown  w'hat  is  called  the 
tomb  of  the  Virgin  Jlarv,  and  the  pit  where 
the  Jews  say  the  sacred  lire  was  hid  during 
the  Babylonian  captivity ;  together  with 
many  more  objects  which  arrest  the  atten- 
tion of  the  traveller ;  and  which,  though 
they  give  no  certain  information,  serve 
greatly  to  interest  him. 


SAVAGES   OF   BRAZIL. 


Brazil,  when  first  visited  by  Europeans, 
was  a  great  wilderness.  Its  vast  plains  were 
covered  with  thick  forests,  peopled  by  a 
multitude  of  scattered  tribes,  without  agri- 
culture, arts,  or  government,  and  e.xhibitmg 
human  society  in  some  of  its  rudest  forms. 

More  than  half  the  territorj'  of  Brazil  re- 
manis  in  a  wild  state,  still  tenanted  by  the 
savages.  The  Jesuits,  at  an  early  period, 
established  missions  in  various  parts  of  this 
country ;  and  many  of  the  tribes  became, 
under  their  government,  social,  peaceable, 
and  humane  ;  the  indefatigable  perseverance 
of  the  missionaries  having  surmounted  the 
greatest  obstacles. 

Among  the  wild  tribes,  the  Boticudos  are 
perliaps  the  fiercest  and  most   untamable. 


A^Tiere  they  are  unable  to  contend  openly 
against  the  Portuguese,  they  have  recourse 
to  stratagem.  They  sometimes  conceal 
themselves  among  the  branches  of  trees,  and 
watch  an  opportunity  of  discharging  their 
aiTowsatthe  unwary  traveller.  Sometimes 
they  dig  pits,  fill  them  with  sharp  stakes, 
and  cover  them  with  leaves  and  twigs,  as 
traps  for  their  pursuers.  Sometimes  they 
mark'  out  a  house,  and  ascertain  the  number 
of  inhabitants  it  contains;  then,  at  a  con- 
venient opportunity,  they  set  it  on  fire,  and 
fall  on  the  hapless  inmates  while  they  are 
attempting  to  escape. 

These  Indians  bear  an  implacable  hatred 
against  the  neirroes,  whom  they  eat  without 
scruple,  after  killing  them.    But,  daring  and 


134 


JOrPA,    OR    JAFFA. 


ferocious  as  they  are,  they  can  always  be 
put  to  flight  by  the  discharge  of  a  gun  ;  for 
they  are  entirely  unacquainted  with  the  use 
of  fire-arms. 

The  Guaycoros,  another  wild  tribe,  are 
renowned  for  their  strength  and  courage, 
among  the  Brazilians.  They  are  expert 
horsemen,  and  are  armed  with  long  bows, 
arrows,  and  lances.  They  have  waged  long 
wars  with  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese, 
and,  though  often  defeated  in  battle,  they 
have  never  been  completely  subdued.  They 
manufacture  a  coarse  sort  of  cotton  cloth, 
which  they  exchange  with  the  neighboring 
tribes  for  horses. 

The  Brazilian  Indians,  in  general,  are 
distinguished  for  their  braverj'  and  bodily 
strength.  When  they  are  taken  prisoners, 
their  spirit  cannot  be   subdued,  either  by 


stripes  or  kindness.  Many  of  them,  in  de- 
spair of  regaining  their  freedom,  have  refused 
all  food,  and  starved  themselves  to  death. 
When  suffering  excruciating  tonnents  at 
the  stake,  they  brave  their  torr  lentors,  and 
boast  that  they  may  take  away  their  lives, 
but  that  they  can  never  deprive  them  of 
their  courage. 

These  Indians  paint  their  bodies  with 
various  colors,  and  decorate  themselves  with 
grotesque  ornaments  of  shells,  bones,  and 
feathers.  They  eat  lizards  and  monkeys, 
among  other  kinds  of  game.  Their  habita- 
tions are  rude  huts,  which  are  sometimes  so 
large  as  to  contain  fifteen  or  twenty  fami- 
lies. On  fixed  days  they  hold  public  dances, 
which  serve  at  once  as  an  amusement  and 
as  a  religious  ceremony. 


JOPPA,   OR  JAFFA. 


This  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  seaports 
in  the  world.  It  is  situated  on  a  fine  plain, 
on  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  forty- 
five  miles  west  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  believed 
to  have  existed  before  the  deluge ;  to  be  the 
city  where  Noah  built  his  ark ;  whence 
Jonah  embarked"  from  Tarshish,  where  he 
was  thrown  overboard  and  swallowed  by  a 
whale.  It  was  the  port  used  by  Solomon 
to  receive  timber  from  Tjtc  for  the  building 
of  the  temple.  It  is  now  much  reduced  in 
importance,  being  only  a  small  Turkish  town 
on  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  built  on 
a  little  eminence  projecting  into  the  sea,  and 
containing  a  population  of  from  ten  to  fifteen 
thousand  Turks,  Arabs,  Jews,  and  Chris- 
tians.    It  has  a  fine  climate,  and  a  fine 


country  around  it,  and  the  orange  gardens 
are  the  finest  on  the  shores  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. Although  it  is  the  seaport  of  Jeru- 
salem, its  harbor  has  always  been  bad,  and 
the  vessels  that  anchor  there  are  often 
wrecked  in  the  storms. 

The  modern  city  has  nothing  in  its  his- 
tory to  interest  the  traveller.  But  he  may 
stand  on  the  shore,  and  imagine  the  little 
harbor  filled  with  the  Tarshish  ;  or,  imagine 
Noah  entering  the  ark  with  his  family,  by 
whom  the  earth  was  to  be  repeopled ;  or 
wander  through  the  narrow  streets  to  seek 
for  the  house  of  Tabitha,  whom  Peter  raised 
from  the  dead,  or  that  of  Simon,  the  tanner, 
where  Peter  tarried  many  days. 


Shakspearc  reading  liis  I'lays  ui  Queen  Elizabeth. 

SIIAKSPEARE. 


Shakspeare.  one  of  the  greatest  men  that 
ever  lived,  was  bom,  April  23,  1564,  at  a 
town  in  England  called  Stratford,  which, 
being  situated  on  the  river  Avon,  is  called 
Stralford-upon-Avon. 

His  father  was  a  man  of  business,  and 
was  so  far  respected  as  to  be  made  bailiff  or 
chief  magistrate  of  Stratford.  He  gave  his 
son  William  a  good  English  education  at 
the  town  schools,  but  he  was  not  sent  to 
college. 

William  appears  not  to  have  been  brought 
up  to  any  particular  trade  or  profession  ;  and 
how  he  spent  his  time,  from  childhood  to 
manhood,  history  does  not  tell  us.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  was  married,  and  soon 
after  went  to  London,  wliere  he  had  a  friend 
by  the  name  of  Greene,  who  was  a  famous 
player  m  those  days.  Will  was  soon  en- 
gaged m  some  low  station  in  the  theatre, 
and  afterwards  became  an  actor;  but  he  did 
not  excel  in  this  line.  He,  however,  wrote 
some  plays,  which  were  so  very  clever  as  to 
attract  great  attention.     Before  that  time 


only  the  rabble  used  to  freqiicnt  the  theatre  ; 
but  now  persons  of  the  first  rank  and  educa- 
tion went  thither  to  see  the  performance 
of  Shaksiicare's  plays.  It  is  said  that  Queen 
Elizabeth,  who  was  then  queen  of  England, 
took  delight  in  them,  and  even  required 
Shakspeare  to  read  them  to  her. 

For  several  years  he  lived  in  London  ; 
but,  as  he  became  wealthy,  he  bought  a 
good  house  in  Stratford,  where  he  lived, 
spending  his  time  in  gardenincr,  writing 
plaj-s,  and  social  intercourse  with  his  friends. 
He  was  very  pleasant  and  witty  in  conver- 
sation, which  made  it  a  delight  to  be  in  his 
company.  Thus  many  persons  of  talent 
and  genius  were  drawn  around  hnn.  In  this 
manner  he  lived  till  April,  1616,  when  ho 
died. 

Shakspeare  was  not  ambitious,  and  he 
seems  to  have  had  no  conception  of  the  fame 
that  was  to  follow  his  name.  He  took  no 
pains  to  publish  his  works ;  and.  for  nearly 
a  century  after  his  death,  they  were  neg- 
i  lectcd.  But  at  last  their  merit  became  known 


136 


MONKEY    ORATORS. 


to  tlie  world,  and  they  are  now  generally 
regarded  as  among  the  most  useful  and  in- 
structive of  human  productions. 

Shakspoare  wrote  many  poems,  but  his 
plays  are  most  esteemed.  These  fill  a  dozen 
volumes.  I  do  not  recommend  them  to  very 
)'oung  persons,  for  they  are  not  very  easily 
understood;  and,  beside,  there  are  some  bad 
things  in  them.  When  my  young  readers 
are  advanced  in  education,  and  can  sift  out 
and  reject  what  is  bad,  then  they  may  read 
Shakspeare's  works  with  great  pleasure  and 


profit.  They  will  then  see  how  the  beauti-  i 
fnl  works  of  nature  appear  more  beautiful  as 
reflected  in  a  great  mind  ;  they  will  then 
see  deeper  into  human  nature,  and  will  bet- 
ter understand  themselves  and  mank'ind ; 
they  will  then  see  virlue  arrayed  in  new 
charms,   and  vice  in  more  hideous  colors  ; 


thi 


ey  wil 


learn  to  look  on  human  life  with 


more  profound  feelings  of  responsibility,  and 
on  religion,  as  revealed  in  the  word  of  God, 
with  a  more  awful  and  reverent  sense  of  its 
wisdom,  depth,  and  importance  to  man. 


MONKEY   ORATORS. 


It  has  been  often  remarked  that  monkeys 
appear  to  have  been  made  in  ridicule  of 
mankind.  Their  forms  are,  indeed,  very 
much  like  those  of  men,  and  many  of  their 
movements  and  actions  are  like  those  of  hu- 
man beings.  They  have  hands  with  fingers, 
and  feet  with  toes.  Their  fore  legs  they 
use  like  arms,  and  some  species  can  walk 
erect  on  their  hind  legs.  Their  faces  are 
formed  somewhat  like  those  of  men,  and 
they  have  often  a  human  expression  in  the 
countenance. 

It  is  true  that  the  monicey  creation  have 
not  so  much  real  intelligence  as  the  dog,  the 
elephant,  and  some  other  animals  ;  but  they 
are  often  very  cunning.  Their  most  remark- 
able characteristic,  however,  is  their  dispo- 
sition to  imitate  whatever  they  see  done. 


This  turn  of  mimicry  has  frequently  proved 
fatal  to  them.  In  Africa,  the  negroes  go 
beneath  the  trees,  where  the  monkeys  are 
climbing,  and  wash  their  faces  in  water. 
They  then  go  away,  leaving  under  the  trees 
a  vessel  filled  with  a  gummy  liquid.  When 
the  monkeys  see  that  the  people  are  gone, 
they  descend,  and,  imitating  the  negroes, 
wash  their  faces  in  the  gum.  Immediately 
their  eyes  are  all  stuck  up,  so  that  they  are 
completely  blind.  The  negroes,  wno,  at  a 
little  distance,  have  watched  their  proceed- 
ings, now  come  forward,  and  have  no  diffi- 
culty in  catching  the  foolish  monkeys. 

There  is  an  amusing  fable,  founded  upon 
an  incident  which  is  supposed  really  to  ha\e 
taken  place.  A  monkey,  who  had  often 
seen  his  master  shave  himself,  once  took 


SEEING. 


ly; 


advantage  of  his  absence,  and  undertook  to 
perform  the  same  operation.  Having  lathered 
himself  thoroughly,  he  took  out  the  razor, 
and  gave  it  a  flourish,  but,  unluckily,  he 
drew  it  across  his  throat,  and  died  on  the 
spot.  This  fable  teaches  the  folly  of  under- 
taking to  do  a  thing  merely  because  we  see 
others  do  it,  and  without  understanding  its 
use  or  meaning.  Persons  who  do  this  are 
often  called  monkeys. 

Among  the  monkey  tribe  there  is  consid- 
erable variety.  The  apes  have  no  tails,  and 
some  of  them  have  a  grave  and  solemn  as- 
pect. Some  have  no  voice,  or,  at  least,  are 
generally  silent.  But  there  are  other  mon- 
keys so  noisy  as  to  have  acquired  the  title 
o{  Jiowlers.    These  are  particularly  eloquent 


at  night,  and  sometimes  make  the  woods 
resound  for  miles  around.  When  a  number 
of  them  are  howling  at  once,  they  seem  to 
resemble  our  House  of  Representatives  at 
Washington,  who  sometimes  forget  propri- 
ety, and  a  number  of  them  speak  at  once. 
Sometimes  a  single  howler  will  take  his 
position  upon  the  branch  of  a  tree,  and  will 
seem  to  be  making  a  regular  speech  to  the 
rest  of  the  monkeys,  who  squat  upon  the 
ground  below.  These  creatures  can  never 
have  seen  one  of  our  noisy  politicians  ad- 
dressing an  assembly ;  we  are  therefore 
bound  to  suppose  that  stump  oratory  is  the 
national  practice  of  monkeys,  and  that  they 
have  not  adopted  it  from  mankind,  as  we 
might  otherwise  have  imagined. 


SEEING. 


Of  all  the  senses,  that  of  seeing  is  the  most 
noble,  commanding  and  useful.  It  enables 
us  to  perceive  tliousands  of  objects  at  a 
glance,  with  their  forms,  colors,  and  distance. 
The  meclianical  structure  of  the  eye  is  very 
curious,  but  I  shall  not  describe  it  now.  It  is 
sufficient  to  say  that  light  is  the  great  instru- 
ment by  which  vision  is  performed.  This  is 
supposed  lo  consist  of  inn\inicrablc  particles, 
inconceivabI}'sniall,whicli  proceed  instraight 
lines  from  every  part  of  luminous  or  sliining 
bodies.  These  fly  with  a  velocity  ten  millions 
times  as  swift  as  a  cannon  ball,  for  they  come 


from  the  sun  to  the  earth  in  eight  minutes  ! 
These  rays  of  light  enter  the  ball  of  the 
eye  at  the  pupil ;  and  at  the  bottom  of  a  cav- 
ity in  the  ball,  called  the  rethia,a.  il'ltle  pic- 
ture is  painted  of  every  object  placed  before 
the  eye.  It  is  this  little  picture  that  enables 
us  to  see ;  and  wc  see  distinctly,  or  other- 
wise, as  this  is  clear  or  obscure.  A  very 
curious  thing  is,  that  this  picture  represents 
everything  reversed,  that  is,  upside  down. 
The  reason  why  we  do  not,  therefore,  see 
things  upside  down,  is  a  m  itter  that  has 
sadly  puzzled  the  philosophers. 


18 


THE   SENSE   OF   HEARING. 


The  sense  of  hearing  lies  in  the  ear,  the 
organs  of  which  are  contrived  with  admira- 
ble skill  and  ingenuity.  The  air  is  capable 
of  being  moved  so  as  to  produce  a  rapid 
shaking  or  vibration.  Such  a  movement 
of  the  air  is  made  bv  the  explosion  of  a  gun, 
by  the  human  voice,  &c.  Thus  vibration 
of  the  air,  with  the  perception  of  it,  is  what 
we  call  sound. 

Now,  at  the  bottom  of  a  winding  cavity  in 
the  ear  is  a  delicate  organ,  called  the  drum, 
which  is  affected  by  every  motion  of  the  air, 
however  slight ;  and  which,  by  means  of 
nerves,  conveys  to  the  brain  the  perception 
of  such  motion.  It  is  by  this  means  that 
we  hoar  distant  as  well  as  near  sounds,  and 
often  know  what  is  going  on  even  beyond 
the  reach  of  sight.  Hearing,  then,  is  'itj'v 
perceiving  vibrations  or  quick  motions  of 
the  air,  and  sound  is  only  such  vibration, 
with  the  perception  of  it. 

The  delicacy  and  perfection  of  the  mech- 
anism of  the  ear  are  so  great,  that  by  its 
poiver  we  not  only  are  able  to  distinguish 
the  vibrations  of  the  air,  caused  by  the  voice 
of  one  person,  from  those  produced  by  that 
of  another,  but  even  to  distinguish  the  vibra- 
tions produced  bj'  one  string  of  a  musical 
instrument  from  those  of  anotlier.  It  is  ow- 
ing to  the  perfection  of  this  mechanism  that 


we  are  able  to  distinguish  musical  notes,  to 
judge  of  the  distance  of  sounds,  to  discrimi- 
nate between  the  several  songs  of  the  orchard 
and  the  grove. 

Most  quadrupeds  have  long  ears,  which 
they  can  move  forward  and  back  with  great 
ease,  so  as  to  distinguish  with  quickness  and 
accuracy  the  species  of  sounds,  and  the  na- 
ture and  situation  of  the  animals  or  objects 
which  produce  them.  If  you  notice  a  cat 
or  dog,  or  even  a  horse,  you  will  observe 
that  the  ear  is  very  active,  seeking  to  gather 
information  as  to  what  is  going  on  around. 
The  ears  of  the  hare  and  rabbit  are  pecu- 
liarly fitted  to  the  use  of  such  timid  creatures. 

We  observe  that  children  seem  often  in- 
attentive to  sounds,  and  that  they  are  very 
fond  of  noise.  The  reason  is  this  :  the  bones 
of  their  ears  are  soft,  and  therefore  not  sono- 
rous ;  accordingly,  their  sense  of  hearing  is 
dull.  When  they  appear  inattentive,  they 
do  not  hear ;  yet  the  exercise  of  the  sense 
is  pleasant,  and  therefore  loud  noises  delight 
them.  For  this  reason  it  is  that  they  usually 
speak  loud,  and,  when  several  of  them  are 
together,  they  seem  to  be  much  gratified 
with  making  an  uproar. 

The  sense  of  hearing  is  not  only  of  the 
greatest  use  to  us  in  the  serious  business 
of  life,  but  it  is  the   source  of  an  infinite 


THE    SENSE    OF    TASTE. 


139 


number  of  pleasures.  What  gratification 
we  sometimes  enjoj-  at  hearing  the  voice  of 
a  dear  friend !  What  enjoyment  we  derive 
from  music !  Beside  all  this,  language, 
which  is  the  great  vehicle  of  thought,  is 
communicated  by  the  ear.  It  is  true  that 
after  they  are  formed  wc  commit  words  to 
paper;  but  these  are  only  signs  of  sounds 
previously  formed.     Without  hearing  we 


could  have  no  speech,  and  all  would  be 
dumb ;  without  speech  there  could  be  no 
writing,  no  books.  How  vastly,  then,  is  the 
circle  of  our  knowledge  and  our  pleasures 
enlarged  by  this  sense,  and  how  does  the 
goodness  and  the  wisdom  of  the  Creator 
appear  in  bestowing  upon  his  creatures  such 
a  wonderful  and  beneficent  gift ! 


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THE   SENSE   OF   TASTE. 


The  tongue,  which  has  so  much  to  do  with 
talking,  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  tasting. 
It  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  chief  instruments  by 
which  the  sensation  of  taste  is  experienced. 
The  palate  is  also  another  organ  of  impor- 
tance in  the  perception  of  taste. 

The  tongue  is  always  moistened  with 
saliva,  which  instantly  dissolves  the  surface 
of  an\'thing  that  is  put  into  the  mouth. 
Some  portion  of  the  particles  being  taken 
upon  the  tongue,  this  latter  is  pressed  against 
the  roof  of  the  mouth,  thus  bringing  them  in 
contact  with  the  nerves  which  coat  the  sur- 
face of  the  mouth  and  palate.  It  is  by  means 
of  these  nerves  that  the  qualities  of  sub- 
stances are  perceived,  and  the  sensation 
wiiich  we  call  taste  is  excited. 

It  will  be  perceived  tiiat  the  saliva  of  (he 
mouth  is  one  cfreat  cause  of  all  taste.    When 


the  tongue  is  rendered  dry  by  disease,  or 
any  other  circumstance,  the  sense  of  taste 
is  cither  imperfect  or  lost.  The  pressure  of 
t'le  tongue  against  the  surface  of  the  mouth 
seems  also  to  be  important  in  producing  (he 
sense  of  taste  ;  for  if  you  put  anything  into 
your  mouth,  and  hold  it  open,  the  sensation 
is  hardly  produced.  It  is  from  the  efll'ct  of 
this  pressure  that  the  act  of  chewing  and 
swallowing  gives  us  so  much  pleasure. 

There  is  a  great  difference  in  people,  as 
to  the  degree  of  perfection  in  which  they 
possess  this  sense ;  for  in  some  it  is  very 
blunt,  while  in  others  it  is.  very  acute. 
Tliere  is  a  dilTerencc,  also,  as  to  (he  things 
that  people  like.  Some  arc  fond  of  cheese, 
and  others  cannot  endure  it.  The  Esqui- 
maiLX  are  delighted  with  the  flavor  of  blub- 
ber oil ;  the  Indians  of  Guiana  feast  upon 


140 


THE    SENSE    OF    TOUCH. 


monlieys ;  the  negroes  of  south-western 
Africa  are  fond  of  baked  dogs  ;  the  Chinese 
eat  rats,  lizards  and  puppies ;  the  Frencli 
rank  snails  and  frogs  among  their  nicest  tit- 
bits ;  yet  all  these  things  are  revolting  to  us. 

This  diversity  arises  chiefly  from  custom 
and  habit;  for  originally  our  perceptions 
are,  no  doubt,  nearly  the  same.  It  is  cer- 
tainly so  with  animals;  for  every  horse  and 
every  ox,  in  a  natural  state,  eats  or  rejects 
the  same  species  of  food. 

The  word  taste  is  frequently  used,  in  what 


is  called  a  metaphorical  sense,  for  flic  pur- 
pose of  expressing  the  feelings  of  the  mind. 
A  person  who  loves  poetry  is  said  to  have  a 
taste  for  poetry ;  by  which  is  meant  that  he 
has  a  mind  which  feels  and  appreciates  the 
qualities  of  poetry,  just  as  the  tongue  feels 
or  appreciates  the  qualities  of  food. 

It  is  in  the  same  sense  that  we  say  a 
person  has  a  taste  for  painting,  or  music,  or 
any  other  art.  Wlien  we  say  a  person  has 
fine  taste,  we  mean  that  his  mental  percep- 
tions are  very  acute. 


THE  SENSE  OF  TOUCH. 


The  sensations  of  smelling,  tasting,  hear- 
mg,  and  seeing,  are  conveyed  by  distinct 
organs,  severally  devoted  to  these  objects, 
and  all  confined  to  the  head.  But  the  sense 
o{  touch,  or  feeling,  extends  over  almost  every 
part  of  the  body.  Though  we  may  call  eveiy 
sensation  feeling,  yet  what  is  properly  de- 
nominated the  sensation  of  touch  consists 
of  the  feeling  or  sensation  excited  by  bodies 
brought  in  contact  with  the  skin,  and  espe- 
cially the  tips  of  the  fingers. 

It  is  by  the  sense  of  touch  that  men  and 
other  animals  are  able  to  perceive  certain 
external  qualities  of  objects.     It  is  by  this 


sense  that  we  acquire  ideas  of  hardness, 
softness,  roughness,  smoothness,  heat  and 
cold,  weight  and  pressure,  form  and  distance. 
The  accuracy  of  this  sense  is  much  im- 
proved by  habit.  In  some  cases,  when  per- 
sons have  become  deaf  or  blind,  the  sense 
of  touch  has  grown  so  acute  as  partiall)'  to 
supply  the  loss  of  the  sense  of  seeing  or 
hearing.  Blind  persons  have  sometimes 
been  able  to  determine  the  qualities  of  ob- 
jects, with  wonderful  accuracy,  by  touch, 
and  even  to  distinguish  the  colors  of  cloths, 
by  being  able  to  discriminate  between  the 
substances  used  in  giving  these  their  hues. 


SMELLING. 


The  seat  of  this  sense  is  the  nose,  and 
the  chief  instrument  by  which  it  operates  is 
a  soft  membrane  hiiing  the  interior  of  the 
nostrils.  This  is  covered  over  with  an  infi- 
nite n\imbor  of  organs,  too  delicate  to  be 
seen  by  the  naked  eye,  called  the  olfactory 
nerves.  As  the  brain  is  the  seat  of  the 
mind,  these  nerves  extend  to  it,  and  convey 
to  that  organ  every  impression  that  is  made 
upon  them. 

The  nerves  are  like  sentinels  or  messen- 
gers stationed  in  all  parts  of  the  body,  whose 
duly  it  is  to  communicate  to  the  seat  of  pow- 
er —  to  the  brain,  and  thus  to  the  intellect  — 
overj'thing  that  happens  to  the  body.  Thus, 
if  you  pinch  your  finger,  or  stub  your  toe, 
or  p\it  your  hand  in  the  fire,  or  taste  of  an 
apple,  the  nerves  carry  the  stoiy  to  the 
mind ;  and  thus  it  is  that  we  feel  and  find 
out  what  is  going  on. 

So  it  is  with  the  olfactory  nerves ;  they 
have  the  power  of  perceiving  what  effluvia  is 
in  the  air,  and  they  tell  tlie  mind  of  it.  At 
first  thought,  it  might  not  seem  that  smell- 
ing was  a  very  important  sense.  The  lady 
in  the  preceding  picture  appears  to  think 
that  the  nose  is  made  only  that  she  may 
enjoy  the  perfume  of  the  rose ;  and  there 
are  others  who  take  a  very  diflferent  view 
of  the  matter.     I  once  knew  a  fellow  who 


insisted  upon  it  that  there  were  more  bad 
smells  than  good  ones  in  the  world,  and 
therefore  he  said  that  the  sense  of  smelling 
was  a  nuisance,  ns  it  brought  more  pain 
than  pleasure.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
this  view  was  not  singular,  for  I  know  sev- 
eral people  who  go  about  with  their  noses 
curled  up,  as  if  some  bad  odor  was  always 
distressing  them.  I  make  it  a  point,  when 
I  meet  such  discontented  people,  to  cross 
over,  and  go  along  on  t'other  side  of  the 
way. 

But,  however  others  may  feel,  I  maintain 
that  the  nose  is,  on  the  whole,  a  good  thing 
—  that  smelling  is  a  convenient  sense,  and 
that  we  could  not  get  along  very  well  with- 
out it.     Let  us  consider  the  matter. 

It  must  be  remarked,  in  the  first  place, 
that  in  man,  as  well  as  animals,  the  sense 
of  smelling  is  placed  very  near  the  sense  of 
taste  and  the  organs  of  eating.  We  may, 
therefore,  infer  that  smelling  is  a  guide  to 
us  in  the  choice  of  food ;  that  what  is  of  a 
good  flavor,  in  general,  is  wholesome,  and 
that  what  is  of  an  oflensive  smell  is  unwhole- 
some. The  fact,  doubtless,  is,  that  we  abuse 
the  sense  of  smelling  so  much  by  the  artifi- 
cial tastes  we  cultivate,  by  eating  spices  and 
pickles,  and  a  great  variety  of  condiments, 
that  it  ceases  to  aid  us  as  much  as  nature 


142 


MOUNT    CARMEL. 


intended  it  should.  Brutes,  who  never  eat 
cooked  dishes  composed  of  twenty  different 
ingredients,  have  not  their  senses  thus 
blunted  and  corrupted.  The  cow,  the  sheep, 
the  horse,  all  are  guided,  as  they  graze 
among  a  thousand  kinds  of  herbs,  by  the 
certain  and  effectual  power  of  smell,  to 
choose  those  which  are  wholesome,  and  to 
reject  those  which  are  hurtful.  Now,  if 
mankind  were  as  natural  and  simple  in  their 
habits  as  these  animals,  no  doubt  the  sense 
of  smell  would  be  a  good  counsellor  as  to 
what  food  is  good  and  what  is  bad. 

There  is  one  very  curious  thing  to  be 
noticed  here,  which  is,  that  what  is  pleasant 
to  one  is  offensive  to  another.  Now,  putrid 
meat  is  wholesome  to  a  dog;  it  sets  well 
upon  his  stomach  ;  and  accordingly  it  smells 
good  to  him.  Butsucli  food  would  produce 
disease  in  man ;  and  to  him  the  smell  of  it 
is  loathsome.  This  shows,  very  clearly, 
that  the  sense  of  smell  is  a  kind  of  adviser 
to  tell  creatures  how  to  select  their  food.  It 
also  induces  us  to  avoid  places  where  the 
air  is  tainted  or  impure ;  for  we  are  liable 


to  contract  diseases  in  such  an  atmosphere. 
Thus  it  is  obvious  that  the  sense  of  smelling 
is  important  not  only  as  a  guide  to  health, 
but  as  a  guardian  against  disease  and  death. 

In  many  animals  the  sense  of  smell  is 
very  acute.  The  dog  will  trace  his  master's 
footsteps,  by  the  scent  alone,  through  the 
streets  of  a  city,  and  amid  a  thousand  other 
footsteps ;  he  will  follow  the  track  of  the 
fo.x,  or  the  hare,  or  the  bird,  for  hours  after 
it  has  passed  along.  The  vulture  scents 
the  carrion  for  miles ;  and  the  wolf,  the 
hysna,  and  the  jackal,  seem  to  possess  a 
similar  acuteness  of  scent. 

While  the  sense  of  smell  is  thus  sharp  in 
some  animals,  others,  which  need  it  less, 
possess  it  in  an  inferior  degree.  Fishes 
have  only  a  simple  cavity  on  each  side  of 
the  nose,  through  which  water,  impregnated 
with  odors,  flows,  and  communicates  the 
sensation  of  smell.  Many  of  the  inferior 
animals,  as  worms,  reptiles,  and  insects, 
have  still  less  perfect  organs  of  sensation, 
and  probably  possess  the  sense  of  smell  rnly 
to  a  corresponding  extent. 


MOUNT   CARMEL. 


Mount  Carmel  is  a  tall  promontory,  form- 
ing the  tenuination  of  a  range  of  hills,  in 
the  northern  part  of  Palestine,  and  towards 
the  sea.  It  is  fifteen  hundred  feet  high,  and 
is  famous  for  its  caverns,  which  are  said  to 
be  more  than  a  thousand  in  number.  Most 
of  them  are  in  the  western  part  of  it.  Here 
also  was,  the  cave  of  the  prophet  Elijah. 
Both  Elijah  and  Elishaused  to  resort  to  this 
mountain,  and  here  it  was  that  the  former 


opposed  the  prophets  of  Baal  with  such  suc- 
cess. Here  it  was,  too,  that  this  prophet 
went  up,  when  he  told  his  servant  to  look 
forth  towards  the  sea  yet  seven  times,  and 
the  seventh  time  he  saw  a  cloud  coming 

I  from  the  sea  "like  a  man's  hand"  —  when 

1  the  prophet  knew  the  promised  rain  was  at 
hand,  and  girded  up  his  loins  and  ran  before 

{  Ahab's  chariot  even  to  the  gates  of  Jezreel. 

;(See  1  Kings  xviii.  4  —  46.) 


THE   MOCKING-BIRD. 


In  external  appearance,  the  moclcing--bird 
in:iy  be  described  as  a  plain,  homespun  crea- 
ture, dressed  in  feathers  of  a  Quaker  color. 
It  is  not  quite  so  largo  as  our  robin,  and  its 
form  is  more  delicate  and  slender.  It  has  a 
spirited  look,  however,  and  is  exceedingly 
active  and  vigorous. 

The  chief  fame  of  this  bird  arises  from 
its  power  as  a  sinsjer :  ot  all  our  American 
wood  minstrels,  it  is  the  most  celebrated. 
It  is  called  MOCKiNG-KntD  from  its  habit  of 
imitating  various  sounds.  It  has  a  curious 
knack  at  stringing  together  the  songs  of 
other  birds,  weaving  tliem  all  into  one  liquid 
melody,  and  introducing,  at  proper  intervals, 
imitations  of  barking  dogs,  squealing  pigs, 
or  perhaps  a  crying  boy. 

Yet  the  song  of  this  bird  is  not  wholly 
made  up  of  imitations  ;  it  has  strains  of  its 
own,  which  are  greatly  varied,  the  same 
notes  or  airs  being  seldom  repeated.  In 
general  its  music  is  more  remarkable  for 
vigor  than  sweetness  ;  but  sometimes  its 
notes  become  soft  and  tender,  and  melt  into 
the  heart  like  the  cooings  of  the  dove,  or 
the  warblings  of  the  nightingale. 

The  mocking-bird  is  an  inhabitant  of  the 
south,  its  chosen  haunts  seeming  to  be  in 
the  region  of  Louisiana,  or  the  adjacent 
country  ;  still  it  often  ventures  further  north, 
and  during  midsummer,  it  may  be  seen 
building  its  nest,  or  rearing  its  young,  amid 
the  thickets  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania. 


In  truth,  I  remember  to  have  seen  a  pair  of 
them  in  the  western  part  of  Massachusetts,  5 
and  I  have  no  doubt  they  had  a  nest  there  ;  I 
but  these  must  have  been  very  eccentric  < 
birds,  or  perhaps  some  ill  luck  had  attended  I 
them,  or  perhaps  they  had  got  a  bad  char-  j 
acter  among  their  neighbors,  and  were  thus  \ 
induced  to  stray  so  widely  from  the  haunts  < 
of  their  kindred.  i 

Mr.  Audubnn,  who  has   given   us   such    ' 
beautiful  books  about  birds,  tells  us  that  the   > 
rattlesnake  sometimes  malces  an  attack  upon    i 
the  nest  of  the  mocking-bird,  in  the  south-   \ 
cm  country,  and  he  gives  us  a  picture  of 
such  a  scene,  from  which  our  cut  is  copied. 
Wiiat  must  bo  the  horror  of  the  poor  birds 
on   seeing  the  approach   of  the  venomous 
reptile  !     Yet  we  are  told  that  they  make  a 
vigorous  defence  ;  flying  at  the  intruder  and 
attacking  his  eyes  with   their  beaks.     In 
such  a   contest  they  frequently  come  otT 
victorious,  and    sometimes  the    serpent  is 
glad   to   make   his   retreat   with   the   loss 
of  an  eye,  if  he  escapes  having  his  skull 
beaten  in. 

It  is  impossible  not  to  feel  a  sympathy 
with  these  poor  birds,  as  we  see  them  in 
the  picture ;  but  we  suppose  they  would 
feel  quite  as  badly  to  have  their  nest  de- 
stroyed, or  their  eggs  stolen,  or  their  young 
ones  carried  ofT,  by  a  monster  called  Ben, 
Bill,  or  John,  as  by  a  monster  called  Rattle- 
snake  ! 


OLIVER   GOLDSMITH. 


There  are  few  names  which  convey 
to  the  mind  more  pleasant  emotions  than 
that  of  Oliver  Goldsmith.  He  was  horn 
at  Pallas,  in  Ireland,  November  10,  172S. 
His  father  was  a  poor  clergyman  with  seven 
children,  of  whom  Oliver  was  the  fifth. 
The  latter  was  deemed  a  dull  boy,  and  he 
was  thought  unfit  for  any  learned  profes- 
sion. It  was  supposed  that  he  might  make 
a  tolerable  merchant,  and  with  this  view 
he  was  turned  over  to  the  care  of  the  vil- 
lage schoolmaster. 

Young  Oliver  had  plenty  of  good  stuff 
in  him,  and  it  soon  began  to  show  itself  in 
flashes  of  wit,  and  a  curious  turn  for  mak- 
ing rhymes.  His  uncle  and  other  relatives 
now  thought  him  good  for  something,  and 
accordingly  he  was  sent  to  college  in  1744. 
Here  he  had  a  bad  tutor,  and  the  boy  be- 
came idle  and  unruly.  In  the  mean  time 
his  father  died,  and,  after  a  time,  his  uncle 
induced  him  to  attempt  to  enter  the  church 
us  a  minister ;  but,  on  application  for  a 
license,  he  was  rejected.  He  now  deter- 
mined to  study  law,  and  being  furnished 
by  his  uncle  with  a  sum  of  money  for  the 
purpose,  he  set  ofT  for  London,  to  take 
rooms  in  what  is  called  the  Temple.  Stop- 
ping at  Dublin,  he  engaged  in  gambling, 
and  lost  every  penny  in  his  purse.  He  was 
obliged  to  return  home  ;  but  the  kindness 
of  his  uncle  was  not  yet  exhausted.  He 
forgave  his  offences,  and  sent  him  to  Edin- 
burgh, to  study  medicine.  In  two  years 
he  went  to  Leyden,  in  Holland,  where  he 
continued  his  studies,  though  leading  a 
dissipated  and  irregular  life. 

Though  he  was  entirely  without  money, 
and  had  only  one  clean  shirt,  young  Gold- 


smith now  resolved  to  make  the  tour  of 
Europe.  Accordingly  he  set  out  on  foot, 
and,  strange  to  say,  travelled  through 
France,  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Italy, 
during  which  time  he  appears  to  have 
fared  very  well.  He  had  some  knowledge 
of  music,  and  carried  with  him  a  small 
musical  instrument.  At  night,  when  he 
wanted  lodging,  or  at  other  times,  when 
he  needed  a  meal,  he  would  approach  the 
house  of  a  farmer  or  a  mechanic,  and  begin 
to  play  one  of  his  merry  Irish  tunes.  The 
people  were  always  pleased  with  the  music, 
and  the  poor  traveller  received  the  lodging 
or  food  which  he  needed. 

After  travelling  in  this  way  for  a  year. 
Goldsmith  returned  to  London.  He  was 
entirely  destitute  of  money,  and  was  glad 
of  any  employment  which  gave  him  sub- 
sistence. At  first  he  became  assistant  in  a 
school,  then  he  served  in  an  apothecary's 
shop,  and  after  a  time  set  up  as  a  physi- 
cian. By  the  practice  of  medicine,  and 
writing  for  magazines,  he  managed  to  get 
a  living.  At  last,  he  was  arrested  for  a 
small  sum  of  money,  and,  while  under 
arrest,  sold  his  beautiful  story  of  the  "Vi- 
car of  Wakefield."  For  this  his  friend, 
the  celebrated  Dr.  Johnson,  got  him  sixty 
pounds,  or  about  three  hundred  dollars. 

His  reputation  as  a  writer  soon  rose 
very  high,  and  at  intervals  he  published 
the  "Traveller,"  the  "Deserted  Village," 
the  "  Hermit,"  and  other  charming  works, 
which  have  rendered  his  name  so  dear  to 
all  readers  of  English.  He  wrote  several 
comedies,  one  of  which,  "  She  Stoops  to 
Conquer,"  was  very  successful,  and  brought 
him  considerable  money.     He  also  wrote 


ISABELLI,A,    OF    SPAIN. 


145 


pleasing  h  istories  of  Rome,  Greece,  and  Eng- 
land, and  a  large  work  entitled  "  A  History  of 
the  Earth  an  i  Animated  Nature."  For  the 
latter  he  received  more  than  4000  dollars. 

Go  djmith  had  now  many  friends,  great 
fam:  ard  the  means  of  living  in  affluence. 
But,  uidiappily,  he  was  entirely  destitute  of 
.self-government.  Great  as  was  his  genius, 
v.-onderful  as  was  his  power  of  delighting 
mankind,  he  indulged  his  passions,  often 
drank  to  e.xcess,  and  frequently  lost  large 
smns  in  gambling.  He  was  thus  in  con- 
stant trouble,  and  a  source  of  vexation  and 
anxiety  to  his  friends.  In  1774,  he  was 
taken  ill  of  a  fever,  and  his  mind  being 
disturbed  by  the  poverty  which  haunted 
him,  the  disease  made  rapid  strides,  and  on 
the  4th  of  April  he  died,  at  the  age  of  45. 


The  life  of  Goldsmith  is  full  of  instruc- 
tion. He  was  endowed  by  nature  with 
great  genius,  but  owing  to  weakness  of 
character  this  did  not  insure  happiness. 
He  had  not  strength  of  purpose  sufficient 
to  induce  him  to  pursue  any  object  steadily. 
He  was  too  idle  and  ''apricious  to  qualify 
himself  for  a  profession,  or  to  succeed  in 
the  practice  of  it.  He  became  an  author 
merely  for  subsistence,  and  wrote  only  as 
much  and  as  often  as  his  necessities  re- 
quired.    He  was  ever  ready  to  yield  to  the 

j  impulse  of  the  moment,  and  was  thus  fre- 
quently drawn  into  ditficulty.  While  he 
has    contributed    largely    to    the   pleasure 

'and    profit  of  mankind,   his  own  life  was 

[but  a  scries  of  disappointments  and  suf- 

1  fcringfs. 


ISABELLA,   OF   SPAIN. 

Isabella,  queen  of  Castile,  was  born  at  lamenting  that  he  had  not  been  bom  the 
Madrigal,  in  that  kingdom,  April  22,  1451.  |  son  of  a  mechanic,  instead  of  King  of  Cas- 
Her  father,  John  II.,  after  an  inglorious  tile.  Isalsella  had  but  a  slender  prospect 
reign  of  forty-eight  years,  died  in   1454,  of  obtaining  the  crown  during  the  early 


146 


ISABELLA,    OF    SPAIN. 


part  of  her  life.  She  had  two  brothers, 
Henry  and  Alfonso,  the  former  of  whom 
acceded  to  the  throne  at  the  death  of  John. 
Isabella  retired  with  her  mother  to  the 
little  town  of  Arevalo,  where  she  lived 
many  years  in  obscurity.  Her  mother, 
who  appears  to  have  been  a  woman  of  a 
strong  religious  turn  of  mind,  bestowed 
great  care  on  her  education,  and  incul- 
cated the  strictest  lessons  of  piety  upon  her 
daughter,  which  did  not  fail  to  exercise  an 
important  influence  upon  her  future  career. 
On  the  birth  of  a  daughter  to  her  brother, 
Isabella  was  removed  from  her  retirement 
to  the  royal  palace,  by  Henry,  who,  being 
disliked  by  his  subjects,  feared  the  forma- 
tion of  a  party  adverse  to  his  interests.  At 
the  royal  court,  surrounded  by  all  the  pleas- 
ures and  seductions  most  dazzling  to  youth, 
she  did  not  forget  the  early  lessons  imbibed 
in  her  seclusion,  and  the  blameless  purity 
of  her  conduct  shone  with  additional  lustre 
amid  the  scenes  of  levity  and  licentiousness 
by  which  she  was  surrounded. 

Before  this  event,  she  had  been  solicited 
in  marriage  by  various  suitors,  among  whom 
v/as  Ferdinand  of  Arragon,  who  afterwards 
became  her  husband.  His  first  application, 
however,  was  unsuccessful.  She  was  next 
betrothed  to  his  elder  brother,  Carlos,  while 
yet  a  mere  child.  That  prince  dying  before 
the  marriage  could  be  completed,  she  was 
promised  by  her  brother  to  Alfonso,  King 
of  Portugal.  Isabella  was  but  thirteen  at 
this  time,  and  the  disparity  of  their  ages 
was  such  that  neither  threats  nor  entreaties 
could  induce  her  to  consent  to  the  union. 
The  selfish  and  unprincipled  Henry,  who 
looked  upon  his  sister  only  as  an  object  of 
trade,  next  made  an  attempt  to  dispose  of 
her  for  the  purpose  of  gnining  over  a  power- 
ful family  in  Castile,  which  gave  him  great 
trouble  by  their  opposition.  He  oflered  her 
in  marriage  to  Don  Pedro  Giron,  grand 
master  of  the  order  of  Calatrava.  This 
man  was  well  known  to  be  a  most  detesta- 
ble character.  He  was  a  fierce  and  turbu- 
lent leader  of  a  faction,  and  his  private  life 
was  stained  with  almost  every  vice.  Such  a 
person,  vastly  inferior  in  birth,  was  selected 
as  the  husband  of  the  young  and  virtuous 
Isabella.  The  pope  granted  a  dispensation 
from  the  vow  of  celibacy,  which  the  grand 
master,  as  the  companion  of  a  religious 
order,  had  been  obliged  to  utter,  and  splen- 
did preparation^  were  immediately  made 
for  the  nuptials. 

Isabella  was  at  this  time  in  her  sixteenth 
year.  When  she  understood  in  what  man- 
ner she  was  now  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  self- 


ish policy  of  her  brother,  and  that,  m  case 
she  proved  reluctant,  comj)ulsorj'  measures 
were  to  be  adopted,  she  was  filled  with  the 
liveliest  grief  and  indignation.  She  con- 
fined herself  in  her  apartment,  abstaining 
from  all  food  and  sleep  for  a  day  and  a 
night,  imploring  Heaven,  in  the  most  pite- 
ous manner,  to  save  her  from  this  dishonor, 
even  at  the  cost  of  her  life.  As  she  was  be- 
wailing her  hard  fate  to  her  faithful  friend 
Bcatriz  de  Bobadilia,  that  high-spirited  lady 
exclaimed,  "God  will  not  permit  it;  neither 
will  I ;"  and  drawing  forth  a  dagger  from 
her  bosom,  she  solemnly  vowed  to  plunge  it 
into  the  heart  of  the  master  of  Calatrava  as 
soon  as  he  appeared.  The  affair,  happily, 
did  not  come  to  so  tragical  a  catastrophe. 
Her  dreaded  suitor  was  suddenly  carried 
ofT  by  sickness,  in  the  midst  of  his  magnifi- 
cent preparations. 

Troubles  now  began  to  thicken  around 
the  weak  and  vicious  Henry.  His  subjects, 
disgusted  with  his  administration,  rose  in 
arms  against  him.  Castile  was  afflicted 
with  all  the  horrors  of  anarchy  and  civil 
war.  Isabella  retired  for  shelter  to  a  mon- 
astery at  Avila.  The  confederated  nobles, 
who  were  in  arms  against  the  king,  offered 
her  the  crown  of  Castile,  which  she  had 
the  prudence  and  magnanimity  to  refute. 
This  led  to  a  negotiation  with  the  king, 
and  the  civil  war  was  closed  by  a  treaty 
between  the  parties,  in  which  it  was  stipu- 
lated that  Isabella  should  be  immediately 
recognized  heir  to  the  crown  of  Castile  and 
Leon.  Her  brother  Alfonso  had  recently 
died,  and  Joanna,  the  daughter  of  Henry, 
was  believed  by  the  people  to  be  a  supposi- 
titious offspring.  Isabella's  prospects  of  a 
throne  having  now  assumed  a  certain  char- 
acter, drew  the  attention  of  neighboring 
princes,  who  contended  with  each  other  for 
the  honor  of  her  hand.  She  gave  the  pref- 
erence to  Ferdinand  of  Arragon,  and  they 
were  married  in  1469.  On  the  death 
of  Henry,  in  1474,  they  were  conjointly 
declared  king  and  queen  of  Castile.  A 
party,  however,  existed  in  favor  of  Joanna, 
and  Alfonso  IV.,  King  of  Portugal,  entered 
Castile  at  the  head  of  an  army,  publicly 
espoused  her,  and  assumed  the  regal  title. 
His  defeat  at  the  battle  of  Toro,  in  1475, 
was  fatal  to  his  pretensions,  and,  by  a 
peace  concluded  in  1479,  the  right  of  Isa- 
bella and  her  husband  was  fully  acknowl- 
edged. Id  that  year  Ferdinand  succeeded 
to  the  crown  of  Arragon  ;  and  from  that 
time  the  kingdoms  of  Castile  and  Arragon 
were  inseparably  united,  comprising  the 
whole  of  Spain  not  possessed  by  the  Moors. 


ISABELLA,    OF    SPAIJJ. 


U7 


Isabella,  who  was  high-spirited  and  jeal- 
ous of  her  authority,  g-overned  Castile  as 
the  real  sovereign,  and  her  husband  had  the 
policy  to  concur,  with  apparent  cordialitj% 
in  her  measures.  In  14S1,  hostilities  were 
commenced  against  the  Moors  of  Grenada  ; 
and,  after  a  war  of  ten  years,  that  kingdom 
was  subdued  by  the  arms  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella.  By  this  event  the  whole  of  Spain 
was  restored  to  the  Christian  dominion  ; 
and,  in  honor  of  an  achievement  so  auspi- 
cious, the  two  sovereigns  received  the  dis- 
tinguishing title  of  "the  Catholic."  In  this 
war  Isabella  engaged  with  all  the  ardor  of 
religious  zeal ;  and  though  Ferdinand  joined 
in  her  plans  with  perfect  hannony,  yet  he 
seems  to  have  acted  in  a  secondary  capaci- 
ty. Soon  after  this,  the  Jews  were  expelled 
from  Spain  —  an  act  of  bigoti-y  and  injus- 
tice certainly  countenanced  by  Isabella,  but 
owing  chiefly  to  the  fanatic  religious  zeal 
of  the  inquisitor-general,  Torquemada,  her 
confessor,  who,  while  the  king  and  queen 
were  deliberating  on  the  acceptance  of  an 
olTer  of  thirty  thousand  ducats  made  by  the 
Jews  to  avert  the  tiireatened  edict  of  expul- 
sion, suddenly  burst  into  their  presence, 
and,  drawing  forth  a  crucifix  from  beneath 
his  mantle,  held  it  up,  exclaiming,  "Judas 
Iscariot  sold  his  Master  for  thirty  pieces  of 
silver.  Your  highnesses  would  sell  him 
anew  for  thirty  thousand.  Here  he  is ; 
take  him,  and  l«rter  liim  away."  So  say- 
ing, ho  threw  the  crucifix  on  the  table,  and 
left  the  apartment.  This  bold  stroke  of 
priestly  impudence  was  completely  siiccess- 
ful.  The  sovereigns  were  overawed,  and 
the  edict  was  signed. 

A  deed  more  glorious  to  the  memory  of 
Isabella  was  the  generous  patronage  she 
bestowed  upon  Columbus,  and  which  was 
the  sole  means  that  enabled  that  heroic 
adventurer  to  accomplish  his  great  under- 
taking of  the  discovery  of  the  western 
world.  After  he  had  failed  in  all  his 
attempts  in  other  quarters,  he  at  length 
found  a  friend  in  the  queen,  who,  rejecting 
the  advice  of  her  narrow-minded  and  timid 
counsellors,  exclaimed,  "I  will  ass\une  the 
undertaking  for  my  own  crown  of  Cai-tilc, 
and  am  ready  to  pawn  my  jewels  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  it,  if  the  funds  in  the  treas- 
ury shall  be  found  inadequate."  Under 
her  auspices  Columbus  acl\ieved  his  great 
discovery  ;  and  Isabella  may  be  called  the 
mother  of  the  western  world.  She  con- 
tinued a  constant  friend  and  protector  of 
Columbus  during  her  life  ;  and  her  death 
proved  an  overwhelming  disaster  to  him. 

During    the    war    against    the    Moors, 


Isabella  shared  in  most  of  the  campaigns, 
animating  her  husband  and  gcnenils  by 
her  courage  and  undaunted  perseverance  ; 
providing  for  the  support  of  the  aniiies  by 
her  forethought  and  economy ;  comforting 
them  under  their  reverses  by  her  sweet  and 
gracious  speeches,  and  pious  confidence  in 
Heaven  ;  and  by  her  active  humanity  and 
her  benevolent  sympathy,  extended  to  friend 
and  foe,  softening,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
miseries  of  war.  She  was  the  first  who  ap- 
pointed regular  military  surgeons  to  attend 
the  movements  of  the  army,  and  he  at  hand 
on  the  field  of  battle.  These  surgeons  were 
paid  out  of  her  own  revenues ;  and  she  also 
provided  six  spacious  tents,  furnished  with 
beds  and  all  things  requisite  for  the  sick  and 
wounilcd,  which  were  called  the  "  Queen's 
Hospital."  Thus  to  the  compassionate 
heart  of  a  woman,  directed  by  energy  and 
judgment,  the  civilized  world  was  first  in- 
debted for  an  expedient  which  has  since 
saved  so  many  lives,  and  accomplished  so 
much  towards  alleviating  the  frightful  evils 
of  war. 

Isabella's  confessor,  the  Dominican  Tor- 
quemada, had,  from  the  beginning,  ear- 
nestly labored  to  infuse  into  her  young 
mind,  to  which  his  situation  gave  him  such 
ready  access,  the  same  spirit  of  fanaticism 
that  glowed  in  his  o\ra.  Fortunately,  this 
was  in  a  great  degree  counteracted  by  her 
sound  understanding  and  natural  kindness 
of  heart.  But  he  is  .said  to  have  extorted 
a  promise  that,  "should  she  ever  come  to 
the  throne,  she  would  devote  herself  to 
the  extirpation  of  heresy,  for  the  glory  of 
God,  and  the  extension  of  the  Catholic 
faith."  The  fulfilment  of  this  promise  being 
afterwards  insisted  on,  led  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Inquisition  in  her  dominions, 
the  darkest  spot  that  exists  upon  her  char- 
acter. It  was  not  till  she  had  endured  the 
repeated  iuiporlunities  of  the  clergy,  par- 
ticularlv  of  those  revered  persons  in  whom 
she  most  confided,  that  she  consented  to 
this  measuie. 

It  was  under  the  auspices  of  Isabella  that 
Cardinal  Ximencs  introduced  his  famous 
reforms  into  the  religious  orders  of  Spain, 
and  began  the  work  of  correcting  the  hor- 
rible abuses  which  had  crept  into  the  govern- 
ment of  the  convents.  This  attempt  was 
strongly  resisted,  and  occasioned  a  general 
outcry  of  the  clergy.  The  general  of  the 
Franciscans  waited  on  the  queen,  and  re- 
monstrated in  high  terms  against  this  inter- 
ference with  the  privileges  of  his  order  ;  at 
the  same  time  reflecting  severely  on  Cardi- 
i  nal  Ximencs,  and  his  influence  over  her 


14S 


ISABELLA,    OF    SPAIN. 


mind.  Isabella  listened  to  this  turbulent 
friar  with  some  impatience  ;  but,  little  ac- 
custon.ed  to  be  dictated  to  in  this  style,  she 
at  length  arose  from  her  seat,  and  desired 
him  to  remember  who  he  was,  and  to  whom 
he  spoke.  "Madam,"  replied  the  monk, 
undauntedly,  "  I  remember  that  I  am  but 
ashes  and  dust,  and  that  I  speak  to  Queen 
Isabella,  who  is  but  dust  and  ashes,  like 
myself"  She  immediately  turned  from 
him  with  a  look  of  cool  disdain.  The  next 
day  he  was  ordered  to  quit  the  kingdom  ; 
and  Ximenes,  supported  by  the  royal  power, 
pursued  his  system  of  reformation. 

Isabella  was  a  patron  of  literature.  The 
first  printing-press  sot  up  in  Spain  was 
established  at  Burgos,  under  her  auspices, 
and  all  printed  books,  and  foreign  and 
classical  works,  were  imported  free  of  duty. 
Through  her  zeal  and  patronage,  the  Uni- 
versity of  Salamanca  rose  to  ihat  eminence 
which  it  assumed  among  the  learned  insti- 
tutions of  that  period,  and  rivalled  those  of 
Pisa  and  Padua.  She  prepared  the  way 
for  that  golden  age  of  Spanish  literature 
which  immediately  succeeded  her.  Her 
own  love  of  study  is  evinced  by  the  fact, 
that,  after  she  was  firmly  seated  on  the 
throne,  she  applied  herself  to  the  task  of 
remedying  the  defects  of  her  early  educa- 
tion, by  a  diligent  application  to  books, 
amid  all  the  cares  of  state.  She  mastered 
the  Latin  language  in  less  than  a  year's 
study. 

Notwithstanding  that  Isabella  adored  her 
husband,  she  would  never  suffer  him  to  in- 
terfere with  her  authority  as  an  indepen- 
dent sovereign,  and  she  was  as  jealous  of 
her  prerogative  as  Elizabeth  of  England  ; 
except,  indeed,  where  priestly  intimidation 
was  applied.  Her  extreme  deference  for 
the  ecclesiastics  around  her  was  a  misfor- 
tune for  her  people,  but  consistently  with 
the  best  points  in  her  character,  it  could 
not  have  been  otherwise.  She  was  hu- 
mane, just,  and  reasonable  in  all  matters 
not  influenced  by  the  religious  bigotry  of 
the  age.  She  declared  the  American  In- 
dians free,  and  ordered  the  instant  return 
of  several  cargoes  of  them,  which  had  been 
sent  to  Spain  for  slaves. 

After  a  successful  and  glorious  reign  of 
thirty  years,  Isabella  the  Catholic  died,  on 
the  twenty-si.xth  of  November,  1504,  in  the 
fifty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  Her  last  years 
were  clouded  with  the  deepest  melancholy. 
The  insanity  and  misfortunes  of  her  daugh- 
ter Joanna,  and  the  domestic  afflictions  of 
her  daughter  Catherine  of  Arragon,  lacer- 
ated her  heart  with  sorrow.     She  pined 


away  in  her  lonely  grandeur,  till  the  deep 
and  long-protracted  melancholy  invadeu  her 
constitution,  and  settled  into  a  rapiu  and 
fatal  decline. 

The  chief  traits  of  Isabella's  character 
may  be  gathered  from  the  preceding  narra- 
tive, to  which  we  subjoin  the  parallel  drawn 
between  her  and  Elizabeth  of  England, 
by  Mr.  Prescott,  whose  History  so  ably 
and  satisfactorily  unfolds  the  events  of  her 
reign. 

"  It  is  in  these  more  amiable  qualities  of 
her  sex,  that  Isabella's  superiority  becomes 
most  apparent  over  her  illustrious  name- 
sake, Elizabeth  of  England,  whose  history 
presents  some  features  parallel  to  her  own. 
Both  were  disciplined  in  early  life  by  the 
teachings  of  that  stern  nurse  of  wisdom, 
adversity.  Both  were  made  to  experience 
the  deepest  humiliation  at  the  hands  of 
their  nearest  relative,  who  should  have 
cherished  and  protected  them.  Both  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  themselves  on  the 
throne,  after  the  most  precarious  vicis- 
situdes. Each  conducted  her  kingdom, 
through  a  long  and  triumphant  reign,  to 
a  height  of  glory  which  it  never  before 
reached.  Both  lived  to  see  the  vanity  of 
all  earthly  grandeur,  and  to  fall  the  victims 
of  an  inconsolable  melancholy ;  and  both 
left  behind  an  illustrious  name,  unrivalled 
in  the  annals  of  their  country. 

"  But    with     these    few    circumstances 
of  their   history,  the    resemblance  ceases. 
Their  characters  afford  scarcely  a  point  of 
contact.     Elizabeth,  inheriting  a  large  share 
of  the  bold  and  bluff  King  Harr3''s  temper- 
ament, was  haughty,  arrogant,  coarse,  and 
irascihle,  while  with  these  fiercer  qualities 
she  mingled  deep  dissimulation  and  strange 
irresolution.     Isabella,  on  the  other  hand, 
tempered  the  dignity  of  royal  station  with 
the    most    bland   and    courteous    manners,   j 
Once   resolved,  she    was   constant    in    her  < 
purposes  ;   and   her  conduct  in  public  and   j 
private    life   was    characterized    by  candor  ( 
and  integrity.     Both  may  be  said  to  nave  > 
shown  that  magnanimity  which  is  implied   | 
by  the  accomplishment  of  great  objects  in   j 
the  face  of  great  obstacles.     But  Elizabeth   j 
was  desperately  selfish  ;  she  was  incapable 
of  forgiving,  not  merely  a  real  injury,  but 
the   slightest   affront   to    her   vanity;    and 
she  was  merciless  in  exacting  retribution. 
Isabella,  on  the  other  hand,  lived  only  for 
others  ;  was  ready  at  all  times  to  sacrifice 
self  to  considerations  of  public  duty  ;  and, 
far  from   personal  resentment,  showed  the 
greatest    condescension    and    kindness   to 
those  who  had  most  sensibly  injured  her  ; 


ISABELLA, 

while  her  benevolent  heart  sought  every 
means  to  mitii^'ate  the  authorized  severities 
of  the  law,  even  towards  the  truilty. 

"  Both  possessed  rare  fortitude.  Isabel- 
la, indeed,  was  placed  in  situations  which 
deiTianded  more  frequent  and  higher  dis- 
plays of  it  than  her  rival ;  but  no  one  will 
doulit  a  full  measure  of  this  quality  in  the 
daughter  of  Henry  VIII.  Elizabeth  was 
better  educated,  and  every  way  more  highly 
accomplished,  than  Isabella.  But  the  latter 
knew  enough  to  maintain  her  station  with 
d  gnity,  and  she  encouraged  learning  by 
a  munificent  patronage.  The  masculine 
powers  and  passions  of  Elizabeth  seemed 
to  divorce  her,  in  a  great  meastire,  from 
the  peculiar  attributes  of  her  sex  ;  at  least 
from  those  which  constitute  its  peculiar 
charjn  ;  for  she  had  abundance  of  foibles  ; 
a  coquetry  and  a  love  of  admiration,  which 
age  co\dd  not  chill ;  a  levity  most  careless,  if 
not  criminal ;  and  a  fondness  for  dress  and 
tawdry  magnificence  of  ornament  which 
was  ridiculous  or  disgusting,  according  to 
the  difTerent  periods  of  life  in  which  it 
was  indulged.  Isabella,  on  the  other  hand, 
distmguisbeil  through  life  for  decorum  of 
manners  and  purity  beyond  the  breath  of 
calunmy,  was  content  with  the  legitimate 
aficction  which  she  could  inspire  within 
the  range  of  her  domestic  circle.  Far 
from  a  frivolous  affectation  of  ornament  or 
dress,  she  was  most  simple  in  her  own 
attire,  and  seemed  to  set  no  value  on  her 
jewels,  but  as  they  could  serve  the  neces- 
sities of  the  state  ;  when  they  could  be  no 
longer  useful  in  this  way,  she  gave  them 
away  to  her  friends. 

"  Both  were  uncommonly  sagacious  in 
the  selection  of  their  ministers,  though 
Elizabeth  was  drawn  into  some  errors,  in 
this  particular,  by  her  levity,  as  was  Isa- 
bella liy  her  religious  feeling.  It  was  this, 
combined  with  her  excessive  humility, 
which  led  to  the  only  grave  errors  in  the 
aduiini-^tration  of  the  latter.  Her  rival  fell 
into  no  such  errors  ;  and  she  was  a  stranger 
to  the  amiable  qualities  which  led  to  them. 
Her  conduct  was  certainly  not  controlled 
by  religious  principle  ;  and,  though  the  bul- 
wark of  the  Protestant  faith,  it  might  be 
difficult  to  say  whether  she  were  at  heart 
most  a  Protestant  or  a  Catholic.  She 
viewed  religion  in  its  connection  with  the 
state,  —  in  other  words,  with  herself;  and 
she  took  measures  for  enforcing  conformity 
to  her  own  views,  not  a  whit  less  despotic, 
and  scarcely  less  sanguinary,  than  those 
countenanced  for  conscience'  sake  by  her 
more  bigoted  rival. 


OF   SPAIN.  149 

"This  feature  of  bigotr\',  which  has  | 
thrown  a  shade  over  Isabella's  otber.vise 
beautiful  character,  might  lead  to  a  dispar- 
agement of  her  intellectual  power,  compared 
with  that  of  the  English  queen.  To  (esti- 
mate this  aright,  we  must  contemplate  the 
results  of  their  respective  reigns.  Eliza- 
beth found  all  the  materials  of  prosperity 
at  band,  and  availed  herself  of  them  most 
ably  to  build  np  a  solid  fabric  of  national 
grandeur.  Isabella  created  these  materials. 
She  saw  the  faculties  of  her  people  locked  up 
in  a  death-like  lethargy,  and  she  breathed 
into  them  the  breath  of  life,  for  those  great 
and  heroic  enterprises  which  terminated 
in  such  glorious  consequences  to  the  mon- 
archy. It  is  when  viewed  from  the  de- 
pressed position  of  her  early  days,  that  the 
achievements  of  her  reign  seem  scarcely' 
less  than  miractilous.  The  masculine  ge- 
nius of  the  English  queen  stands  out  re- 
lieved beyond  its  natural  dimensions  by  its 
separation  from  the  softer  qualities  of  her 
sex  ;  while  her  rival,  like  some  vast  and 
symmetrical  edifice,  loses,  in  appearance, 
somewhat  of  its  actual  grandeur,  from  the 
perfect  hatmnny  of  its  proportions. 

"The  circumstances  of  their  deaths, 
which  were  somewhat  similar,  displayed 
the  great  dissimilarity  of  their  characters. 
Both  pined  amidst  their  royal  state,  a  prey 
to  incuralile  despondency,  rather  than  any 
marked  bodily  distemper.  In  Elizabeth  it 
sprang  from  wounded  vanity  ;  a  sullen  con- 
viction that  she  had  outlived  the  admiration 
on  which  she  had  so  long  fed,  and  even 
the  solace  of  friendship,  and  the  attachment 
of  her  subjects.  Nor  did  she  seek  consola- 
tion where  alone  it  was  to  be  found,  in 
that  sad  hour.  Isabella,  on  the  other  hand, 
sank  under  a  too  acute  sensibility  to  the 
sufferings  of  others.  But,  amidst  the  gloom 
which  gathered  around  her,  she  looked,  with 
the  eye  of  faith,  to  the  brighter  prospects 
which  unfolded  of  the  future.  And,  when 
she  resigned  her  last  breath,  it  was  with 
the  tears  and  universal  lamentations  of  her 
people.  It  is  in  this  undying,  unabated 
attachment  of  the  nation,  indeed,  that  we 
see  the  most  unequivocal  testimony  to  the 
virtues  of  Isabella.  Her  own  subjects  extol 
her  as  'the  most  brilliant  exemplar  of  every 
virtue,'  and  mourn  over  the  day  of  her 
death  as  'the  last  of  the  prosperity  and 
happiness  of  the  country  ;'  while  those  who 
had  nearer  access  to  her  person  are  un- 
bounded in  their  admiration  of  those  ami- 
able  qualities  whose  full  power  is  revealed 
only  in  the  unrestrained  intimacies  of  do- 
mestic life." 


JK — 


BETHLEHEM. 


This  town  is  situated  about  five  miles  and 
a  half  south-east  of  Jerusalem.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  village  called  by  the  Arabs 
Beit  Lahen,  which  means  "  House  of  Flesh," 
is  the  same  as  the  ancient  Bethlehem,  which 
the  Jews  called  "  House  of  Bread." 

The  present  inhabitants  of  Bethlehem  are 
all  Christians,  and  they  amount  to  three 
thousand  souls.  The  town  has  gates  at 
some  of  the  principal  streets ;  the  houses  are 
solidly  built,  but  are  not  large.  There  are 
many  olive  gardens,  fig  orchards  and  vine- 
yards, round  about,  and  the  adjacent  fields, 
though  Stony  and  rough,  produce,  neverthe- 
less, good  crops  of  grain.  Here  was  the 
scene  of  the  beautiful  narrative  of  Ruth, 
gleaning  in  the  field  of  Boaz,  after  his  reap- 
ers. The  inhabitants,  besides  their  agricul- 
ture, employ  themselves  in  carving  beads, 
crucifi.Kes,  and  models  of  the  holy  sepulchre, 
and  other  similar  articles,  in  olive  wood  and 
mother-of-pearls.  Indeed,  the  neatest  and 
most  skilfully  wrought  specimens  of  these 
articles  come  from  Bethlehem. 

About  thirty  rods  from  the  village  stands 
a  large  convent,  occupied  by  Greeks,  Latins, 
and  Armenians.  It  encloses  the  church 
built  by  the  Empress  Helena  over  the  spot 
where,  according  to  tradition,  our  Saviour 
was  born.  Vast  numbers  of  pilgrims  come 
to  view  the  place,  especially  at  Easter, 
when  such  multitudes  assemble,  that  the 
church  is  often  crowded  to  sulTocation,  and 
contests  frequently  ensue  between  the  dif- 


ferent  sects.  On  one  occasion,  the  privilege 
of  saying  mass  at  the  altar  on  Easter  day 
was  Ibught  for  at  the  door  of  the  sanctuary 
itself,  with  drawn  swords. 

The  pretended  place  of  the  nativity  is  a 
grotto  or  cave  beneath  the  church,  very 
splendidly  ornamented  with  a  marble  pave- 
ment, recesses  decorated  with  sculpture  and 
painting,  and  massy  silver  lamps  of  exquisite 
workmanship.  Just  beneath  the  marble 
altar,  upon  the  pavement,  is  a  star,  formed 
of  inlaid  stones,  which  marks  the  spot  of  the 
Saviour's  birth,  and  is  said  to  lie  placed  im- 
mediately underneath  the  point  where  the 
star  of  the  East  became  fixed,  to  direct  the 
wise  men  in  the  object  of  their  search. 

This  cave  is  not  the  only  celebrated  spot 
within  the  precincts  of  the  church.  One 
grotto  is  pointed  out  as  the  tomb  of  the  In- 
nocents ;  another  possesses  some  interest  as 
having  been  the  abode  of  St.  Jerome  for 
many  years.  Another  is  shown  as  the  spot 
where  Joseph  sat  during  the  birth  of  Christ, 
and  another  is  said  to  be  the  place  where 
the  Virgin  Mary  hid  herself  and  her  son 
from  the  fury  of  Herod. 

The  most  remarkable  spot  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Bethlehem  is  the  reservoir  called 
Solomon's  pools.  There  are  three  of  them, 
of  great  magnitude,  the  waters  of  which  are 
discharged  from  one  to  another,  and  con- 
veyed by  an  aqueduct  to  Jerusalem. 

Bethlehem  is  celebrated  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament as  the  birthplace  and  city  of  David ; 


MRS.    WASHINGTON. 


151 


and  in  the  New  as  that  of  David's  greater 
Sou,  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  For 
1800  years  the  earth  lias  renewed  her  carpet 
of  verdure,  and  seen  it  again  decay  ;  yet  tlie 
skies  and  the  fields,  the  rocks  andi  the  hills, 
and  tiie  valleys  around,  remain  unchanged. 


and  are  still  the  same  as  when  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  shone  about  the  shepherds,  and 
the  song  of  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host 
resounded  among  the  hills,  proclaiminrr, 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth 
peace,  good-will  toward  men  I " 


MRS.   WASHINGTON. 


5  Martha  Dandridge  was  born  in  the 
;  county  of  New  Kent,  Virginia,  in  'Slay, 
J    1732.     Her  education  was  entirely  of  a  do- 

<  mestic  character,  there  being  no  schools  in 
I  the  region  where  she  dwelt.  As  she  grew 
5  up,  she  was  distinguished  for  personal  beau- 
i  ty,  pleasing  manners,  and  general  amiabil- 
l  ity  of  demeanor.  She  frequently  appeared 
I  at  the  court  of  Williamsburg,  then  held  by 

<  the  royal  governors  of  Virginia,  and  became 
>  a  general  favorite. 

!At  the  ago  of  seventeen,  she  was  married 
to  Daniel  Park  Custis,  of  her  native  county, 
and  the  new-married  couple  were  settled  at 


the  White  House,  on  the  banks  of  the  Pa- 
munkey  river.  Rlr.  Custis  devoted  himself 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  became  an  emi- 
nently successful  planter.  The}'  had  four 
children,  two  of  whom  died  at  an  early 
period.  Martha  arrived  at  womanhood,  and 
died  at  Mount  Vernon,  in  1770,  and  John 
perished  at  the  age  of  tv.-cnty-seven,  while 
in  the  service  of  his  countrj-,  at  the  siege 
of  Yorktown,  in  17S1.  Mr.  Custis  died  at 
about  middle  age,  leaving  his  widow  still 
youny,  yet  possessed  of  an  ample  fortune. 
Besides  extensive  landed  estates,  she  had 
£30.000  sterling  in  money. 


152 


MRS.    WASHINGTON. 


Mrs.  Custis  was  sole  executor  of  her  hus- 
band's will,  and  she  appears  to  have  been 
well  qualified  to  discharge  the  duties  which 
devolved  upon  her.  She  conducted  her 
affairs  with  surprising  ability,  and  the  con- 
cerns of  her  extensive  fortune  seemed  to 
thrive  under  her  management.  In  1758, 
Colonel  Washington,  then  twenty-six  years 
of  age,  became  accidentally  acquainted  with 
the  fair  widow,  and,  after  a  brief  courtship, 
they  were  married.  This  occurred  in  1759. 
Soon  after,  they  removed  to  Mount  Vernon, 
which  henceforward  became  their  perma- 
nent residence. 

Mrs.  Washington  had  no  children  by  this 
second  marriage.  Martha  and  John  Custis 
were,  however,  fully  adopted  into  the  affec- 
tions of  her  present  husband.  In  discharg- 
ing her  various  domestic  duties,  and  rearing 
her  children,  time  flowed  smoothly  on  for 
almost  twenty  years.  In  1775,  Washington, 
being  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the 
American  army,  proceeded  to  Cambridge, 
and  did  not  return  to  Mount  Vernon  till 
after  the  peace  of  1783,  except  in  a  single 
instance.  In  December,  she  proceeded  to 
Cambridge,  and  joined  her  husband.  Here 
she  remained  till  spring,  having  witnessed 
the  siege  and  evacuation  of  Boston.  She 
then  returned  to  Virginia. 

During  the  war,  it  was  the  custom  for  the 
general  to  despatch  an  aid-de-camp  to  Mount 
Vernon,  at  the  close  of  each  campaign,  to 
escort  his  wife  to  head-quarters.  The  arrival 
of  Lady  Washington,  as  she  was  now  called, 
at  the  camp,  was  an  event  always  anticipated 
with  pleasure,  and  was  the  signal  for  the 
ladies  of  the  general  officers  to  join  their 
husbands.  The  appearance  of  the  aid-de- 
camp, escorting  the  plain  family  chariot, 
with  the  neat  postilions  in  their  scarlet  and 
white  liveries,  was  deemed  an  epoch  in  the 
army,  and  served  to  dilTuse  a  cheering  influ- 
ence even  amid  the  gloom  which  hung  over 
our  destinies,  at  Valley  Forge,  Morristown, 
and  West  Point.  She  always  remained  at 
head-quarters  till  the  opening  of  the  cam- 
paign, and  she  often  remarked,  in  after  life, 
that  it  had  been  her  fortune  to  hear  the  first 
cannon  at  the  opening,  and  the  last  at  the 
closing,  of  the  several  campaigns  of  the  war. 

During  the  whole  period  of  the  revolu- 
tionary struggle,  she  preserved  her  equa- 
nimity, together  with  a  degree  of  cheerful- 
ness which  inspired  all  around  her  with  the 
brightest  hopes  of  final  success.  The  glori- 
ous results  of  the  campaign  of  1781  were, 
however,  associated  with  an  event  most 
afflictive  to  her.  John  Custis,  now  her  only 
child,  had  accompanied  Washington  to  the 


siege  of  Boston,  and  had  witnessed  the  most 
important  events  of  the  contest.  At  York- 
town,  he  was  one  of  the  aids  of  Washington, 
and  lived  to  see  the  surrender  of  the  British 
army  on  the  19th  of  October  ;  but  he  died 
soon  after  of  camp  fever,  which  was  then 
raging  to  a  frightful  e.xtent  within  the  ene- 
my's intrenchments. 

The  war  being  closed,  Washington  re- 
turned to  Mount  Vernon.  His  time  was 
now  occupied  in  the  peaceful  pursuits  of 
private  life.  He  cultivated  his  lands,  and 
improved  his  residence  at  Mount  Vernon  by 
additional  buildings,  and  the  laying  out  of 
his  gardens  and  grounds.  He  occasionally 
diversified  his  employments  by  the  pleasures 
of  the  chase.  Much  of  his  time,  however, 
was  occupied  in  discharging  the  grateful 
duties  of  hospitality.  His  fame  was  spread 
far  and  wide,  and  his  home  was  crowded 
with  guests,  among  whom  were  often  seen 
illustrious  strangers  from  foreign  lands. 
During  this  happy  period,  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton performed  the  duties  of  a  Virginia 
housewife,  and  presided  at  her  well-spread 
board,  with  an  ease  and  elegance  of  manner 
suited  to  her  character  and  station. 

The  period  at  length  arrived  when  Wash- 
ington was  again  to  leave  his  home,  and 
enter  upon  public  duties.  Being  elected 
president  of  the  United  States,  he  set  out, 
in  the  spring  of  1789,  to  join  Congress  at 
New  York,  then  the  seat  of  the  general 
government.  Accompanied  by  his  lady,  he 
proceeded  to  that  city,  everywhere  received 
by  crowds  of  people,  showering  upon  him 
their  most  grateful  homage.  At  Trenton, 
New  Jersey,  he  was  received  in  a  manner 
which  is  said  to  have  affected  him  even  to 
tears.  In  addition  to  the  usual  military 
compliments,  the  bridge  over  the  creek  run- 
ning through  the  town  was  covered  with  a 
triumphal  arch,  supported  by  thirteen  pillars, 
entwined  and  ornamented  with  flowers  and 
laurel,  and  bearing  on  the  front,  in  large  gilt 
letters,  this  inscription  :  — 

"THE  DEFENDER  OF  THE  MOTHERS 

WILL  BE  THE 

PROTECTOR    OF    THE    DAUGHTERS." 

Here  were  assembled  the  mothers  and 
daughters  dressed  in  white,  each  bearing  a 
basket  of  flowers,  which  were  strewn  before 
the  chief,  while  they  sung  in  chorus, 

CI  Welcome,  miglity  chief,  once  more, 
Welcome  lo  ihis  grateful  shore; 
Now  no  mercenary  foe 
Aims  again  ihe  fatal  blow, 
Aims  at  thee  the  fatal  blow. 


y  v^t^^^***' 


MRS.    WASHINGTON. 


153 


i 


"  Virgins  fair  and  matrons  ^rave, 
Those  ihy  conquering  arms  did  save, 
Build  for  ihee  Iriuniplial  Iiowcrs  ; 
Strew,  ye  fair,  liis  way  with  flowers, 
Strew  your  hero's  way  with  flowers." 

Arrived  at  New  Vork,  the  president's 
establishment  was  formed  upon  a  scale  par- 
taking at  once  of  simplicity  and  dignity. 
"  Tile  house  was  handsomely  furnished  ; 
the  equipages  neat,  with  horses  of  the  first 
order ;  the  servants  wore  the  family  liveries  ; 
and,  with  the  exception  of  a  steward  and 
housekeeper,  the  wiiole  establishment  dif- 
fered very  little  from  that  of  a  private  gen- 
tleman. On  Tuesdays,  from  three  to  four 
o'clock,  the  president  received  the  foreign 
ambassadors  and  strangers  who  wished  to 
be  introduced  to  him.  On  these  occasions, 
and  when  opening  the  session  of  Congress, 
he  wore  a  dress  sword.  His  personal  ap- 
parel was  alwavs  remarkable  for  being  old- 
fashioned,  and  exceedingly  plain  and  neat. 

"  On  Thursdays  were  the  congressional 
dinners,  and  on  Friday  night,  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington's drawing-room.  The  company  usu- 
ally assembled  ahout  seven,  and  rarely  staid 
exceeding  ten  o'clock.  The  ladies  were 
seated,  and  the  president  passed  round  the 
circle,  paying  his  compliments  to  each.  At 
the  drawing-rooms,  Mrs.  Morris  always  sat 
at  the  right  of  the  lady  president,  and  at  all 
dinners,  public  or  private,  at  wliich  Eobcrt 
Morris  was  a  guest,  that  venerable  man  was 
placed  at  the  right  of  Mrs.  Washington. 
When  ladies  called  at  tiie  president's  man- 
sion, tlie  habit  was  for  the  secretaries  and 
gentlemen  of  the  president's  household  to 
hand  them  to  and  from  their  carriages ;  but 
when  the  honored  relicts  of  Greene  and 
Montgomery  came,  tlie  president  himself 
performed  these  complimentary  duties. 

"On  the  great  national  festivals  of  the 
fourth  of  July  and  twenty-second  of  Febru- 
ary, the  sages  of  the  revolutionary  Congress 
and  the  officers  of  the  revolutionary  army 
renewed  theiracquaintancewith  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington. Many  and  kindly  greetings  took 
place,  with  many  a  recollection  of  the  days 
of  trial.  The  members  of  the  Society  of 
Cincinnatus,  after  paying  their  respects  to 
the  chief,  were  seen  to  file  oil"  towards  the 
parlor,  where  Lady  Washington  was  in 
waiting  to  receive  them,  and  where  Wayne, 
and  MilTlin,  and  Dickenson,  and  Stewart, 
and  Moylan,  and  Hartley,  and  a  host  of 
veterans,  were  cordially  welcomed  as  old 
friends,  and  where  many  an  interesting 
reminiscence  was  called  up,  of  the  head- 
quarters and  the  '  tiiues  of  the  revolution.' 

'■  Oti  Sundays,  unless  the  weather  was 


2U 


uncommonly  severe,  the  president  aiid  Mrs. 
Washington  attended  divine servicea;Christ 
Church  ;  and  in  the  evenings,  the  president 
read  to  Mrs.  Washington,  in  her  chamber, 
a  sermon,  or  some  portion  of  the  sacred 
writings.  No  visitors,  with  the  exception 
of  Mr.  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  —  who 
was  then  speaker  of  the  house,  and  after- 
wards governor  of  Connecticut,  —  were  ad- 
mitted on  Sunday. 

"  There  was  one  description  of  visitors, 
however,  to  be  found  about  the  first  presi- 
dent's mansion  on  all  days.  The  old  sol- 
diers repaired,  as  they  said,  to  head-quarters, 
just  to  inquire  after  the  health  of  his  excel- 
lency and  Lady  Washington.  They  knew 
hisexcellency  was.  of  course,  much  engaged; 
but  they  would  like  to  see  the  good  lady. 
Oiio  had  been  a  soldier  of  the  life-guard  ; 
another  had  been  on  duty,  when  the  British 
threatened  to  surprise  the  head-quarters ;  a 
third  had  witnessed  that  terrible  fellow, 
Cornwallis,  surrender  his  sword ;  each  one 
had  some  touching  appeal,  with  which  to 
introduce  himself  at  the  peaceful  head- 
quarters of  the  president.  All  were  '  kindly 
bid  to  stay,'  were  conducted  to  the  steward's 
apartments,  and  refreshments  set  before 
them  ;  and,  after  receiving  some  little  token 
from  the  lady,  with  her  best  wishes  for  the 
health  and  happiness  of  an  old  soldier,  they 
went  their  ways,  while  blessings  upon  their 
revered  commander  and  the  good  Laily 
Washington  were  uttered  by  many  a  war- 
worn veteran  of  the  revolution."* 

In  the  autumn  of  1789,  General  Wash- 
ington made  a  tour  to  the  Eastern  States. 
Soon  after  his  return,  Mrs.  Washington  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  Mrs.  Warren,  of  Boston, 
giving  an  account  of  her  views  and  feelings 
at  that  period,  which,  as  it  is  interesting  for 
the  infonnation  it  contains,  and  alike  cred- 
itable to  the  head  and  heart  of  the  writer, 
we  present  to  the  reader.  It  is  dated  Dec. 
26th,  1789. 

"  Your  very  friendly  letter  of  last  month 
has  afforded  much  more  satisfaction  than  all 
the  formal  compliments  and  empty  ceremo- 
nies of  mere  etiquette  could  possibly  have 
done.  I  aiu  not  apt  to  forget  the  feelings 
which  have  been  inspired  by  my  former 
society  with  good  acquaintances,  nor  to  be 
insensible  to  their  expressions  of  gratitude 
to  the  president;  for  you  know  me  well 
enough  to  do  me  the  justice  to  believe  that 
I  am  fond  only  of  what  comes  from  the 
heart.  Under  a  conviction  that  the  demon- 
strations of  respect  and  affection  to  hun  orig- 

*  Americao  Portrait  Gallery. 


154 


MRS.    WASHINGTON. 


inate  in  that  source,  I  cannot  deny  that  1 
have  taken  some  interest  and  pleasure  in 
them.  The  difficulties  which  first  presented 
themselves  to  view  on  his  first  entering  upon 
the  presidency,  seem  thus  to  be  in  some 
measure  surmounted.  It  is  owing^  to  the 
kindness  of  our  numerous  friends  in  all 
quarters  that  my  new  and  unwished-for 
situation  is  not  indeed  a  burden  to  me. 
When  I  was  much  younger,  I  should  prob- 
ably have  enjoyed  the  innocent  gayeties  of 
life  as  much  as  most  persons  of  my  age  ; 
but  I  had  long  since  placed  all  the  prospects 
of  my  future  happiness  in  the  still  enjoy- 
ments of  the  fireside  at  Mount  Vernon. 

"I  little  thought,  when  the  war  was  fin- 
ished, that  any  circumstances  could  possibly 
happen,  which  would  call  the  general  into 
public  life  again.  I  had  anticipated  that, 
from  that  moment,  we  should  be  suffered  to 
growold  together  insolitudeand  tranquillity. 
That  was  the  first  and  dearest  wish  of  my 
heart.  I  will  not,  however,  contemplate 
with  too  much  regret  disappointments  that 
were  inevitable,  though  his  feelings  and  my 
own  were  in  perfect  unison  with  respect  to 
our  predilection  for  private  life.  Yet  I  can- 
not blame  him  for  having  acted  according 
to  his  ideas  of  duty  in  obeying  the  voice  of 
his  country.  The  consciousness  of  having 
attempted  to  do  all  the  good  in  his  power, 
and  the  pleasure  of  finding  his  fellow-citi- 
zens so  well  satisfied  with  the  disinterested- 
ness of  his  conduct,  will,  doubtless,  be  some 
compensation  for  the  great  sacrifices  v.'hich 
I  know  he  has  made.  Indeed,  on  his  jour- 
ney from  Mount  Vernon  to  this  place,  in  his 
late  tour  through  the  Eastern  States,  by 
every  public  and  every  private  information 
which  has  come  to  him,  I  am  persuaded  he 
has  e.xperienced  nothing  to  make  him  repent 
his  having  acted  from  what  he  conceived  to 
be  a  sense  of  indispensable  duty.  On  the 
contrary,  all  his  sensibility  has  been  awak- 
ened in  receiving  such  repeated  and  une- 
quivocal proofs  of  sincere  regard  from  his 
countrymen. 

"  With  respect  to  myself,  I  sometimes 
think  the  arrangement  is  not  quite  as  it 
ought  to  have  been,  —  that  I,  who  had  much 
rather  be  at  home,  should  occupy  a  place 
with  which  a  great  many  younger  and  gayer 
women  would  be  extremely  pleased.  As  my 
grandchildren  and  domestic  con.nections 
make  up  a  great  portion  of  the  felicity  which 
I  looked  for  in  this  world,  I  shall  hardly  be 
able  to  find  any  substitute  that  will  indem- 
nify me  for  the  loss  of  a  part  of  such  endear- 
ing society.  I  do  not  say  this  because  I  feel 
dissatisfied  with   my  present  station ;    for 


everybody  and  ever^'thing  conspire  to  make 
me  as  contented  as  possible  in  it ;  yet  I  have 
learned  too  much  of  the  vanity  of  human 
affairs  to  e.xpect  felicity  from  the  scenes  of 
public  life.  I  am  still  determined  to  be 
cheerful  and  happy  in  whatever  situation 
I  maj'  be  ;  for  I  have  also  learned  from  ex- 
perience that  the  greater  part  of  our  happi- 
ness or  misery  depends  on  our  dispositions, 
and  not  on  our  circumstances.  We  carry 
the  seeds  of  the  one  or  the  other  about  with 
us  in  our  minds  wherever  we  go. 

"  I  have  two  of  my  grandchildren  with 
me,  who  enjoy  aavantages  in  point  of  edu- 
cation, and  who,  I  trust,  by  the  goodness  of 
Providence,  wiil  be  a  great  blessmg  to  me. 
My  other  two  grandchildren  are  with  their 
mother  in  Virginia." 

In  the  spring  of  1797,  bidding  adieu  to 
public  life,  Washington  took  leave  of  the 
scat  of  government,  and  returned  to  Mount 
Vernon,  prepared  in  good  earnest  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  his  days  in  retirement.  He 
accepted,  indeed,  the  command  of  the  army 
of  the  United  States,  soon  after;  but  this 
did  not  draw-him  from  his  home.  In  1799, 
he  died,  after  a  brief  illness.  His  affection- 
ate partner  was  at  the  bedside  when  his 
spirit  departed.  "  It  is  all  over  now,"  said 
she.  "  I  shall  soon  follow  him.  I  have  no 
more  trials  to  pass  through."  About  two 
years  after,  she  was  seized  with  bilious 
fever.  Being  perfectly  aware  that  her  end 
was  at  hand,  she  assembled  her  grandchil- 
dren at  her  bedside,  discoursed  with  them 
of  their  duties  in  life,  of  the  happy  influences 
of  religion,  of  the  consolations  it  had  afforded 
her  in  hours  of  affliction,  and  the  hopes  it 
offered  of  a  blessed  immortality ;  and  then, 
surrounded  by  weeping  relatives,  friends, 
and  domestics,  the  venerable  relict  of  Wash- 
ington resigned  her  life  into  the  hands  of 
her  Creator,  in  the  seventy-first  year  of 
her  age. 

Few  women  have  figured  in  the  great 
drama  of  life,  amid  scenes  so  varied  and 
imposing-  with  so  few  faui'ts,  and  so  many 
virtues,  as  Martha  Wastiington.  identified 
with  the  Father  of  his  country  in  the  great 
events  which  led  to  our  national  indepen- 
dence, she  partook  much  of  his  thoughts, 
views,  and  counsels.  In  the  dark  hours  of 
trial,  her  cheerfulness  soothed  his  anxieties, 
and  her  devotional  piety  aided  him  in  draw- 
ing hope  and  confidence  from  Heaven.  She 
was  indeed  the  fit  partner  of  Washington, 
and,  in  her  sphere,  appears  to  have  dis- 
charged her  duties  with  a  dignity,  devotion, 
and  consistency,  worthy  of  her  exalted 
i  destinies. 


Maid  of  Orleans,  from  a  statue  by  iho  Princess  I^laria,  of  France 

JOAN  OF  ARC. 


Tms  intcrcstincf  and  extraordinary  girl, 
surnamcd  the  "  Maid  of  Orleans,"  from  her 
heroic  defence  of  that  city,  was  born  about 
the  year  1410  or'll.inthe  little  hamlet 
of  Domrcmy,  near  the  Mcuse,  and  about 
three  leagues  south  of  Vaucouleurs,  on  the 
borders  of  Cliampagne.  Her  parents  were 
humble  and  honest  peasants.  The  district 
was  remarlcable  for  the  devout  simplicity  of 
its  inhabitants,  as  well  as  for  those  roman- 
tic superstitions,  which,  in  a  rude  age,  are 
so  often  allied  with  religion.  It  appears 
from  the  copious  depositions  of  witnesses 
from  Domremj',  examined  at  Joan's  trial, 
that  she  was  unremitting  in  her  prayers  and 
other  religious  exercises,  and  was  strongly 
imbued,  at  a  very  early  ago,  with  the  pre- 
vailing s\iperstitions  of  her  native  place. 

During  that  period  of  anarchy  in  France, 
when  ths  supreme  power,  which  had  fallen 
from  the  hands  of  a  monarch  deprived  of 
his  reason,  was  contended  for  by  the  rival 
houses  of  Orleans  and  Burgundy,  the  con- 


flicting parties  carried  on  war  more  by  mur-  ! 
der  and  massacre  than  by  regular  battles. 
When  an  army  was  wanted,  both  had  re- 
course to  the  English  ;  and  these  conquer- 
ing strangers  made  the  unfortunate  French 
feel  still  deeper  the  horrors  and  ravages  of 
war.  At  first,  the  popular  feeling  was  un- 
decided ;  but  when,  on  the  death  of  Charles 
VI.,  the  crown  fell  to  a  young  prince  who 
adopted  the  Armagnac  side,  whilst  the 
house  of  Burgundy  had  sworn  allegiance 
to  a  foreigner,  Henry  V.,  as  king  of  France, 
—  then,  indeed,  the  wishes  and  interests  of 
all  the  French  were  in  favor  of  the  Armag- 
nacs,  or  the  truly  patriotic  party.  Remote 
as  was  the  village  of  Domremy,  it  was  still 
interested  in  the  issue  of  the  struggle.  It 
was  decidedly  Armagnac,  and  was  strength- 
ened in  this  sentiment  by  the  rivalry  of  a 
neighboring  village,  which  adopted  Bur- 
gundian  colors. 

Political   and  party  interests  were  thus 
forced  upon  the  enthusiastic  mind  of  Joan, 


156 


JOAN    OF    ARC. 


and  mingled  with  the  pious  legends  she 
had  caught  from  the  traditions  of  the  Vir- 
gin. A  prophecy  was  current  that  a  virgin 
should  rid  France  of  her  enemies,  and  this 
prophecy  seems  to  have  been  realized  by  its 
effect  upon  the  mind  of  Joan.  The  girl,  by 
her  own  account,  was  about  thirteen,  when 
a  supernatural  vision  first  appeared  to  her. 
She  described  it  as  a  great  light,  accompa- 
nied by  a  voice  telling  her  to  be  devout 
and  good,  and  promising  her  the  protection 
of  Heaven.  Joan  responded  by  a  vow  of 
eternal  chastity.  From  that  time,  the  voice 
or  voices  continued  to  haunt  Joan,  and  to 
echo  the  enthusiastic  and  restless  wishes 
of  her  o\vn  heart.  Her  own  simple  account 
was,  that  "  voices "  were  her  visitors  and 
advisers,  and  that  they  prompted  her  to 
quit  her  native  place,  take  up  arms,  drive 
the  foe  before  her,  and  procure  for  the 
young  king  his  coronation  at  Rheims. 
These  voices,  however,  had  not  influence 
enough  to  induce  her  to  set  out  upon  the 
hazardous  mission,  until  a  band  of  Burgim- 
dians,  traversing  and  plundering  the  coun- 
try, had  compelled  Joan,  together  with  her 
parents,  to  take  refuge  in  a  neighboring 
town.  When  they  returned  to  their  village, 
after  the  departure  of  the  marauders,  they 
found  the  church  of  Domremy  in  ashes. 

Such  incidents  were  well  calculated  to 
arouse  the  indignation  and  e.xcite  the  en- 
thusiasm of  Joan.  Her  "voices"  returned, 
and  incessantly  directed  her  to  set  out  for 
Orleans,  but  to  commence  by  making  ap- 
plication to  De  Baudricourt,  commander  at 
V'aucouleurs.  Her  parents,  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  Joan's  martial  propensities, 
attempted  to  force  her  into  a  marriage ;  but 
she  contrived  to  avoid  this  by  paying  a  visit 
to  an  uncle,  in  whose  company  she  made 
her  appearance  before  the  governor  of  Vau- 
couleurs,  in  May,  1428.  De  Baudricourt 
at  first  refused  to  see  her,  and  upon  grant- 
ing an  interview,  treated  her  pretensions 
with  contempt.  She  then  returned  to  her 
uncle's  abode,  where  she  continued  to  an- 
nounce her  project,  and  to  insist  that  the 
prophecy  that  "  France,  lost  by  a  woman, 
—  Isabel  of  Bavaria,  —  should  be  saved  by 
a  virgin  from  the  frontiers  of  Lorraine," 
alluded  to  her.  She  it  was,  she  asserted, 
who  could  save  France,  and  not  "  either 
kings,  or  dukes,  nor  yet  the  King  of  Scot- 
land's daughter," — an  expression  which 
proves  how  well-informed  she  was  as  to 
the  political  events  and  rumors  of  the  day. 

The  fortunes  of  the  dauphin  Charles,  at 
this  time,  had  sunk  to  tlie  lowest  ebb.  Or- 
leans, almost  his  last  bulwark,  was  besieged 


and  closely  pressed,  and  the  loss  of  the 
battle  of  "Herrings"  seemed  to  take  away 
all  hope  of  saving  the  city  from  the  Eng- 
lish. In  this  crisis,  when  all  human  support 
seemed  unavailing,  Baudricourt  no  longer 
despised  the  supernatural  aid  promised  by 
the  damsel  of  Domremy,  and  gave  per- 
mission to  John  of  Metz,  and  Bertram  of 
Poulengy,  two  gentlemen  who  had  become 
converts  to  the  truth  of  her  divine  mission, 
to  conduct  Joan  of  Arc  to  the  dauphin. 
They  purchased  a  horse  for  her,  and,  at 
her  own  desire,  furnished  her  with  male 
habits,  and  other  necessary  equipments. 
Thus  provided,  and  accompanied  by  a  re- 
spectable escort,  Joan  set  out  for  Vaucou- 
leurs  on  the  thirteenth  of  February,  1429. 
Her  progress  through  regions  attached  to 
the  Burgundian  interest  was  perilous,  but 
she  safely  arrived  at  Fierbois,  a  place  within 
five  or  six  leagues  of  Chinon,  where  the 
dauphin  then  held  his  court.  At  Fierbois 
was  a  celebratpd  church,  dedicated  to  St. 
Catherine  ;  and  here  she  spent  her  time 
in  devotion,  whilst  a  messenger  was  de- 
spatched to  the  dauphin  to  announce  her 
approach.  She  was  commanded  to  pro- 
ceed, and  reached  Chinon  on  the  eleventh 
day  after  her  departure  from  Vaucouleurs. 

Charles,  though  he  desired,  still  foaied, 
the  proffered  aid.  After  due  consultation, 
however,  it  was  concluded  to  grant  Joan's 
request,  and  she  received  the  rank  of  a 
military  commander.  A  suit  of  armor  was 
made  for  her,  and  she  sent  to  Fierbois  for 
a  sword  which,  she  said,  would  be  found 
buried  in  a  certain  spot  in  the  church.  It 
was  found  there,  and  conveyed  to  her. 
The  circumstance  became  afterwards  one 
of  the  alleged  proofs  of  her  sorcerj'  or  im- 
posture. Her  having  passed  some  time 
at  Fierbois,  among  the  ecclesiastics  of  the 
place,  must  have  led,  in  some  way  or  other, 
to  her  knowledge  of  the  deposit.  Strong 
in  the  conviction  of  her  mission,  it  was 
Joan's  desire  to  enter  Orleans  from  the 
north,  and  through  all  the  fortifications  of 
the  English.  Dunois,  however,  and  the 
other  leaders  at  length  overruled  her,  and 
induced  her  to  abandon  the  little  company 
of  pious  companions  which  she  had  raised, 
and  to  enter  the  beleaguered  city  by  water, 
as  the  least  perilous  path.  She  succeeded 
in  carrying  with  her  a  convoy  of  provisions 
to  the  besieged. 

The  entry  of  Joan  of  Arc  into  Orleans, 
at  the  end  of  April,  was  itself  a  triumph. 
The  hearts  of  the  besieged  were  raised 
from  despair  to  a  fanatical  confidence  of 
success ;   and  the  English,  who  in  every 


MOUNT    VESUVIUS. 


157  j 


encounter  had  defeated  the  French,  felt 
their  courage  paralyzed  by  the  coming  of 
this  simple  girl.  We  cannot  give  the  de- 
tails of  the  wonderful  events  that  followed  ; 
it  must  suffice  to  say,  that  the  French  were 
mspired  with  the  utmost  courage,  and  after 
a  series  of  great  achievements,  in  which  the 
wonderful  maiden  took  the  lead,  the  siege 
was  raised.  Thus,  in  one  week  after  her 
arrival,  the  beleaguered  city  was  relieved. 
The  most  incredible  of  her  promises  was 
now  fiiHilled,  and  she  henceforth  received 
the  title  of  "Maid  of  Orleans." 

Tiie  French  now  carried  all  before  them, 
under  the  guidance  of  this  maiden  leader  ; 
and,  in  three  months  after  she  came  to  the 
relief  of  Charles,  he  was  crowned  at  Rheims, 
which  had  surrendered  to  his  arms.     After  I 


a  series  of  successes,  she  was  in  one  m- 
stance  defeated,  and  finally  was  captured 
in  a  sally  against  the  enemy.  Way,  1430. 
She  was  now  handed  over  to  the  English 
partisans  in  France,  brought  to  trial  on  the  '■, 
charge  of  sorcerv,  and  condemned  to  death. 
A  pile  of  wood  was  prepared  in  the  market- 
place at  Rouen,  and,  encircled  by  a  body 
of  judges  and  ecclesiastics,  she  was  then 
burned  to  death,  and  her  ashes  thrown  into 
the  Seine.  This  took  place  in  May,  1431. 
Thus  perished  one  of  the  most  pure,  lovely, 
and  e.\altcd  beings  that  ever  lived.  In 
1454,  a  revision  of  her  sentence  took  place, 
and  a  monument  was  erected  to  her  honor, 
on  the  spot  where  she  had  been  inhumanly 
put  to  death. 


MOUNT   VESUVIUS. 


Tilts  famous  volcano  stands  on  the  Bay 
of  Naples,  about  eight  miles  from  the  city. 
In  ancient  times,  it  was  remarkable  for  the 
luxuriance  of  the  vegetation  with  which  its 
sloping  sides  were  covered  ;  and  the  same 
may  be  seen  at  the  present  day,  except  in 
those  spots  laid  waste  by  the  streams  of 
lava  from  the  fiery  eruptions  to  which  the 
mountain  is  subject. 

On  three  sides  this  mountain  overloolfs  a 
rich  plain  ;  while  on  the  fourth  it  descends 
more  abruptly  to  the  shore  of  that  beautiful 


bay,  which,  with  its  surrounding  scenery,  is 
justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  wonders  of 
the  world. 

For  a  third  of  the  way  upward,  the  smooth 
brown  side  of  the  mountain  appears  dotted 
over  with  white  houses,  which  arc  so  nu- 
merous, near  the  base,  as  to  form  an  unin- 
terrupted line  of  buildings,  for  many  miles 
in  extent.  Of  the  towns  and  villages  to 
which  these  buildings  belong,  some  contain 
ten  thousand,  and  even  fifteen  thousand 
inhabitants. 


«-~ 


158 


The  cone  of  Vesuvius,  or  that  part  which 
contains  th,?  crater,  is  a  steep  mass  of  cin- 
ders, lava,  and  scorice,  rising  high  above  the 
cultivated  region  of  the  mountain.  Here 
the  traveller  must  leave  the  mule  or  ass  on 
which  he  has  begun  his  ascent,  and  trust 
to  his  feet.  The  climbing  this  steep  emi- 
nence is  a  work  of  great  labor,  from  the 
sinking  and  sliding  of  the  volcanic  ashes 
under  the  feet.  On  reaching  the  top,  he 
finds  himself  among  broken  crags  of  lava, 
from  the  crevices  of  which  arise  hot  sul- 
phurous steams,  indicating  the  dangerous 
character  of  the  ground  on  which  he  is 
treading. 

The  crater  is  a  deep  hollow,  on  the  very 
summit  of  the  cone.  The  spectator  is 
struck  with  its  vast  magnitude  —  the  rug- 
gedness  and  appalling  abruptness  of  the 
sides,  which  go  shelving  down  to  a  dark 
abyss,  which  vomits  smoke  and  fire  from 
an  unfathomable  deptli. 

From  this  point,  the  distant  prospect  ap- 
pears in  surprising  contrast  with  the  stern 
and  awful  sublimity  of  the  interior  of  the 
mountain.  The  beautiful  Bay  of  Naples  ; 
the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  ;  the 
fairy  isles  of  Ischia,  Procida,  and  Capri ; 


the  domes  and  towers  of  Naples  ;  the  lofty 
turrets  of  the  castle  of  St.  Elmo ;  the 
promontory-  of  Posilippo,  and  the  beautiful 
shore  of  Sorrento,  —  all  compose  a  land- 
scape which  surpasses  the  most  elaborate 
and  gorgeous  description.  He  who  sees 
for  the  first  time  this  unequalled  panorama 
expanding  before  him,  may  be  ready  to 
e.xclaim,  in  the  language  of  the  Italian 
proverb,  "  See  Naples,  and  then  die  ! " 

The  eruptions  of  Vesuvius  have  often 
been  terrific  ;  sometimes  burying  towns  and 
cities  under  showers  of  ashes  and  floods  of 
lava.  It  more  frequently  discharges  volleys 
of  dry,  impalpable  dust,  which  is  so  fine 
as  to  be  sustained  for  a  considerable  time 
in  the  higher  regions-  of  the  atmosphere, 
where  the  thin  tall  stream  accumulates  and 
spreads  out  in  the  shape  of  an  umbrella,  or 
Italian  pine-tree.  The  dusty  particles  then 
descend  over  a  vast  extent  of  country  in  a 
thick  shower. 

Fifty  eruptions  of  Vesuvius  have  been 
recorded  since  the  Christian  era.  The 
most  violent  was  in  the  year  79,  when 
Hcrculaneum  and  Pompeii  were  destroj'ed  ; 
on  this  occasion  the  a.shes  were  carried 
through  the  air  as  far  as  Egypt  and  Syria. 


ASKELON. 


Tins  is  a  city  in  the  land  of  the  Philis- 
tines, on  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea.  It  was  once  a  place  of  great  impor- 
tance and  note  among  the  PJiilistiiies,  and 
was  one  of  their  seats  of  government.  It 
is  also  famous  for  a  temple  dedicated  to 
Apollo,  at  which  Herod,  the  grandfather 
of   Herod    the   Great,  officiated   as   priest. 


After  the  death  of  Joshua,  the  tribe  of  Ju- 
dah  took  the  city  of  Askelon. 

The  wine  that  is  made  in  this  city  was 
very  much  esteemed,  and  the  cypress-tree 
was  also  common.  This  was  very  much 
admired  by  the  ancients  for  its  grace  and 
beauty.  The  modern  town  is  called  Sca- 
lona,  and  is  a  small  and  uninteresting  place. 


MEIIKMET   ALL 


Mekemf.t  Al!,  the  Pacha  of  Egyp'.  was 
a  native  of  Albania,  and  appears  to  have 
heon  born  in  poverty.  His  father  had  ten 
children  ;  and  such  was  the  spirit  of  Mc- 
hemet  while  yet  a  boy,  that  no  one  ever 
dared  to  contradict  him.  Before  he  was 
yet  a  man,  he  left  his  country,  and  travel- 
led about,  meeting  with  various  adventures. 
Coming  to  Ecfypt,  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier.  He 
soon  rose  to  the  rank  of  ca]itain,  and,  advanc- 
ing by  degrees,  he  attained  the  supreme  com- 
mand of  the  army.  From  this  position  it  was 
an  easy  step  to  the  throne.  He  accordincly 
became  pacha  or  king  of  the  whole  countiy. 

The  disposition  of  Alehomet  was  despotic, 
and  he  is  said  to  have  boasted  that  he  never 
had  a  master.  He  was  not,  however,  like 
the  preceding  governors  of  Egypt.  These 
were  ignorant  and  selfish  men,  who  ruled 
only  to  gratify  themselves.  They  looked 
upon  their  sulijects  but  as  slaves  created  for 
tlie  pleasure  of  their  prince. 

Mehemet  had  more  elevated  views,  and 
was  desirous  of  improving  his  country  ;  but 
here  a  serious  obstacle  was  in  his  way. 
The  Mamelukes,  a  body  of  soldiers,  collected 
from  various  countries,  had  long  exercised 
a  powerful  sway  in  Egypt.  No  pacha  had 
yet  dared  to  oppose  them,  or  interfere  with 


their  wishes.  Mehemet  thought  it  necessary 
to  get  rid  of  them,  and  resorted  to  a  terrible 
expedient  for  this  purpose.  In  ISll,  he  in- 
vited them  as  if  to  a  feast  in  the  city  of  Cairo, 
the  capital.  When  they  were  all  assembled, 
amoimting  to  several  thousands,  the  cannon, 
which  had  been  placed  ready  for  the  pur- 
pose, wore  discharged  upon  them  at  a  given 
signal.  The  slaughter  was  terrible  ;  all  the 
proud  Mamelukes  were  slain,  e.xcept  a  few, 
who  lied  to  other  countries  never  to  return. 
Mehemet  is  absolute  in  his  authority, 
but  he  jTOverns  according  to  certain  rules 
and  regulations.  He  has  a  council,  consist- 
ing of  his  chief  ofTicers  and  the  governors 
of  provinces.  He  administers  impartial 
justice  to  all  his  subjects,  without  regard 
to  race  or  religion  ;  has  established  regular 
judicial  courts,  and  a  good  police  ;  has 
abolished  tortures  and  other  barbarous  pun- 
ishments ;  has  encouraged  instruction  to  a 
certain  extent ;  has  removed  most  of  the 
ignorant  prejudices,  which  existed  among 
his  subjects,  against  the  arts  and  learning  of 
Europe,  and  has  introduced  European  man- 
ufactures and  machinery.  He  keeps  a  print- 
ing-office, and  publishes  a  newspaper  ;  lias 
formed  schools  and  colleges  for  the  arts  and 
sciences,  and  for  military  and  naval  tactics. 


160 


ORAKG-OUTANG. 


A  recent  traveller  states  that  Mehemet 
Ali  was  born  in  1769,  the  same  year  which 
gave  birth  to  Napoleon  and  Wellington. 
We  are  not  disposed  to  give  much  faith  to 
this  statement ;  for,  as  the  pacha  never 
learned  to  read  till  he  was  forty  years  old, 
it  is  probable  that  his  own  recollection  of 
the  year  of  his  birth  was  not  very  clear, 
and  the  wish  must  have  been  father  to  the 
thought  of  fixing  the  date  as  above.  In 
person,  he  is  of  middle  size,  and  dresses 
very  simply.  He  thinks  much  of  his  repu- 
tation, and  the  name  which  he  will  leave 
to  posterity,  and  has  for  some  years  past 
employed  his  leisure  hours  in  writing  his 


own  histor^^  He  has  the  foreign  news- 
papers translated  into  Turkish  for  his  peru- 
sal, and  is  not  insensible  to  any  calumnies 
which  they  contain  against  him. 

His  activity  is  very  great.  In  studying 
history,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that 
the  lives  of  Alexander  the  Great  and  Napo- 
leon have  given  him  the  greatest  satisfac- 
tion. He  has  always  shown  the  utmost 
degree  of  toleration  in  religious  matters, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  prejudices  of  the  people, 
has,  in  some  instances,  raised  Christians  to 
the  rank  of  bey  —  a  thing  before  unheard 
of  among  Mussulmans. 


ORANG-OUTANG. 


This  animal  possesses  a  countenance  more 
nearly  allied  to  man  than  that  of  any  other. 
The  frame  is  less  like  the  human  frame  than 
that  of  the  chimpanse,  a  large  species  of  ape 
found  in  Africa.  It  is  capable  of  walking 
nearly  erect,  but  the  usual  gait  on  the  ground 
is  like  a  cripple  who  supports  himself  on  his 
hands,  and  draws  his  body  forward.  It  is 
probable  that  it  seldom  walks  on  the  ground 
in  its  native  state,  its  home  seeming  to  be 
on  the  trees. 

A  young  orang-outang  was  brought  to 
Boston,  in  1S31,  from  Borneo,  and  was  ex- 
hibited in  the  country  for  nearly  two  years, 
when  it  died.  It  had  very  much  the  appear- 
ance of  an  unhappy  lit.le  negro,  who  was 
sick  of  the  world,  and  wished  to  have  as 
little  to  do  with  its  inhabitants  as  possible. 


Another  species  ^vas  brought  here  recenflj' 
which  also  died. 

The  orang-outang  belongs  to  the  family 
of  apes  ;  it  has  four  hands,  long  arms,  long 
fingers,  with  a  thumb  on  each  hand  ;  all  the 
fingers  and  the  thumbs  of  the  four  hands  arc 
furnished  with  nails.  He  is  covered  with  a 
thin  coat  of  reddish-brown  hair.  He  lives 
upon  fruits,  and  m  a  wild  state  is  fierce  and 
formidable,  being  sometimes  six  or  seven 
feet  tall.  When  tame,  he  appears  to  acquire 
a  quiet  disposition,  and  has  a  grave,  melan- 
choly air.  He  is  easily  taught  to  sit  i'-  a 
chair,  to  drink  in  a  cup,  and  to  perform  many 
actions  in  imitation  of  those  around  him.  In 
the  island  of  Borneo  he  grows  to  the  size  of 
a  man ;  he  then  appears  to  possess  great 
strength,  and  sometimes  he  is  very  savage. 


)|fW«^^AM 


RED   JACKET. 


SiooYEWATHA,  who  was  callctl  Rcd  Jacket 
by  the  whites,  in  consequence  of  his  wearing 
such  a  gTirment  when  a  boy,  was  of  the  Sen- 
eca tribe  —  one  of  the  Six  Nations.  He  was 
born  about  the  year  1750,  in  the  western 
part  of  the  state  of  New  York.  He  was  of 
a  plebeian  family,  and  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  gifted  with  military  talents,  yet 
he  attained  the  highest  distinction  and  influ- 
ence among  his  tribe,  solely  by  his  powers 
of  eloquence.  Of  the  early  part  of  his  ca- 
reer little  appears  to  be  known.  After  the 
close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  a  great  coun- 
cil of  the  Indian  nations  was  held  at  Fort 
Schuyler  for  the  settlement  of  aflairs  with 
the  American  commissioners.  Red  Jacket 
distingiiished  himself  at  this  council  by  his 
opposition  to  the  general  wish  for  peace. 
Ho  delivered  a  speech  against  "  burying  the 
hatchet,"  and  urged  the  continuance  of  the 
war,  with  such  eloquence  and  force,  that 
the  warriors  were  carried  away  by  the 
magic  of  his  oratory  ;  and  it  was  only  by 
allowing  time  for  the  effect  of  it  to  dissipate, 
and  the  temper  of  his  auditors  to  cool  down 


by  sober  reflection,  that  the  more  pnident 
and  moderate  of  the  chiefs  were  enabled  to 
give  a  pacific  turn  to  their  delibcnitions. 

About  the  year  1790,  a  council  was  held 
on  the  shore  of  Lake  Canandaigua,  to  nego- 
tiate a  purchase  of  land  from  the  Indians. 
After  two  days  spent  in  discussing  the  terms, 
a  treaty  was  agreed  upon,  and  only  wanted 
the  formality  of  a  sirrnature  to  make  it  com- 
plete, when  Red  Jacket,  who  had  not  yet 
been  heard,  arose  to  speak.  An  eye-wit- 
ness thus  describes  the  scene.  "With  the 
grace  and  dignity  of  a  Roman  senator,  he 
drew  his  blanket  around  him,  and  with 
a  piercing  eye  surveyed  the  multitude. 
All  was  hushed;  nothing  interposed  to 
break  the  silence,  save  the  gentle  rustling 
of  the  tree-tops,  under  whose  shade  they 
were  gathered.  After  a  long  and  solemn, 
but  not  unmeaning  pause,  he  commenced 
his  speech  in  a  low  voice  and  sententious 
style.  Rising  gradually  with  the  subject, 
he  depicted  the  primitive  simplicity  and 
happiness  of  his  nation,  and  the  wrongs 
they  had  sustained  from  the  usurpations  of 


'il 


162 


KED    JACKET. 


white  men,  with  such  a  bold  but  faithful 
pencil,  that  everj'  auditor  was  soon  roused 
to  vengeance  or  melted  into  tears.  The 
effect  was  inexpressible.  But  ere  the  emo- 
tions of  admiration  and  sympathy  had  sub- 
sided, the  white  men  became  alarmed.  They 
were  m  the  heart  of  an  Indian  country,  sur- 
rounded by  more  than  ten  times  their  num- 
ber, who  were  inflamed  by  the  remembrance 
of  their  injuries,  and  excited  to  indignation 
by  the  eloquence  of  a  favorite  chief.  Appalled 
and  terrified,  the  white  men  cast  a  cheerless 
gaze  upon  the  hordes  around  them.  A  nod 
from  the  chiefs  might  be  the  onset  of  destruc- 
tion. At  tliis  portentous  moment,  Farmer's- 
Brother  interposed.  He  replied  not  to  his 
brother  chief,  but  with  a  sagacity  truly 
aboriginal,  he  caused  a  cessation  of  the 
council,  introduced  good  cheer,  commended 
the  eloquence  of  Red  Jacket,  and,  before  the 
meeting  had  reilssembled,  with  the  aid  of 
other  prudent  chiefs,  he  had  moderated  the 
fury  of  his  nation  to  a  more  salutary  review 
of  the  question  before  them." 

The  fame  of  his  great  eloquence  gained 
Red  Jacket  a  powerful  influence,  not  only 
in  his  own  tribe,  but  among  all  the  Six 
Nations  of  Indians.  At  one  time  he  fell 
into  discredit  with  his  people,  from  what 
cause  does  not  appear,  and  was  denounced 
by  his  enemies  as  guilty  of  witchcraft.  On 
this  charge  he  was  brought  to  trial,  and  de- 
fended himself  in  a  speech  three  hours  in 
length,  which  proved  so  effectual  that  he 
was  acquitted.  His  reputation  was  greatly 
augmented  by  this  occurrence.  He  was 
one  of  a  deputation  of  his  countrymen  who 
visited  Philadelphia,  in  1792,  and  acted  as 
chief  spokesman  in  their  negotiations  with 
the  governor. 

He  had  a  rooted  antipathy  to  Christianity, 
which  neither  the  lapse  of  time  nor  the  per- 
suasions of  the  white  men  could  remove. 
He  always  opposed  strongly  the  intrusion 
of  missionaries  among  his  people.  In  1S05, 
a  missionary  from  iMassachusetts  visited 
BulI!\lo,  and  convened  a  council  of  the  In- 
dians, which  comprised  many  of  the  Seneca 
chiefs  and  warriors.  His  purpose  was  to 
inculcate  upon  the  savages  the  advantages 
they  would  derive  from  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  among  them.  He  delivered  a 
discourse,  in  whi  -.h  he  explained  his  object 
in  calling  them  together.  He  informed 
them  that  he  was  sent  by  the  great  mission- 
ary society  of  Boston  to  teach  them  how  to 
worship  the  Great  Spirit,  and  not  to  defraud 
them  of  their  lands  and  property  ;  that  there 
was  (  nly  one  true  religion  in  the  world,  and 
unles:.'  they  embraced  it,  they  could  not  be 


happy,  and  that  they  had  lived  in  darkness 
and  error  all  their  lives.  He  wished,  if  the 
Indians  had  any  objection  to  his  religion, 
they  would  state  it.  After  he  had  finished, 
they  conferred  together,  and  appointed  Red 
Jacket  to  give  their  answer.  He  addressed 
the  missionarj'  in  a  speech  which  we  shall 
quote  entire.  It  exhibits  genuine  Indian 
shrewdness,  and  considerable  force  of  argu- 
ment. 

"  Friend  and  brother ;  it  was  the  will  of 
the  Great  Spirit  that  we  should  meet  to- 
gether this  day.  He  orders  all  things,  and 
he  has  given  us  a  fine  day  for  our  co\incil. 
He  has  taken  his  garment  from  before  the 
sun,  and  caused  it  to  shine  with  brightness 
upon  us ;  our  eyes  are  opened,  that  we  see 
clearly ;  our  cars  are  unstopped,  that  we 
have  been  able  to  hear  distinctly  the  words 
that  you  have  spoken ;  for  all  these  favors 
we  thank  the  Great  Spirit,  and  him  only. 

"  Brother,  this  council  fire  was  kindled 
by  you  ;  it  was  at  your  request  that  we  came 
together  at  this  time  ;  we  have  listened  with 
attention  to  what  you  have  said.  You  re- 
quested us  to  speak  our  minds  freely  ;  this 
gives  us  great  joy,  for  we  now  consider  that 
we  stand  upright  before  you,  and  can  speak 
what  we  think ;  all  have  heard  your  voice, 
and  all  speak  to  you  as  one  man;  our  minds 
are  agreed. 

"  Brother,  you  say  you  want  an  answer 
to  your  talk  before  you  leave  this  place.  It 
is  right  you  should  have  one,  as  you  are  a 
great  distance  from  home,  and  we  do  not 
wish  to  detain  you ;  but  we  will  first  look 
back  a  little,  and  tell  you  what  our  fathers 
have  told  us,  and  what  we  have  heard  from 
the  white  people. 

"  Brother,  listen  to  what  we  say.  There 
was  a  time  when  our  forefathers  owned  this 
great  island.*  Their  seats  extended  from 
the  rising  to  the  setting  sun.  The  Great 
Spirit  had  made  it  for  the  use  of  Indians. 
He  had  created  the  buffalo,  the  deer,  and 
other  animals  for  food.  He  made  the  bear 
and  the  beaver,  and  their  skins  served  us 
for  clothing.  He  had  scattered  them  over 
the  country,  and  taught  us  how  to  take 
them.  He  had  caused  the  earth  to  produce 
corn  for  bread.  All  this  he  had  done  for 
his  Red  Children  because  he  loved  them.  If 
we  had  any  disputes  about  hunting  grounds, 
they  were  generally  settled  without  the 
shedding  of  much  blood.  But  an  evil  day 
came  upon  us ;  your  forefathers  crossed  the 
great  waters,  and  landed  on  this  island. 
Their  numbers   were   small ;    they  found 

*An  opinion  prevails  among  ihe  Indians,  that  this 
country  is  an  island. 


i 


: 


i 


RED   JACKET. 


163 


friends,  and  not  enemies.  They  told  us  tliey 
had  fled  from  their  own  country  for  fear  of 
wicked  men,  and  come  here  to  enjoy  their 
religion.  They  asked  for  a  small  seat ;  we 
took  pity  on  them,  granted  their  request, 
and  they  sat  down  amongst  us  :  we  gave 
them  corn  and  meat ;  they  gave  7ts  poison 
in  return !  The  white  people  had  now  found 
our  country  ;  tidings  were  curried  back,  and 
more  came  amongst  us  ;  yet  we  did  not  fear 
them,  we  took  them  to  befriends;  they 
called  us  brothers ;  we  believed  them,  and 
gave  them  a  larger  seat.  At  length,  their 
nmnbers  had  greatly  increased ;  they  wanted 
more  land  ;  they  wanted  our  country.  Our 
eyes  were  opened,  and  our  minds  became 
uneasy.  Wars  took  place ;  Indians  were 
hired  to  fight  against  Indians,  and  many  of 
our  people  were  destroyed.  They  also 
brought  strong  liquor  among  us ;  it  was 
strong  and  powerful,  and  has  slain  thou- 
sands. 

"  Brother,  our  seats  were  once  large,  and 
yours  were  very  small ;  you  have  now  be- 
come a  great  people,  and  we  have  scarcely 
a  place  left  to  spread  our  blankets ;  you  have 
got  our  country,  but  are  not  satisfied  ;  you 
want  to  force  your  religion  upon  us. 

"  Brother,  continue  to  listen.  You  say 
you  are  sent  to  instruct  us  how  to  worship 
the  Great  Spirit  agreeably  to  his  mind,  and 
if  we  do  not  take  hold  of  the  religion  which 
you  white  pcojjle  teach,  we  shall  be  unhappy 
hereafter.  You  say  that  you  are  right,  and 
we  are  lost;  how  do  we  know  this  to  be 
true  ?  We  understand  that  your  religion 
is  written  in  a  book ;  if  it  was  intended  for 
us  as  well  as  you,  why  has  not  the  Great 
Spirit  given  it  to  us,  and  not  only  to  us,  but 
why  did  he  not  give  to  our  forefathers  the 
knowledge  of  that  book,  with  the  means  of 
understanding  it  rightly  ?  We  only  know 
what  you  tell  us  about  it.  How  shall  we 
know  when  to  believe,  being  so  often  de- 
ceived by  the  white  people  ? 

"  Brother,  you  say  there  is  but  one  way 
to  worship  and  serve  the  Great  Spirit ;  if 
there  is  but  one  religion,  why  do  you  white 
people  dilfer  so  much  about  it  ?  Why  not 
all  agree,  as  you  can  all  read  the  book  ? 

"  Brother,  we  do  not  understand  these 
things.  We  are  told  that  your  religion  was 
given  to  your  forefathers,  and  has  been 
handed  down  from  father  to  son.  We  also 
have  a  religion  which  was  given  to  our  fore- 
fathers, and  has  been  handed  down  to  us 
their  children.  We  worship  that  way.  It 
teacheth  us  to  be  thankful  for  all  the  favors 
we  receive ;  to  love  each  other,  and  to  be 
united.     We  never  quarrel  about  religion. 


"  Brother,  the  Great  Spirit  has  made  us 
all ;  but  he  has  made  a  great  difference  be- 
tween his  white  and  red  children;  he  has 
given  us  a  different  complexion,  and  differ- 
ent customs  ;  to  you  he  has  given  the  arts  ; 
to  these  he  has  not  openec  our  eyes ;  we 
know  these  things  to  be  true.  Since  he  has 
made  so  great  a  difference  between  us  in 
other  things,  why  may  we  not  conclude  that 
he  has  given  us  a  ditlerent  religion,  accord- 
ing to  our  understanding?  The  Great 
Spirit  docs  right;  he  knows  what  is  best 
for  his  children  ;  we  are  satisfied. 

"  Brother,  we  do  not  wish  to  destroy  your 
religion,  or  take  it  from  you  ;  we  only  want 
to  enjoy  our  own. 

"  Brother,  you  say  you  have  not  come  to 
get  our  land  or  our  monev,  but  to  enlighten 
our  minds.  I  will  now  tell  you  that  I  have 
been  at  your  meetings,  artd  seen  you  collect- 
ing money  from  the  meeting.  I  cannot  tell 
what  this  money  was  intended  for,  but  sup- 
pose it  was  for  your  minister ;  and  if  we 
should  conform  to  your  way  of  thinking, 
perhaps  you  may  want  some  Irom  us. 

"  Brother,  we  arc  told  that  you  have  been 
preaching  to  the  white  people  in  this  place. 
These  people  are  our  neighbors;  we  are 
ac(]uainted  with  them  ;  we  will  wait  a  little 
while  and  sec  what  effect  your  preaching 
has  upon  them.  If  we  find  it  does  them 
good,  makes  them  honest  and  less  disposed 
to  cheat  Indians,  \vc  will  then  consider  again 
what  you  have  said. 

"  Brother,  you  have  now  heard  our  an- 
swer to  your  talk,  and  this  is  all  we  have  to 
say  at  present.  As  we  are  going  to  part, 
we  will  come  and  take  you  by  the  hand, 
and  hope  the  Great  Spirit  will  protect  you 
on  your  journey,  and  return  j'ou  safe  to 
your  friends." 

The  Senocas  took  part  with  the  United 
States  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  practice 
of  employing  the  savages  in  hostilities  had 
always  been  condemned  by  the  people  of 
this  country,  but  as  the  British  government 
had  set  the  example,  and  strengthened  their 
arniies  materially  by  Indian  auxiliaries,  it 
began  to  be  questioned  whether  such  a  sys- 
tem ought  not  to  be  turned  against  them. 
Grand  Island,  in  the  river  Niagara,  belonged 
to  the  Senecas,  and  when  the  British  threat- 
ened to  invade  it,  the  Indians  determined  to 
take  up  arms  in  its  defence.  They  were 
accordingly  permitted  to  join  the  American 
forces  on  the  Niagara  frontier.  Red  Jacket 
was  one  of  their  leaders,  and  distinguished 
himself  in  an  action  near  Fort  George,  on 
the  17th  of  August,  1813,  in  which  the 
British  and  their  Indian  allies  were  defeated; 


164 


FROGS. 


The  prisoners  were  all  treated  with  human- 
ity ;  nor  was  any  excess  conimitted  by  the 
savages  on  the  American  side  during  the  war. 
After  the  peace,  Red  Jacket  professed  to 
feel  himself  much  annoyed  by  the  attempts 
of  missionaries  to  establish  themselves 
among  his  people.  In  1S21,  he  made  a 
formal  complaint  against  them  to  the  gov- 
ernor of  New  York,  in  a  letter  dictated  by 
himself,  which  we  have  not  space  to  copy. 
About  the  same  time,  a  squaw  of  the  Sen- 
ecas  was  put  to  death  on  the  accusation  of 
witchcraft.  The  Americans  took  the  mat- 
ter in  hand,  and  put  the  executioner  on  trial. 
Red  Jacket  and  other  witnesses  testified 
that  the  woman  was  a  witch,  and  had  been 
legally  tried  and  executed.  The  doctrine 
of  witchcraft  was  ridiculed  by  the  Ameri- 
cans ;  to  which  he  made  a  reply,  reminding 
them,  —  if  we  may  take  his  recorded  speech 
as  genuine,  —  of  the  transactions  at  Salem. 
Before  he  was  admitted  to  give  evidence  at 
the  trial,  he  was  questioned  whether  he  be- 


lieved in  the  existence  of  a  God,  and  a  future 
state  of  rewards  and  punishments.  He  re- 
plied, with  stern  indignation,  "Yes!  imick 
more  than  the  ichite  vien,  if  ice  are  to  judge 
by  their  actimis."  The  trial  was  carried 
through  three  terms,  and  the  prisoner  was 
finally  acquitted. 

Red  Jacket  continued  to  enjoy  great  dis- 
tinction to  the  day  of  his  death.  His  resi- 
dence was  a  log  cabin,  situated  in  a  lonely 
spot  near  Buffalo.  Scarcely  a  traveller 
passed  that  way  without  calling  to  visit  a 
chief  so  celebrated  for  his  wisdom  and  elo- 
quence. He  understood  English  well,  yet 
refused  constantly  to  converse  in  it,  and 
would  not  even  reply  to  a  speech  till  it  had 
been  translated  into  his  own  language  by  an 
interpreter.  This  rigid  adherence  to  an 
ancient  formality  reminds  us  of  the  practice 
of  the  English  sovereigns,  who  continue  to 
sanction  or  reject  acts  of  parliament  in  the 
language  of  William  the  Conqueror.  Red 
Jacket  died  on  the  20th  of  January,  1830. 


FROGS. 


Frogs,  with  their  cousins,  the  toads,  are 
what  are  called  amphibious.  We  have 
heard  a  queer  explanation  of  this  word :  a 
show-man,  speaking  of  an  alligator  that  he 
had  on  exhibition,  said  "  that  it  was  amphib- 
ious ;"  that  is,  said  he,  "  it  dies  on  the  land, 
and  can't  live  in  the  water."  He  only  got  it 
reversed  :  he  should  have  said,  that  he  lived 
equally  well  in  the  water  and  on  the  land. 

Frogs  are  the  best  of  all  four-footed  swim- 
mers ;  they  never  deign  to  walk  or  run  ;  but 
they  are  great  jumpers.  The  frog  is  rather 
m  ire  slender,  and  more  lively  than  the  toad. 
The  latter  is,  indeed,  a  dull,  stupid  fellow, 
and  often  looks  like  a  mere  lump  of  dirt. 
Many  people  dislike  toads,  and  some  fancy 
that  they  are  poisonous.  But  nothing  is 
more  innocent,  or  harmless. 


Frogs  are  hatched  from  eggs,  in  about 
forty  days  after  they  are  laid.  In  about  two 
days  after  being  hatched  they  assume  the 
tadpole  or  polly wog  form,  and  feed  on  pond- 
weed.  When  they  are  three  months  old, 
two  small  feet  sprout  out  near  the  tail ;  in  a 
few  days  more  the  arms  are  formed  ;  and 
now  the  frog  is  every  waj'  perfectly  formed, 
e.xcept  that  it  has  a  tail !  During  this  state 
the  creature  eats  very  little,  and  is  seen  to 
rise  frequently  to  the  top  of  the  water  to 
take  breath.  He  has  always  before  lived 
like  a  fish,  beneath  the  wave,  but  as  he  is 
now  changing  his  state,  he  must  get  ac- 
quainted with  the  world  above  the  water. 
In  a  few  iiours  the  tail  drops  ofl^,  and  the 
frog,  the  real  genuine  frog,  is  complete ! 
And  one  most  wonderful  thing  is  this:  the  an- 


THE    ZEBU,    OR    LNDIAN    OX. 


165 


imal  not  only  changes  his  form  anii  liabits,but 
his  food  also.  While  a  tadpole,  he  fed  on  grass ; 
while  a  frog,  he  lives  entirely  on  animal 
food,  as  insects  and  worms.  As  he  cannot  find 
enough  of  them  in  the  water,  he  goes  forth 
to  hunt  them,  and  takes  insects  by  surprise! 
Some  people,  seeing  great  quantities  of 
toads  and  frogs  in  time  of  a  shower,  fancy 
that  they  are  rained  down  from  tiie  cloud.s. 
It  may  be  tliat  these  little  creatures  arc 
sometimes  scooped  up  by  a  whirlwind,  or 
water-spout,  and  carried  to  some  distant 
place,  when  they  fall  with  the  rain  ;  but,  in 
general,  the  abundance  of  these  creatures 
after  a  shower  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the 
fact  that  at  such  a  time  they  all  come  forth 
from  their  lurking-places. 


Frogs  live  chiefly  on  the  land,  but  when 
cold  weather  conies,  they  dive  down  in  the 
mud,  and  lie  there,  in  a  torpid  state,  till 
spring  comes  back,  when  they  salute  its 
return  with  a  great  variety  of  notes.  Some 
of  these  are  rather  plaintive  and  pleasing  ; 
but  others  are  almost  as  loud  and  coarse  as 
the  voices  of  bulls.  These  bellowing  frogs 
are  sometimes  called  Dutch  nightingales. 
In  early  times  these  creatures  were  so  nu- 
merous in  France,  that  they  waked  up  the 
people  early  in  the  morning.  The  rich  men 
used,  therefore,  to  require  their  servants  to 
go  out  and  beat  the  frogs  and  keep  them 
quiet,  till  they  could  get  through  with  their 
morning  nap. 


THE   ZEBU,   0 

TiiK  most  common  of  the  East  Indian 
breeds  ofthe  ox  kind  is  the  zebu,  a  humped  va- 
riety, the  smallest  specimens  of  which  are  not 
bigger  than  a  full-grown  mastiff,  while  others 
are  found  almost  as  large  as  the  finest  of  our 
English  cows.  The  zebu  has  been  consid- 
ered by  naturalists  as  not  a  distinct  species, 
but  only  a  degenerate  kind  of  bison,  dimin- 
ished in  size  by  scantiness  of  food,  which 
has  a  decided  eflcct  upon  the  bulk  of  all 
horned  cattle.  We  see,  also,  that  the  horse 
dwindles  into  a  pony  in  the  Shetland  Isles, 
and  why  not  the  o.x  shrink  into  a  zebu  ? 

The  zebu,  like  the  bison,  is  extremely 
gentle  when  tamed,  and  very  useful  to  man- 
kind, both  as  alliirdmg  food  and  serving  for 
a  beast  of  draUiTlit  or  burden.     These  ani- 


R   INDIAN   OX. 

mals  are  employed  in  pairs  to  draw  a  two- 
wheeled  vehicle,  called  gadee,  which  holds 
but  one  person,  and  is  used  by  the  wealthy 
Hindoos.  When  destined  for  this  purpose, 
their  horns,  when  young,  are  bent  so  as  to 
grow  nearly  upright,  inclining  backwards  a 
little  toward  the  top.  They  are  often  cov- 
ered with  rich  carpets;  adorned  with  rings 
and  chains  of  gold  and  other  metal,  and 
their  legs  and  chests  painted  with  various 
colors.  The  women  of  the  lower  classes, 
in  India,  frequently  travel  on  bullocks,  which 
they  ride  astride  upon  a  veiy  large  saddle. 
The  animals  have  bells  hung  round  their 
necks,  and  are  guided  by  means  of  a  cord 
passed  through  the  nostrils. 


f: 


THE   SEVERAL  VARIETIES   OF   DOGS. 


The  above  enjrraving-  represents  the  most 
remarliable  kinds  of  dogs.  Tlie  following 
is  a  description  of  them,  beginning  at  the 
left  hand  of  the  top  row. 

1.  Irish  greyhound,  —  the  largest  spe- 
cies. 

2.  Newfoundland,  web-footed,  fond  of  the 
water,  and  remarkable  for  his  sagacity. 

3.  Mastiflf,  a  favorite  as  a  guard. 

4.  Greyhound,  the  fleetest  of  all  dogs. 

5.  Esquimaux,  used  to  draw  the  sledges 
of  the  Esquimaux. 

6.  Large,  rough  water  dog,  used  in  hunt- 
ing ducks. 

7.  Spanish  pointer,  a  favorite  with  sports- 
men. 


8.  Setter,  a  fine  sporting  dog. 

9.  Old    English   greyhound,    now  very 
scarce. 

10.  Bandog,  a  rare  species,  resembling 
the  mastiff. 

11.  Shepherd's  dog,  used  in  Europe  for 
tending  sheep. 

12.  Bull-dog,  the  fiercest  of  all  dogs. 

13.  Cur-dog,  active  and  sagacious. 

14.  Lurcher,  used  for  killing  hares  and 
rabbits. 

15.  Fox-hound,  used  for  pursuing  foxes. 

16.  Harrier,  strong  and  active. 

17.  Beagle,  used  in  pursuing  hares. 

18.  Dalmatian,  used  as  an  attendant  upon 
a  coach.    Handsome,  but  othen^'ise  useless. 


K'vr^ 


THE    DATE-TREE. 


lei 


19.  Large  water  spaniel,  docile  and  affec- 
tionate. 

20.  Small  water  spaniel,  resembles  the 
f ,  Tner. 

21.  Springer,  used    for   hunting  wood- 
cocks. 


22.  Terrier,  active  and  strong,  used  for 
destroying  rats  and  mice. 

23.  Turnspit,  formerly  used  in  England 
for  turning  a  spit. 

24.  Comforter,  kept  as  a  lap-dog. 


THE   DATE-TREE. 


This  is  a  species  of  palm,  which  prniluccs 
the  sweet  fruit  which  is  brnufjlit  to  lis  from 
Smyrna,  and  other  ports  in  the  iSIcditcrra- 
nean,  and  which  is  well  known  under  the 
name  of  date. 

In  the  regions  between  Barbary  and  the  \  usual 
Great  Desert,  the  soil,  wiiioh  is  of  a  sandj' 
nature   is  so  much  parched  by  the  intense 


for  present  supply,  but  is  intended  for  a 
provision  in  case  of  a  failure  in  the  crops 
of  dates,  which  sometimes  occurs,  owing  to 
the  ravacjes  committed  by  locusts. 

Tiie  date  in  its  natural  state  forms  the 

food  ;    and   the   juice  yielded   by   it 

when    fresh    contains   so  much    nutriment 

as  to   render  those   who    live   upon   it  ex- 


heat  of  the  sun's  rays,  that  none  of  the  corn  ■  treniely  fat.     As,  by  t!ie  IMoors,  corpulence 
plants  will  grow;   and  in  the  arid  district,  |  is  esteemed   an  indispensable   requisite  of 


called  the  land  of  dates,  the  few  vegetables 
that  can  be  found  are  of  the  most  dwarfish 
description.  No  plants  arise  to  form  the  va- 
riety of  food  to  which  we  are  accustomed  ; 
and  tlie  natives  of  these  districts  live  almost 
exclusively  upon  the  fruit  of  the  date-tree. 
A  paste  is  made  of  this  fruit  by  pressing  it 
in  large  baskets.     This  paste  is  not  used 


beauty,  the  ladies  belonging  to  the  families 
of  distinction  among  them  nourish  them- 
selves, during  the  season,  solely  with  the 
fresh  fruit,  and  by  continuing  this  regimen 
during  two  or  three  months,  they  become 
of  an  enormous  size  ! 

Tlic  date-palm  flourishes  very  genera,  v 
on  sandy  soils  in  the  hot  countries  of  Asia 


168 


LOGAN,    A    MtNGO    CHIEF. 


I  and  Africa.     Not  always,  however,  is  the 

J  soil  that  supports  it  barren  as  the  one  we 

i  have  described.     It  is  frequently  found  by 

s  streams,  and  as  the  tired  traveller  sees  its 

I  foliage  waving  afar,  he  hastens  towards  it, 

5  hoping  to  find  a  stream  of  water.     Some- 

l  times  its  tall  stem  is  surrounded  by  beautiful 

\  climbing  plants,  and  the  most  brilliant  flow- 

>  ers  flourish  beneath  its  shadow. 

i  This  palm  frequently  attains  the  height 
of  sixty  feet,  and  stands  perfectly  upriglit. 


unlike,  in  this  respect,  some  other  species 
of  palm,  whose  slight  forms  yield  to  the 
winds.  It  was  to  this  tree  that  the  Psalm- 
ist alluded  when  he  said,  "  The  righteous 
shall  grow  as  the  palm-tree,"  —  firm  and 
unmoved  by  the  shocks  of  temptation  and 
the  storms  of  adversity.  The  clusters  of 
dates  are  sometimes  five  feet  in  length,  and, 
when  ripe,  are  of  a  bright  gold  color,  over 
which  the  summit  of  the  tree  is  crowned 
with  a  beautiful  foliage. 


LOGAN,   A   MINGO   CHIEF. 


This  unfortunate  chief,  better  known  to 
the  world  by  the  eloquent  and  pathetic 
speech  which  he  has  left  as  a  record  of  his 
misfortunes  and  sorrows,  than  by  his  ex- 
p  cits  in  war,  was  of  the  Mingo  or  Cayuga 
tribe.  His  father,  Shikellimus,  was  a  per- 
sonal friend  of  the  benevolent  James  Logan, 
the  friend  of  William  Penn,  and  the  founder 
of  the  Loganian  Library  at  Philadelphia. 
The  name  of  the  son  was  probably  derived 


from  this  person.  During  the  ^var  with  the 
French,  when  the  Indian  confederates,  un- 
der the  guidance  of  Pontiac,  threatened  the 
north-western  settlements  with  extermina- 
tion, Logan  refused  to  take  up  arms  against 
the  whites,  to  whom  he  was  attached  by 
the  most  friendly  feehngs,  and  exerted  him- 
self as  a  peace-maker.  He  became  known, 
throughout  all  the  neighboring  tribes,  as 
the  white  man's  friend,  and  continued  on 


LOGAN,   A   MINGO   CHIEF, 


169 


terms  of  the  most  perfect  amity  with  all  the 
western  settlers  till  the  year  1774,  when 
his  friendship  was  requited  with  a  series  of 
acts  of  such  barbarous  and  wanton  cruelty, 
as  rendered  him  at  once  a  most  vindictive 
and  implacable  enemy  to  the  whole  civilized 
race.  Few  portions  of  the  history  of  the 
red  men  afford  events  more  tragical  and 
aflfecting  than  the  fate  of  the  unhappy 
Logan. 

in  the  month  of  April,  1774,  while  the 
Indian  tribes  on  the  northern  frontier  of 
Virginia  were  in  a  state  of  profound  peace 
with  their  white  neighbors,  a  rumor  was 
circulated  in  that  quarter  that  the  savages 
had  stolen  the  horses  of  some  land-jobbers 
on  the  Oliio  and  Kenhawa.  This  report, 
although  unsupported  by  any  good  evidence, 
seems  to  have  created  a  general  belief  or 
suspicion  that  the  Indians  meditated  hos- 
tilities against  the  settlements.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  impression,  tiie  land-jobbers 
collected  in  a  body  at  Wheeling,  where,  in 
a  few  days,  they  received  intelligence  that 
a  canoe  with  a  few  Indians  was  coming 
down  the  Ohio.  A  man,  called  Captain 
Michael  Crcsap,  who  seems  to  have  acted 
as  commander  of  the  party,  proposed  to  as- 
cend tiic  river  and  kill  the  Indians.  There 
were  at  tliat  time  not  the  slightest  indica- 
tions of  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  savages, 
except  wiiat  could  be  gathered  from  the  re- 
port above  mentioned.  Colonel  Zane,  one 
of  the  settlers,  strongly  objected  to  the  pro- 
posal, representing  to  Cresap,  very  justly, 
that  such  an  act,  besides  being  an  atrocious 
murder,  which  would  disgrace  forever  all 
concerned  in  it,  must  inevitably  bring  on  a 
war,  in  which  torrents  of  innocent  blood 
would  be  shed.  Unfortunately,  this  reason- 
able and  humane  counsel  did  not  prevail. 
Cresap,  with  a  detachment  of  the  party, 
went  up  the  river.  On  their  return,  they 
wore  asked  what  had  become  of  the  Indians. 
They  coolly  replied  that  they  had  fallen 
overboard.  On  examining  their  canoe,  it 
was  found  bloody  and  pierced  with  bullets. 
The  fate  of  the  unoflcnding  natives  was 
but  too  evident.  This  was  the  first  blood 
shed  in  a  war  which  brought  the  most 
terrible  vengeance  on  the  heads  of  the  ag- 
gressors. 

Having  thus  got  a  taste  for  blood,  Cresap 
indulged  his  appetite  for  slaughter  without 
scruple  or  restraint.  The  same  evening, 
hearing  of  an  encampment  of  Indians  in  the 
neigliborhood  below,  he  proceeded  down 
the  river,  fell  upon  them  while  they  were 
totally  unsuspicious  of  any  hostile  design, 
and  killed  a  number  of  them.     In  neither 


of  these  cases  did  the  whites  pretend  any 
provocation  for  their  murders.  Cresap's 
atrocities  were  soon  imitated  by  another 
blood-thirsty  wTetch,  named  Daniel  Great- 
house.  He  collected  a  company  of  thirty- 
two  men,  and  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of 
Yellow  Creek,  opposite  which  a  large  num- 
ber of  Indians  had  encamped.  Greathonse 
concealed  his  men  in  an  ambuscade,  and 
crossed  the  river  to  leani  the  number  of  the 
savages.  He  went  round  among  them,  es- 
timated their  strength,  and  found  that  they 
were  too  numerous  to  be  openly  attacked. 
It  happened  that  the  Indians  had  heard  of 
the  murders  committed  by  Cresap,  and  be- 
gan to  talk  of  revenge.  Greathouse  knew 
nothing  of  his  danger  till  one  of  the  squaws 
came  to  him  and  advised  him  to  go  home, 
for  the  Indians  were  drinking,  and,  being 
angry  on  account  of  the  murder  of  their 
people  down  the  river,  they  might  do  him 
a  mischief. 

He  accordingly  made  the  best  of  his  way 
back,  and  consulted  with  his  party  hov  to 
ensnare  the  Indians  by  a  stratagem,  as  an 
open  assault  was  too  hazardous.  It  was 
determined  to  invite  a  portion  of  them 
across  the  river,  and  get  them  intoxicated, 
by  which  means  their  whole  body  might 
be  massacred,  piecemeal.  This  was  ac- 
cordingly done  ;  a  number  of  the  Indians, 
male  and  female,  accepted  the  invitation  of 
the  wliitcs  to  drink  rum,  crossed  the  river, 
and  after  being  well  plied  with  liquor,  were 
all  barbarously  murdered  in  cold  blood, 
with  the  exception  of  one  little  girl.  The 
Indians  in  the  camp  heard  the  firing,  and, 
as  was  expected,  sent  off  two  canoes  with 
armed  warriors.  The  whites  lay  in  am- 
bush on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  received 
them  with  a  deadly  fire,  which  killed  the 
greater  part,  and  forced  the  survivors  to 
return.  A  great  number  of  shots  were  ex- 
changed across  the  stream,  but  none  of  the 
whites  were  killed  or  even  wounded.  Their 
conduct  throughout  this  bloody  affair  was 
atrocious  and  brutal.  They  scalped  their 
victims,  one  of  whom  was  the  very  female 
who  had  given  Greathouse  the  friendly 
caution  when  he  visited  the  camp. 

The  whole  of  the  family  of  Logan  per- 
ished in  these  wanton  massacres  ;  in  the 
last,  were  his  brother  and  sister,  the  latter 
in  a  delicate  situation,  which  aggmvated 
the  enormity  of  the  crime,  and  augments 
our  sympathy  for  the  fate  of  the  unfortu- 
nate victim.  It  will  excite  the  wonder  of 
no  man,  that  Logan  from  this  moment 
breathed  nothing  but  vengeance  against 
the  treacherous  and  inhuman  whites.     A 


ii2 


170 


LOGAN,    A    MINGO    CHIEF. 


general  Indian  war  immediately  followed. 
Log-an  was  the  foremost  in  leading  his 
countrymen  to  the  slaughter  of  their  per- 
fidious enemies.  On  the  twelfth  of  July, 
with  a  party  of  only  eight  warriors,  he 
attacked  a  settlement  on  the  Muskingum, 
captured  two  prisoners,  and  carried  them 
off.  When  they  arrived  at  an  Indian  town, 
they  delivered  them  to  the  inhabitants,  who 
instantly  prepared  to  put  them  to  death  in 
torture.  Logan,  however,  in  the  heat  of 
his  vindictive  feelings,  displayed  the  hu- 
manity of  his  nature.  He  cut  the  cords 
of  one  of  the  prisoners  who  was  about  to 
be  burnt  at  the  stake,  and  saved  his  life. 
This  man  was  afterwards  adopted  into  an 
Indian  family,  and  became  Logan's  scribe. 

A  chief,  named  Cornstalk,  was  the  leader 
of  the  Indians  in  this  war.  Large  bodies 
of  warriors  were  collected,  and  they  aban- 
doned the  usual  mode  of  savage  warfare, 
and,  instead  of  making  petty  incursions 
upon  the  settlements,  they  resolved  to  meet 
the  whites  in  the  open  field,  with  a  strong 
army,  and  give  them  battle  in  their  own 
way.  This  new  scheme  of  military'  tactics, 
however,  they  had  not  the  skill  to  follow  up 
with  success,  and  the  contest  was  brouglit 
to  a  close  much  more  speedily  than  would 
have  been  the  case  had  the  savages  pursued 
their  old  method  of  hostilities.  The  whites, 
everywhere  along  the  frontier,  abandoned 
their  settlements,  and  either  fled  from  the 
scene  of  warfare,  or  took  shelter  in  the  forts. 
Governor  Dunmore,  of  Virginia,  ordered  out 
the  militia,  and  an  army  of  three  thousand 
men  was  equipped  for  the  campaign.  One 
half  of  this  force,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Lewis,  marched  toward  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Kenhav/a,  and  the  other  divi- 
sion, under  Dmimore,  proceeded  toward  the 
Indian  towns  on  the  Ohio,  with  the  design 
of  destroying  them  in  the  absence  of  the 
warriors,  who  were  drawn  off  by  the  ap- 
proach of  Lewis'  army. 

At  Point  Pleasant,  on  the  Great  Ken- 
hawa,  a  sanguinary  battle  was  fought  on 
the  10th  of  October,  1774,  between  Lewis' 
army  and  the  combined  forces  of  the  Sliaw- 
anese,  Mingoes,  and  Delawares.  The  two 
armies  were  about  equal  in  numbers.  The 
action  commen;ed  a  little  after  sunrise, 
by  a  furious  attack  from  the  Indians, 
who  drove  in  the  advanced  body  of  three 
hundred  Virginians,  with  great  slaughter. 
The  main  body  coming  up,  the  fight  was 
renewed,  and  continued  with  the  utmost 
obstinacy  through  the  day.  The  Indians, 
with  great  military  skill  and  calculation, 
had  completely   invested   their   opponents. 


who  were  hemmed  in  upon  a  point  of  land 
at  the  junction  of  the  Kenhawa  and  Ohio 
rivers,  having  the  Indian  line  of  battle  in 
their  front,  and  no  possibility  of  a  retreat 
in  any  direction.  Cornstalk  commanded 
the  savage  forces,  and  this  tawny  son  of 
the  forest  distinguished  himself,  in  all  his 
manoeuvres  throughout  the  engagement,  by 
the  skill  as  well  as  the  bravery  of  a  con- 
summate general.  During  the  whole  of 
the  day,  his  stentorian  voice  was  heard 
throughout  the  ranks  of  his  enemies,  vocif- 
erating, "  Be  strong  !  he  strung  ! "  After 
an  incessant  fire  for  twelve  hours,  darkness 
put  an  end  to  the  conflict.  The  Virginians 
lost  one  hundred  and  forty  killed  and 
wounded ;  the  loss  of  the  Indians  was 
about  the  same. 

The  Indians  retreated  the  next  day,  and 
shortly  afterward  made  proposals  for  peace. 
Logan,  who  had  fought  with  great  bravery 
throughout  the  war,  refused  to  bo  a  sup- 
pliant on  the  occasion.  Cornstalk,  with 
eight  other  chiefs,  visited  the  camp  of  Lord 
Dunmore,  to  open  negotiations,  but  Logan 
remained  at  his  cabin  in  sullen  seclusion, 
refusing  to  meet  the  whites.  He  was  too 
distinguished  a  personage  to  be  neglected 
in  this  important  matter,  and  a  messengei 
was  sent  to  him  to  inquire  whether  the 
proposals  for  peace  met  his  approbation. 
Under  these  circumstances  he  delivered 
the  celebrated  speech  to  which  he  owes  his 
reputation.  According  to  the  best  authen- 
ticated accounts,  after  shedding  an  abun- 
dance of  tears  for  the  loss  of  his  friends, 
he  addressed  the  messenger  in  the  follow- 
ing language  : 

"  I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say,  if 
ever  he  entered  Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and 
he  gave  him  not  meat ;  if  ever  he  came 
cold  and  naked,  and  he  clothed  him  not. 
During  the  course  of  the  last  long  and  bloody 
war,  Logan  remained  idle  in  his  cabin,  an 
advocate  for  peace.  Such  was  my  love  for 
the  whites,  that  my  countrymen  pointed  as 
they  passed,  and  said,  '  Logan  is  the  friend 
of  white  man! '  I  had  even  thought  to  have 
lived  with  you  but  for  the  injuries  of  one 
man.  Colonel  Cresap,  the  last  spring,  in 
cold  blood  and  unprovoked,  murdered  all 
the  relations  of  Logan,  not  even  sparing 
my  women  and  children.  There  runs  not 
now  a  drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  anj' 
living  creature.  This  called  on  me  for 
revenge.  I  have  sought  it ;  I  have  kilk.'d 
many  ;  I  have  fully  glutted  my  vengeance. 
For  my  country,  I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of 
peace.  But  do  not  harbor  a  thought  that 
this  is  the  joyof_/ea;'.     Log-an  never  felt 


ii 


171  ': 


fear.  He  will  not  turn  on  his  heel  to  save 
his  life.  Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Lo- 
gs.n  ?  —  Not  one  I '" 

Every  reader  has  been  touched  with  the 
s"  nple  eloquence  and  pathos  of  this  famous 
speech.  Mr.  Jefferson  has  indulged  in 
no  exaggeration  in  asserting,  that  neither 
Greek,  Roman,  nor  modern  orator)'  has  any 
passage  that  surpasses  it.  Logan's  aflect- 
ing  appeal  to  the  white  men  will  be  longer 


remembered  than  any  other  existing  speci- 
men of  Indian  rhetoric. 

We  are  acquainted  with  few  more  par- 
ticulars of  the  history  of  this  unfortunate 
chief.  It  is  mournful  to  state,  that  his 
great  qualities  became  obscured,  late  in 
life,  by  indulgence  in  that  vice  which  has 
been  the  most  fatal  scourge  of  his  race  — 
intemperance.  He  fell  by  assassination  on 
a  journey  homeward  from  Detroit. 


Ruins  of  Jericho  as  ihcy  now  appear. 


JERICHO. 


JsRiciio  was  situated  twenty  miles  north- 
east of  Jerusalem.  It  was  taken  by  Joshua, 
who  received  orders  from  God  to  besiege 
it  soon  after  his  passage  over  Jordan. 
There  was  a  most  remarkable  fulfilment 
of  Joshua's  denunciation  against  any  who 
should  rebuild  it :  "  Cursed  be  the  man 
before  the  Lord  that  riseth  up  and  buildeth 
this  city  Jericho  ;  he  shall  lay  the  founda- 
tions thereof  in  his  first-born,  and  in  his 
youngest  son  shall  he  set  up  tlie  gate  of  it." 
This  warning  prevented  the  Jews  from 
building  on  the  spot  where  the  ancient  city 
had  stood  ;  but  alinut  five  hundred  years 
after,  Hiel  of  Bethel  undertook  to  rebuild 
it,  and  lost  his  eldest  son  in  laying  the 
foundations,  and  his  youngest  when  he 
hung  up  the  gates. 

The  modern  village,  called  Eicha,  is 
situated  in  the  midst  of  a  plain,  and  is  very 
miserable  and  Idthy,  being  composed  of 
hovels  made  of  four  stone  walls,  covered 
with  cornstalks  and  gravel.     The  few  gar- 


dens around  seem  to  contain  nothing  but 
toba'cco  and  cucumbers.  About  two  miles 
from  the  village  may  be  seen  foundations 
of  hewn  stones  and  portions  of  walls,  which 
render  it  probable  that  it  was  the  site  of  the 
ancient  city. 

The  Scriptures  speak  of  Jericho  as  the 
city  of  palm-trees,  and  Josephus  everywhere 
describes  tliem  as  being  very  abundant  and 
large.  The  region  also  produced  honey, 
the  C3'press-tree,  and  the  common  fruits  of 
the  earth  in  groat  abundance.  The  syca- 
more-tree likewise  flourished  there. 

Of  all  these  productions,  which  so  dis- 
tinguished the  plains  of  Jericho,  few  now 
remain.  The  groves  of  palms  have  all 
disappeared,  and  only  one  solitary  pahii- 
tree  lingers  in  all  the  plain.  The  sycamore 
too  is  nowhere  seen,  and  honey,  if  found  at 
all,  is  very  rare. 

In  the  time  of  the  crusades  the  sugar- 
cane was  cultivated  at  Jericho,  but  is  now 
unknown  there. 


PATIENT   GRISSEL. 


The  story  of  Patient  Grissel,  or  GriselJa, 
has  long  been  famous  in  almost  every  coun- 
try of  Europe,  and  is  said  to  be  founded 
on  an  actual  occurrence,  which  took  place 
seven  or  eight  hundred  years  ago.  It  is  to 
the  following  purport :  — 

At  the  foot  of  the  Alps,  in  the  western 
part  of  Piedmont,  is  a  territory  called  Sa- 
iuzzo,  abounding  in  pleasant  towns  and 
castles.  Walter,  the  marquis  of  this  coun- 
try, was  a  young  man  without  a  family, 
and  being  earnestly  entreated  by  his  people 
to  take  to  himself  a  wife,  at  length  an- 
nounced his  determination  to  do  so.  Every 
princess  and  great  lady  now  entertained 
hopes  of  becoming  the  Marchioness  of  Sa- 
luzzo. 

But  the  marquis  gave  his  attention  to 
none  of  these,  and  to  the  astonishment 
of  everybody,  made  choice  of  a  poor  peas- 
ant's daughter,  named  Grissel.  She  was  a 
modest,  unassuming  maiden,  who  spent 
her  time  in  laboring  for  the  support  of  her 


father,  now  growTi  old,  and  unable  to  work. 
One  day  the  marquis  took  his  men  out,  on 
pretence  of  hunting,  and,  after  traversing 
the  woods  for  some  time,  he  rode  up  to  the 
I  cottage  where  Grissel  and  her  father  lived, 
land  informed  the  old  man  that  he  had 
come  to  demand  his  daughter  for  a  wife. 
I  The  old  man  was  overwhelmed  with  as- 
jtonishment,  and  Grissel  was  no  less  amazed 
at  this  strange  and  unexpected  announce- 
ment. But  the  commands  of  the  marquis 
were,  of  course,  instantly  obeyed.  Grissel 
was  adorned  with  robes  of  state,  and  con- 
ducted to  the  city,  where,  in  the  cathedral, 
the  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  the 
I  same  day.  The  aflliir  became  what  h 
called  a  "nine  days'  wonder"  to  ail  tne 
country,  and  everybody  was  astonisned 
that  the  marquis  should  overlook  all  the 
great  ladies  in  the  land,  to  set  his  affections 
on  a  poor  country  girl. 

Grissel  lived  very  happily  with  her  hus- 
,  band,  for  she  was  not  proud  of  her  sudden 


PATIENT    GRISSEL. 


173 


elevation,  and  strove  to  please  every  one 
about  her  When  a  daughter  was  horn  to 
her,  she  thought  the  marquis  would  love 
her  still  more.  But  so  it  happened  that  a 
strange  whim  now  possessed  this  man.  He 
determined  to  prove  his  wife,  and  make 
trial  of  her  virtues,  though  she  had  never 
given  him  any  cause  for  distrust.  So,  one 
day,  he  entered  her  chamber,  pretending  to 
be  very  angry,  and  told  her  that  he  must 
take  her  child  away  from  her,  as  the  people 
had  resolved  that  none  of  her  posterity 
should  reign  over  them. 

Grissel  was  overcome  with  grief  at  the 
news.  However,  like  a  dutiful  and  obedient 
wife,  she  submitted,  and  allowed  her  infant 
to  be  separated  from  her,  with  many  tears. 
The  marquis  sent  it  away  to  a  distant  place, 
where  it  was  taken  care  of;  but  his  wife 
passed  her  days  in  secret  sorrow,  imagining 
that  her  child  was  put  to  death.  AVIicn  a 
second  infant  was  born  to  her,  she  hoped 
she  should  be  allowed  to  bring  it  up  in  her 
own  family  ;  but  the  marquis  was  desirous 
to  put  her  to  a  further  trial ;  so  he  demanded 
that  one  also.  Poor  Grissel,  whose  heart 
was  bound  up  in  her  children,  fell  a  weeping 
bitterly  at  this  new  misfortune.  However, 
she  complied,  with  meekness  and  humility, 
declaring  that  she  submitted  in  everything 
to  her  lord's  commands. 

This  infant  was  also  sent  awaj'  secretly, 
while  the  hapless  mother  believed  it  was 
cruelly  put  lo  death.  Nevertheless,  she 
made  no  complaint,  but  conducted  herself 
as  a  faithful  and  affectionate  wife.  The 
unkindncss  of  the  marquis  to  her  became 
known  throughout  the  country,  and  all  the 
people  were  tilled  with  admiration  at  her 
constancy,  patience,  and  dutiful  affection. 

The  marquis,  notwithstanding,  was  re- 
solved to  put  her  to  another  trial.  So  he 
commanded  her  one  day,  to  take  off  her 
splendid  robes,  put  on  her  old  clothes,  and 
go  home  to  her  father's,  for  she  was  to  be 
his  wife  no  longer.  The  patient  Grissel 
iimnediately  complied,  without  a  murmur. 
She  disrobed  herself,  resumed  her  coarse 
coinitry  dress,  and  took  the  way  to  her 
father's  cottage.  All  the  nobles  exclaimed 
against  the  cruelty  of  her  lord,  and  won- 
dered at  her  patience  and  virtue.  But  she 
answered  that  these  qualities  were  befitting 
a  modest  woman. 

Not  long  after  this,  the  Duchess  of  Bo- 
logna paid  a  visit  to  Saluzzo,  and  the 
marcpiis  sent  a  troop  to  welcome  her,  and 
prepare  an  entertainment.  In  the  train  of 
the  duchess  were  a  gallant  young  man  and 
a  beautiful  virgin,  the  htter  of  whom,  it  was 


reported,  the  marquis  designed  to  marrj'. 
But  these  were  the  children  of  patient 
Grissel,  which  had  been  privately  brought 
up,  without  knowing  their  parentage. 

The  next  morning  after  their  arrival,  the 
marquis  sent  for  Grissel,  and  thus  addressed 
her:  "Grissel,  the  lady  whom  I  am  to 
marry  is  here,  and  a  feast  must  be  prepared 
for  her.  Now,  because  there  is  no  one  so 
well  acquainted  with  the  palace  as  yourself, 
I  would  have  you  undertake  the  arrange- 
ment of  it,  and  wait  upon  the  company." 

"My  honored  lord,"  replied  Grissel.  with 
meek  submission,  "everything  shall  be  done 
as  you  command."  So,  like  a  poor  servant, 
she  immediately  set  about  the  business  of 
the  house,  performing  all  things  with  de- 
spatch and  skilfulness,  so  that  every  one 
was  amazed  at  her  amiable  and  comjilying 
disposition,  and  murmured  to  sec  her  put 
to  such  a  trial. 

The  time  for  the  entertainment  being 
come,  the  fair  virgin  was  introduced  ;  and 
she  looked  so  beautiful,  that  some  of  the 
spectators  felt  inclined  not  to  blame  the  mar- 
quis for  changing  his  wife.  He  addressed 
Grissel  in  the  following  maimer  :  "  You 
see  the  lady  here  whom  I  intend  to  marry. 
Are  you  content  that  I  should  thus  dispose  of 
myself?"  "  My  lord,"  replied  she,  "when 
I  became  your  wife,  I  devoted  myself  to 
obedience.  If  this  match  be  designed  for 
your  good,  I  am  satisfied.  Only  take  care 
of  one  thing.  Try  not  your  new  bride  as 
you  did  your  old  wife,  for  she  is  young,  and 
perhaps  has  not  that  patience  which  your 
poor  Grissel  possessed." 

The  marquis,  who,  till  now,  had  worn  a 
stern  countenance,  could  contain  himself 
no  longer,  but  burst  immediately  into  tears. 
"Thou  wonder  of  women  !"  e.xclaimcd  he  ; 
"  thou  champion  of  true  virtue  !  I  have 
tried  thee  beyond  all  moderation,  hut  I  will 
never  disquiet  thee  more.  I  will  never 
have  any  wife  but  thee,  thou  most  faithful 
spouse  !  Behold  thine  own  son  and  daugh- 
ter, whom  I  cruelly  took  from  thine  arms, 
to  put  thy  constancy  and  patience  to  the 
trial  ! " 

We  need  not  attempt  to  describe  the 
overwhelming  joy  of  the  mother  at  thus 
meeting  with  her  lost  children,  nor  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  all  the  court  at 
this  unexpected  turn  of  events.  After  the 
astonishment  and  joy  on  all  hands  wcic 
somewhat  quieted,  they  all  sat  down  to 
dinner,  and  the  excellent  Lady  Grissel  was 
now  rendered  completely  happy,  as  f  he  well 
deserved  to  bo,  for  her  great  modesty  and 
virtue. 


:: 


YCHOALAY. 


T-1IS  individual  attained  to  great  celebrity 
among  the  Abipones,  a  tribe  of  Paraguay, 
famous  for  their  skill  in  horsemanship,  and 
the  wars  they  maintained  against  the  Span- 
i;irds.  He  was  not  a  native  of  this  tribe, 
b  't  was  born  of  what  was  called  an  honor- 
able family  among  the  tribe  of  the  Riil;ahes. 
When  a  boy  he  was  taught  to  manage  a 
norse,  and  soon  became  an  expert  cavalier. 
A  peace  having  been  establislied  between 
this  tribe  and  the  inhabitants  of  Santa  Fe, 
Ychoalay,  still  a  youth,  impelled  by  curios- 
ity and  a  roving  disposition,  visited  that  city, 
and  after  a  time  entered  into  the  service  of 
one  of  the  inhabitants,  called  Benavides, 
whose  name  he  took.  He  was  assiduous  in 
his  attempts  to  learn  the  Spanish  language  ; 
and,  after  a  residence  of  some  length  at 
Santa  Fe,  he  left  that  city  for  Chili,  where 
he  enjoyed  more  ample  means  of  pursuing 
his  studies.  He  appears  to  have  fonnod  a 
strong  attachment  to  the  Spaniards,  and  to 
have  possessed  sufficient  sagacity  to  appre- 
ciate the  superiority  of  their  arts  over  the 
rude  barbarism  of  the  aborigines.  He  re- 
mained some  time  in  Chili,  and  then  estab- 
lished himself  at  Mendoza,  on  the  estate  of 
the  person  witii  whom  he  had  travelled  from 
Santa  Fe.  His  employment  was  the  culti- 
vation of  vines. 

Although  orcvipied  with  the  peaceful  pur- 
suits of  agriculture,  Ychoalay,  ever  mindful 
of  his  origin  from  a  tribe  of  warriors,  affected 
the  habits  of  a  soldier,  and  never  appeared 


abroad  in  the  fields  without  a  spear.  In  the 
predatory  attacks  upon  the  inhabitants  of 
that  region,  by  the  Charruas  and  Pampas, 
which  not  unfrequently  happened,  he  soon 
distinguished  himself  by  his  courage;  and 
wliile  his  companions  were  often  robbed  or 
murdered  in  the  deserts  of  Paraguay,  he 
always  escaped  by  exertions  of  bravery  and 
dexterity.  Having  remained  some  years  at 
Mendoza,  he  became  involved  in  a  quarrel 
with  the  person  whom  he  served,  respecting 
the  payment  of  his  wages.  This  gave  him 
a  sudden  disgust  towards  the  Spaniards, 
and  his  resentment  was  mflamed  into  rage 
by  being  informed  that  one  of  them  —  for 
a  reason  which  is  not  assigned  —  had  at- 
tempted his  life.  Under  feelings  thus  ex- 
cited, ho  immediately  left  the  Spaniards  and 
joined  the  Abipones. 

These  Indians  were  remarkable  for  their 
determined  and  unflinching  hostility  to  the 
Spaniards.  Neither  the  armies  nor  the 
priests  of  the  European  invaders  could  con- 
trol them.  They  could  neither  be  subdued 
by  arms  nor  conciliated  by  gifts.  They 
zealously  maintained  their  liberty  —  now 
fighting,  nov/  flying,  as  circumstances  re- 
quired —  for  two  centuries.  Perceiving  the 
great  superiority  in  war  which  the  Span- 
iards possessed  over  them  by  means  of  their 
cavalry,  they  stole  the  horses  from  their 
settlements,  and,  in  the  course  of  fifty  years, 
carried  oflf,  it  is  said,  a  hundred  thousand 
of  them.     They  soon  became  the  most  ad 


YCHOALAY. 


]' 


mirable  horsemen  on  the  western  continent ; 
iind  though  the  number  of  their  warriors  did 
not  exceed  a  thousand  men,  they  kept  tlie 
Spaniards  in  constant  terror.  They  rode 
over  cracfo-y  mountains,  crossed  wide  and 
rapid  streams,  and  traversed  trackless  des- 
erts, full  of  rushes,  thick  woods,  marshes, 
lakes,  and  swamps  slippery  with  mud,  re- 
gardless of  all  impediments.  A  distance  of 
three  hundred  leag-ues  was  not  an  insur- 
mountable obstacle  when  the  hope  of  booty 
or  the  desire  of  annoying-  their  enemies 
invited  tliem  upon  an  enterprise. 

They  were  accustomed  to  rush  to  the 
assault  at  full  gallop,  brandishing  a  long 
spear,  pointed  at  both  ends,  that  if  one  sliould 
be  blunted  the  other  might  be  used.  Their 
expertness  in  horsemanship  was  such  that 
tlicy  could  turn  their  animals  round  in  cir- 
cles, with  the  utmost  swiftness,  and  retain 
them  perfectly  at  command.  While  the 
horses  wi'rp  at  full  speed,  they  could  suspend 
their  U'v^ies  from  their  backs,  and  perform 
all  tne  dexterous  feats  of  an  exhibitor  at  the 
circus.  To  prevent  themselves  from  being 
reached  by  the  shot  of  the  enemy,  they 
would  hide  entirely  under  the  horse's  belly. 
By  these  arts  they  wearied  and  baliled  tlieir 
pursuers,  and  seemed  to  make  a  mockery 
of  the  bullets  hurled  against  them  by  the 
enemy.  Their  courage,  activity,  and  inap- 
peasable  hatred  of  the  Spaniards,  were  such 
as  to  render  them  the  most  formidable  ene- 
mies encountered  by  that  nation  in  all  the 
regions  watered  by  the  La  Plata.  Their 
very  name  was  sutlicient  to  strike  terror  into 
a  whole  settlement.  "The  Abipones  are 
comiiig!"  was  a  cry  that  would  throw  the 
iuliabitants  of  Buenos  Avres  into  such  con- 
sternation that  they  would  run  up  and  do\\li 
the  city,  nearly  bereft  of  their  senses,  and 
utter  the  most  dismal  shrieks  and  exclama- 
tions, even  though  the  enemy  was  not  in 
sight.  One  of  the  Spanish  commanders 
declared  that  if  the  Abipones  were  reduced 
to  ten  men,  it  would  be  necessary  to  main- 
tain a  guard  upon  the  whole  frontier. 

At  the  time  that  Ychoalny  joined  this 
formidable  tribe,  they  were  harassing  tlie 
territory  of  Cordova  by  daily  inroads  ;  and, 
being  eager  to  pursue  their  hostilities,  they 
welcomed  his  appearance  among  them  with 
Icmonstrations  of  great  satisfaction.  Pos- 
sessing a  tall  figure,  a  hardy  frame,  and  a 
strength  aileiiuate  to  all  the  fatigues  of  pred- 
atory warfare,  he  soon  dijtinguished  himself 
among  their  boldest  warriors,  and  \vas  ap- 
pointed the  leader  of  the  whole  band.  His 
slirewdness,  activity  and  bravery  were  equal- 
led only  by  his  good  fortune.     The  attacks 


which  he  planned  against  the  Spaniards 
were  always  successful.  Amidst  his  numei 
ous  incursions,  he  was  observed  always  to 
spare  the  territories  of  Santa  Fe,  where  he 
passed  a  portion  of  his  life  ;  and  he  never 
took  the  lives  of  men  devoted  to  religion,  or 
permitted  his  soldiers  to  do  so,  although  he 
had  notembraced  Christianity.  He  appears 
to  have  been  above  the  current  prejudices 
and  superstitions  of  his  tribe,  never  sutlering 
any  of  the  jugglers,  common  to  that  race,  to 
associate  with  his  men. 

Although  Ychoalay  was  the  chief  warrior 
of  the  Abipones,  he  was  not  the  titular  chief 
of  the  nation.  The  cacique  Yohamenrail.in 
exerciseil  the  nominal  sovereignty.  Hl-  had 
been  celebrated  for  his  warlike  actions  ;  but, 
during  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  he  fell  into 
habits  of  indolence  and  sensuality,  which 
rendered  him  a  mere  useless  image  of  power. 
Ychoalay,  by  the  force  of  his  character  and 
the  fame  of  his  exploits,  obtained  supreme 
authority  in  the  tribe,  and  managed  all  its 
affiiirs.  After  a  long  period  of  warfare 
against  the  Spaniards,  his  old  attachment 
for  that  people  began  to  revive  ;  the  memory 
of  former  wrongs  was  weakened  by  the  lapse 
of  time,  and  he  exerted  himself  to  put  an 
end  to  the  strife.  By  his  exertions  a  peace 
was  concluded,  and  Ychoalay,  with  a  body 
of  Abipones,  established  themselves  at  the 
Spanish  settlement  of  St.  Jeronymo. 

At  this  place  a  number  of  Jesuits  had 
taken  their  station,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
verting the  natives.  Ychoalay  assisted 
them  in  their  labors  with  great  zeal.  He 
obliged  his  men  to  attend  church  and  receive 
baptism.  Being  solicited  by  the  Jesuits  to 
profess  Christianity  himself,  he  begged  for 
a  respite  till  he  had  slain  a  rival,  Oaher- 
kaikin,  who  sought  to  supersede  him  in  his 
counnand,  and  with  whom  he  was  tlien  at 
war;  but  shortly  afterwards,  having  con- 
cluded a  truce  with  that  chici'tain,  he  became 
a  convert.  After  his  conversion,  he  totally 
abandoneil  liis  marauding  course  of  life,  and 
conducted  himself  in  a  manner  to  win  tlie 
applause  of  his  spiritual  guides. 

Ychoalay  ever  after  faithfully  adhered  to 
the  Spauianls,  and  took  great  pains  to  pre- 
vent the  Abipones  from  violating  the  peace, 
often  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  By  his  zeal  in 
preserving  and  recovering  the  property  of 
the  Spaniards,  he  incurred  the  hatred  of  the 
other  savage  tribes ;  and  many  of  his  own 
countrymen  regarded  him  with  aversion,  as 
a  partisan  of  the  Spaniards  and  an  enemy 
to  their  own  race.  This  caused  him  to  utter 
the  daily  complaint,  "My  countrymen  think 
me  wicked,  now,  because  I  am  good  :  lor- 


176 


THE    METEOR    MONKS. 


mcrly  they  called  me  good,  because  I  was 
wicked ! " 

The  historv  of  the  Jesuit  missions  in 
Paracruay  is  fiill  of  the  eNploits  of  Ychoalay, 
and  the  services  rendered  by  him  to  the 
Spanish  colonists.  W^  find  him  constantly 
cniraced  in  expeditions  atrainst  hostile  tribes 
of  Indians  who  attacked  the  missionary  sta- 


tions and  the  frontier  to\vns.  The  preser- 
vation of  many  of  these  places  is  ascribed 
solely  to  his  exertions.  He  was  evidently 
a  man  of  superior  abilities,  and  entitled  to 
distinguished  notice  in  the  history  of  his 
own  race.  Of  his  death  we  have  no  ac- 
count ;  but  he  appears  to  have  lived  to  a 
s-ood  old  age.     He  was  still  living  in  1768. 


THE   METEOR   MONKS. 


The  Meteor  or  Meteora  Monks  are  a  com- 
munity of  Greek  anchorites,  who  dwell  in  a 
number  of  convents  on  the  summit  of  a  clus- 
ter of  lofty  rocks,  called,  from  their  height, 
Meteora,  and  situated  in  Northern  Greece, 
near  the  river  Peneus. 

The  little  town  of  Kalabaka  is  built  di- 
rectly at  the  foot  of  these  rocky  heights, 
which  mount  up  over  it  in  so  bold  a  manner 
that  they  seem  to  hang  in  the  air  over  the 
heads  of  the  inhabitants.  The  monasteries 
were  formerly  twenty-four  in  number,  but 
arc  now  reduced  to  ten.  Their  situation  is 
too  extraordinary  to  be  adequately  described 
in  languacre,  or  even  by  pictures.  Some  of 
them  stand  on  the  very  summits  of  the  rocky 
pinnacles,  and  others  in  caverns  scooped  out 
of  the  perpendicular  sides  of  the  rocks,  so 
as  to  seem  inapproachable  by  the  foot  of 
man. 


The  only  access  to  these  aerial  dwellings 
is  by  means  of  ropes  and  ladders  fixed  to 
projecting  points  and  edges  of  the  rock.  To 
enter  some  of  these,  the  visitor  must  be  put 
into  a  bag  and  hoisted  up  twice  as  high  as 
the  top  of  a  common  church  spire. 

These  monasteries  are  of  great  antiquity ; 
but  the  monks  themselves  are  ignorant  of 
the  date  of  their  foundation.  They  were 
probably  built  in  times  of  great  political  con- 
V  jlsions,  and  afforded  a  secure  retreat  to  the 
inmates  at  a  period  when  the  country  around 
them  was  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  invading 
armies  and  troops  of  banditti.  A  lonely 
traveller  now  sometimes  pays  a  visit  to  these 
secluded  abodes,  where  the  monks  continue 
their  old  life  of  solitary  devotion,  and  seem 
almost  entirely  separated  from  the  world 
below  them. 


\ 


v^<«A.-«^%^X 


CONSTANTINOPLE   AND   THE   TURKS. 


This  city,  the  capital  of  the  Turkish  em- 
pire, is  situated  on  the  Bosphorus,a  narrow 
channel  which  connects  the  Black  Sea  with 
the  Sea  of  Marmora.  It  was  anciently 
called  Byzantium,  but  Constantino  built  it 
anew,  and  made  it  the  seat  of  the  Roman 
empire,  in  the  year  32S.  From  him  it  de- 
rived its  name. 

It  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Turks  in  14.^8, 
and  has  since  been  their  metropolis.  The 
harbor  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world,  and 
is  capable  of  holding  1200  ships.  On  ac- 
count of  its  curving  shape,  and  the  rich  car- 
goes in  the  ships  there,  this  harbor  is  called 
the  Golilen  Horn. 

As  you  approach  Constantinople,  it  is  ex- 
tremely beautifnl,  but  when  you  enter  it, 
you  find  tlic  streets  dark,  narrow  and  gloomy. 
Every  Turkish  house  is  a  kind  of  prison,  so 
arranged  as  to  keep  tlie  women  in  a  state 
of  jealous  confinement.  The  men  generally 
live  in  the  front  part,  they  being  the  jailers 
of  the  houses.  There  are  no  windows  look- 
ing into  the  streets. 


It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  a  greater 
contrast  than  is  presented  by  the  streets  of 
Constantinople  in  comparison  with  a  Eu- 
ropean or  American  city.  In  the  latter,  all  > 
is  life  and  bustle  ;  the  shops  are  furnished  < 
with  rich  goods,  and  multitudes  of  people,  S 
men  and  women,  are  passing  to  and  fro.  ' 
Vehicles  of  various  kinds  are  also  moving  S 
in  all  directions.  In  Constantinople  it  is  < 
quite  otherwise.  The  houses,  as  we  have  5 
said,  are  dark  and  gloomy ;  the  streets  are  i 
mostly  unpaved  ;  few  women  are  seen,  and  i 
no  vehicles,  save  now  and  then  a  miserable  ] 
cart  drawn  by  oxen. 

There  are  about  300  mosques  in  the  city, 
500  fountains,  and  35  public  libraries.  The 
seraglio,  or  sultan's  palace,  is  a  city  of  itself. 
The  harem,  containing  the  500  wives  of  the 
sultan,  is  fitted  up  witli  the  most  gorgeous 
magnit;cence. 

The  Turks  spend  a  great  part  of  their 
time  in  smoking  at  the  public  coliee  houses. 
Here  they  seem  to  dream  away  their  time 
in  easj  indolence.     A  modern  traveller  fur- 


23 


:   178 


THE    ZODUC 


nishes  us  with  the  following  characteristic 
description. 

"  Having  just  landed  at  Constantinople, 
and  being  totally  unacquainted  with  the 
Turkish  language,  we  entered  the  first  cafe 
we  encountered,  with  our  interpreter.  Two 
venerable-looking  Turks  were  squatted  on  a 
sofa,  smoking  their  long  pipes,  and  exchang- 
ing, from  time  to  time,  words  uttered  with 
the  greatest  solemnity.  The  nobleness  of 
their  appearance  and  gravity  of  their  deport- 
ment immediately  attracted  our  attention ; 
and  our  curiosity  was  so  excited,  that  we 
asked  our  interpreter  to  teU  us  what  was 
the  subject  of  their  conversation.  He 
laughed  at  our  request,  but,  after  being 
several  times  pressed,  said,  smilingly, 

"  '  Well,  well !  I  will  give  you  a  literal 
translation  of  their  conversation.  The  older 
Turk,  with  the  green  turban,  is  an  emir. 


that  is  to  say,  a  relation  of  the  prophet ;  and 
the  one  opposite  you  is  one  of  the  magis- 
tracy. 

"  '  Eflendi,'  said  the  emir, '  fish  has  been 
very  dear  for  several  days.' 

"  '  You  are  right,'  replied  the  magistrate. 

"  '  EfTendi,'  said  the  relation  of  the  proph- 
et, '  why  has  the  fish  been  so  dear  lately  ? ' 

"  '  I  don't  know  exactly ;  perhaps  the 
weather  has  been  unfavorable.' 

"  '  Would  you  believe  that  I  paid  six  pias- 
tres for  a  fish,  which  I  could  have  purchased 
the  day  before  for  one  ?' 

" '  And  I,  alas  !  gave  seven.' 

"  The  rest  of  the  dialogue  was  of  a  simi- 
lar nature. 

"  Before  we  left  Constantinople  we  had 
every  reason  to  believe  that  our  interpreter 
had  given  us  a  literal  translation,  although 
it  astonished  us  at  the  time." 


*    ^v*^!^!^ 


THE   ZODIAC. 


\ 


TnE  Zodiac  consists  of  a  broad  belt  in  the 
heavens,  among  which  the  sun  appears  to 
make  his  annual  circuit.  The  stars  are  ar- 
ranged in  groups,  and  the  ancients,  who 
were  fond  of  astronomy,  called  these  groups 
or  constellations  by  particular  names.  One 
group  they  called  ursa  major,  or  great  bear ; 
one  they  called  Orion;  another,  the  crown; 
another,  the  dog;  another,  Hercules,  &c. 

In  the  month  of  March,  the  sun  is  said 


to  enter  aries,  that  is,  the  group  or  constella- 
tion called  aries,  or  the  ram ;  in  April  it 
enters  taurus,  or  the  bull ;  in  May,  gemini, 
the  twins;  in  June,  cancer,  the  crab;  in 
July,  leo,  the  lion  ;  in  August,  virgo,  the 
virgin ;  in  September,  libra,  the  scales ;  in 
October,  scorpio,  the  scorpion ;  in  Novem- 
ber, Sagittarius,  the  archer ;  in  December, 
Capricorn,  the  goat;  in  January, aquarius, the 
i  water  bearer ;  in  February,  pisces,  the  fishes. 


THE   INDIANS   OF   NOOTKA   SOUND. 


The  Indians  inhabiting-  the  country  on 
Nootka  Sound,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  mouth  of  Columbia  river,  are  divided 
into  many  tribes,  who  differ  but  slightly  in 
manners  and  general  ajipcarance.  The 
tribes  best  known  are  the  Clatsops  and  the 
Ciiinooks. 

They  are,  in  general,  robust  and  well- 
proportioned  ;  their  faces  are  large  and  full  ; 
their  cheeks  high  and  prominent.  They 
have  broad,  flat  noses,  thick  lips,  and  small 
black  eyes.  But  their  strongest  character- 
istic is  caused  by  an  extraordinary  custom 
which  they  have  of  flattening  the  heads  of 
the  children  when  young. 

Immediately  after  birth,  the  infant  is 
placed  in  a  sort  of  trough,  lined  with  moss. 
A  padding  is  laid  on  the  forehead,  where  it 
is  fastened  with  a  piece  of  cedar  bark  and  a 
cord.  It  is  kept  in  this  manner  upwards  of 
a  year ;  and  the  appearance  of  the  little 
pappoose,  during  this  cruel  imprisonment, 
is  said  to  be  frightful.  Its  little  black  eyes, 
forced  out  by  the  tightness  of  the  bandage, 
resemble  those  of  a  mouse  choked  in  a  trap. 
Yet  it  is  affirmed  that  this  process  causes  no 
jxiin  to  the  child. 

When  released  from  the  trough,  the  head 
IS  quite  flat,  and  never  afterwards  becomes 
round.  The  Indians  esteem  a  flat  head  an 
essential  point  of  beauty,  and  allege,  in 
excuse  for  this  custom,  that  all  their  slaves 
have  round  heads. 


The  dress  of  the  Nootka  Indians  is  com- 
posed either  of  the  skin  of  a  sea-otter,  or  of 
a  sort  of  flax  made  by  beating  the  bark  of  a 
tree  into  coarse  filaments.  In  very  cold 
weather,  bear-skins  are  worn  by  way  of 
cloaks.  The  women  wear  long  dresses  of 
matting. 

They  have  in  their  houses  hu?fl  idols,  or 
images,  can-ed  into  grotesque  imitations  of 
human  faces  and  bodies.  These  misshaped 
figures  always  occupy  a  distinguished  place 
in  the  dwelling.  Yet  the  Indians  have 
never  been  observed  to  pay  them  any  marks 
of  worship,  or  even  of  respect  or  attention. 
On  the  contrarj',  they  are  exposed  to  all  the 
dirt  which  abounds  in  these  abodes.  When 
their  children  die,  they  put  them  in  wooden 
boxes  and  hang  them  on  the  trees,  where 
they  remain  a  certain  time  before  they  are 
taken  down  and  buried. 

These  Indians  are  very  expert  in  the 
whale-fishcrj'.  They  go  to  sea  in  large 
canoes,  which  hold  eighteen  or  twenty  men. 
Their  harpoons  are  made  of  bone,  attached 
to  a  wooden  shaft  twenty  or  thirty  feet  long, 
to  which  are  fastened  a  number  of  seal-skins 
blown  up  like  bladders  ;  these  keep  the  har- 
poon above  water  after  the  whale  is  struck. 
When  he  feels  the  smart  of  the  first  weapon, 
he  instantly  dives  and  carries  the  harpoon 
after  him.  The  boats  follow  his  wake,  and, 
as  he  rises,  the  Indians  continue  to  fix  their 
weapons  in  his  back,  till  he  finds  it  impos- 


IgO  THE    ROYAL    OAK. 

sible  for  him  to  sink,  from  tTie  number  of 
floating-  buoys  which  are  now  made  fast  to 
his  body. 

The  "whale  then  drowns,  and  is  towed  to 
the  shore  witli  great  noise  and  rejoicing.   It 


is  immediately  cut  up ;  part  is  dedicated  to 
the  feast  which  concludes  the  day,  and  the 
remainder  is  divided  among  those  who  have 
shared  in  the  dangers  and  glory  of  the 
exploit. 


THE   ROYAL   OAK. 


Many  of  our  readers  doubtless  remember 
the  New  England  Primer,  which  had  some 
queer  little  rhymes  in  it,  among  which  were 
the  following : 

"The  royal  oak, 
ll  was  the  tree 
Tliat  saved  his 
Royal  majesty." 

Perhaps  our  young  readers  have  not  seen 
this  book,  and  perhaps  they  have  not  all 
heard  the  story  which  gave  rise  to  the  preced- 
ing verse.  We  cannot  show  them  the  book, 
for  we  suspect  acopy  is  not  to  be  found,  even  at 
Burnham's.inCornhill  —  that  vast  and  inter- 
esting depository  of  books  old  and  books  new 
—  but  we  can  tell  the  story  of  the  royal  oak. 

About  two  hundred  years  ago,  Charles  I. 
was  King  of  England.  He  fancied  that  a 
king  migiit  rule  his  people  pretty  much  as  he 
pleased,  and  so  he  did  many  harsh  and  im- 
proper things.  In  consequence  of  this,  he  was 
tried  by  the  Parhament,and  finally  beheaded. 


His  eldest  son,  named  Charles,  had  fled 
to  Holland,  but  he  was  now  proclaimed  king, 
under  the  title  of  Charles  II.  The  people 
of  Scotland  took  his  part,  and  so  he  went 
there ;  and  putting  himself  at  the  head  of 
an  army,  marched  into  England. 

He  proceeded  first  to  Carlisle,  and  then 
to  the  large  town  of  Worcester,  where  his 
forces  amounted  to  several  thousand,  Scotch 
and  English.  Oliver  Cromwell  was  then 
at  the  head  of  the  British  government ;  he 
was  a  great  commander,  and  knew  well 
what  to  do.  He  came  with  his  troops 
against  Charles,  and  fell,  pell-mell,  upon  the 
young  king  and  his  forces.  There  was  no 
resisting  the  terrible  shock.  The  combined 
forces  fled  or  ran  away,  and  King  Charles 
himself  scampered  ofT  on  horseback,  being 
hotly  pursued. 

About  four  thousand  of  the  Scottish  forces 
kept  together,  under  General  Leslie,  and 
Charles  joined  them,  and  remained  with 


DISCOVERY    OF    THE    MINES    OF    POTOSI. 


181 


them  till  night.  He  then  departed,  and 
took  refuge  in  a  wood,  at  a  place  called 
Bascobel.  Being  very  weary,  he  laid  down, 
and  had  a  good  nap.  He  then  met  a  friend 
who  had  also  fled  from  the  fight,  and  who 
had  concealed  himself  in  a  thick,  bushy  oak 
tree.  This  man's  name  was  Careless,  but 
he  took  good  care  of  Charles.  He  told  his 
majesty  that  it  was  best  for  him  to  get  up 
into  the  tree  and  hide  there.  So  the  king 
got  up,  his  friend  Careless  giving  him  a 
boost.  Charles  was  a  waggish  fellow,  and 
we  imagine  he  had  a  good  laugh  at  this 
part  of  the  adventure. 

AVhcn  the  king  had  mounted,  he  pulled 
his  friend  after  him,  and  there  they  both 
lay  concealed  all  day.  They  saw  several 
people  go  b)',  hunting  for  the  king ;  but  his 
majesty  snugged  close,  and  they  did  not  see 


him.  When  it  came  night  the  two  got 
down,  and  went  to  a  poor  man  near  by. 
He  took  the  king  and  hid  him  in  his  barn, 
and  then  got  him  some  bread  and  butter- 
milk. A  king  gets  hungry  as  well  as  other 
people,  and  Charles  relished  his  supper  very 
much. 

He  remained  in  the  barn  two  days  and 
two  nights,  living  upon  bread  and  butter- 
milk. At  length  he  made  his  escape,  and 
after  a  variety  of  adventures  reached  France, 
where  he  remained  till  his  return  to  Eng- 
land, in  1660,  when  he  was  welcomed  as 
king  by  the  nation. 

This  story  will  explain  the  old  rhymes, 
and  show  the  reason  why  the  oak,  to  this 
day,  is  sometimes  called  the  royal  oak,  in 
England. 


DISCOVERY   OF   THE   MINES   OF   POTOSI. 


: 


; 


There  are  many  silver  mines  in  Potnsi. 
They  were  first  discovered  by  an  Indian 
called  Hualpa,  who  was  scampering  up  the 
.^ide  of  a  mountain,  after  some  >vild  animal. 
Finding  that  it  had  jumped  up  a  steep  place 
quicker  than  he  could,  and  determining  to 
follow  it,  he  laid  hold  of  a  branch  of  a  shrub, 
to  assist  him  in  climbing.  But  instead  of 
assisting  him,  it  broke  in  his  hand,  or  rather 
it  was  torn  up,  root  and  all,  out  of  the  earth. 
He  was  however,  repaid  for  his  disappoint- 
ment, by  the  sight  of  something  briglit  in 
the  hole  which  the  plant  had  come  from. 
He  soon  discovered  this  to  be  a  lump  of  sil- 
ver, and  he  found  several  small  bits  sticking 
about  the  roots.  These  he  picked  up  careful- 
ly, and  home  he  went  with  great  joy.  Right 
glad  was  he  to  have  found  such  a  treasure. 


He  returned  to  the  mine  whenever  he 
was  in  want  of  money ;  and  by-and-by  he 
became  so  much  better  in  his  circumstances, 
that  his  neighbors  began  to  wonder  at  it. 
So  at  last  he  told  one  of  his  friends  about 
his  discovery,  and  showed  him  the  place 
where  the  silver  was  to  be  found.  They 
went  on  for  some  time  very  peaceably,  but 
at  length  a  disagreement  arose,  because 
Hualpa  would  not  tell  how  he  purified  the 
silver.  The  Indian  was  so  angry  at  this, 
that  he  went  and  told  the  whole  story  to 
a  Spaniard.  The  mine  being  once  found 
out,  the  Spaniards  soon  took  possession  of 
the  whole,  and  the  poor  Indians  got  no 
more  of  the  silver.  This  \vas  in  the  year 
1545. 


i.x^: 


THE   BEAVER. 


Tins  animal  is  one  of  those  creatures  that 
IS  by  no  means  permitted  to  live  according 
to  its  taste  and  humor.  It  loves  solitude 
and  seclusion ;  it  chooses  as  its  haunts  the 
far-ofT  and  unfrequented  river-banks  and 
lake-shores  —  and  if  permitted  to  have  its 
way,  would  no  doubt  be  glad  never  to  see  a 
human  face.  But  it  happens  to  have  a  very 
nice  soft  fur,  and  for  this  it  is  hunted  and 
trapped,  and  carried  to  all  the  great  markets 
in  tiie  four  quarters  of  the  globe.  It  is  pur- 
sued from  one  retreat  to  another,  and  no 
matter  how  remote  its  abode,  or  how  con- 
cealed its  hiding  place  —  wherever  it  may 
be  —  there  comes  the  hunter  and  the  trap- 
per, eager  and  certain  to  secure  his  prey. 

Some  people  might  think  it  a  great  thing 
for  one  born  and  brought  up  in  the  wilds  of 
the  west,  with  nothing  but  a  log  cabin  of 
mud  and  sticks  to  live  in,  to  have  his  skin 
talcen  ofTand  transported  to  the  city  of  Pekin, 
and  there  to  become  a  favorite  with  the  lit- 
tle-footed wife  of  Taou  Kwang,  the  celestial 
emperor  of  the  Celestial  Empire !  Such 
has  been  the  fate  of  many  a  beaver's  hide  ; 
and  however  honorable  and  glorious  it  may 
seem,  we  suspect  that  the  beavers,  one  and 
all,  would  be  glad  to  be  let  alone,  and  to 
enjoy  in  quiet  the  humble  station  which 
nature  assigned  him. 

The  beaver  has  been  so  often  described 
that  we  can  say  little  about  it  that  is  new. 


It  IS  a  gnawing  animal,  and  its  teeth  consti- 
tute a  chisel  that  surpasses  that  of  the  car- 
penter; for  while  the  latter  wears  out,  the 
former  grows  as  fast  as  it  is  worn  away. 
Such,  indeed,  is  the  admirable  adaptation  of 
the  teeth  of  the  beaver  to  his  purposes,  as 
to  excite  admiration.  A  learned  writer,  aftei 
examining  this  subject,  and  others  of  a  sim- 
ilar kind,  says  —  "  It  shows  that,  anterior  tc 
creation  itself,  the  Maker  must  have  knowr. 
intimately  every  property  of  eveiy  substance, 
every  law  of  every  combination,  and  every 
principle  of  every  science,  mechanical,  chem- 
ical or  whatever  else."  The  same  writei 
adds,  that  "  the  structure  of  the  beaver's 
teeth  gives  us  the  models  of  some  of  our 
mechanical  instruments,  in  their  best  fonus." 
Thus  it  appears  that  a  careful  study  of  even 
the  beaver's  teeth  suggests  the  most  inter- 
esting and  important  reflections. 

The  curious  form  and  habits  of  the  bea- 
ver have  given  rise  to  many  extravagant 
tales :  we  shall  endeavor  to  confine  what 
we  have  to  say,  to  the  simple  truth.  This 
we  hope  will  not  be  without  its  interest. 

This  animal  is  low  and  squat  in  his  body  ; 
he  has  a  waddling  gait ;  his  hind  legs  are 
wide  apart,  and  he  is  knock-kneed.  He  is 
therefore  neither  a  graceful  nor  a  nimble 
walker  —  yet  he  makes  up  for  this,  inas- 
much as  he  swims  admirably,  and  while  he 
swims  is  able  to  cany  sticks  and  stones  in 


rNGENIOUS    CONTRIVANCES    OF    NATURE. 


1S3 


his  fore  paws.  He  has  a  blunt  nose,  a 
divided  upper  lip,  and  small,  squinting  eyes. 
Were  it  not  for  his  beautiful  coat  of  fur,  the 
beaver  could  hardly  be  called  a  beauty. 
The  tail  of  the  beaver  has  given  rise  to 
\  many  strange  stories.  It  is  oval  shaped, 
nearly  half  as  large  as  the  body  of  the  ani- 
mal, flattened  above  and  below,  and  covered 
with  a  kind  of  horny  scales.  As  he  builds 
houses  of  sticks,  stones,  and  mortar,  his  tail 
has  been  said  to  serve  him  as  a  trowel  for 
plastering,  a  spade  for  digging,  a  hammer 
for  pounding,  and  we  know  not  what  else. 
.\11  this  is  sheer  fiction,  and  the  beaver's 
tail,  divested  of  romance,  is  merely  a  rudder 


tc  g'.iide  its  owner's  course  in  the  water,  and 
occasionally  a  sort  of  balance  pole  to  help 
him  along  in  walking  on  the  land. 

The  beaver  usually  makes  his  house,  in 
the  winter,  of  sticks,  stones,  and  mortar,  in 
which  he  shows  some  skill  and  great  indus- 
try. Sometimes  several  unite,  and  build  a 
kind  of  village.  They  have  one  opening 
above  through  the  ground,  and  one  below  in 
the  water.  The  united  labor  of  these  animals 
sometimes  excites  admiration ;  but  it  must  be 
admitted  that  the  tales  of  their  wonderful  in- 
telligence and  ingenuity  are  exaggerations. 
The  beaver  is  excelled  in  these  respects  by 
the  common  nt.ole,  and  sorne  otlier  animals. 


The  artcrioB. 


Ths  Teliu. 


INGENIOUS  CONTRIVANCES  OF  NATURE. 


The  attentive  observer  will  constantly 
meet  with  objects  which  display  wonderful 
ingenuity  of  contrivance  on  the  part  of  the 
Creator,  and,  at  the  same  time,  attest  his 
Wisdom  and  Power.  In  every  department 
J  of  nature,  the  mineral,  vegetable,  and  ani- 
:  laal,  there  are  contrivances  which  no  human 
art  can  rival.  Man  may  make  imitations, 
but  he  can  do  no  more. 

In  order  to  render  this  skill  of  the  Creator 
more  palpable,  let  us  examine  one  or  two 
mechanical  contrivances  in  the  structure 
of  animji'.s.  We  will  select  as  our  first 
instance  the  human  spine,  or  back-bone. 
This  consists  of  twenty-four  bones,  joined 


and  coinpacfed  together  in  the  most  won- 
derful manner.  It  is  so  contrived  that, 
while  it  is  firm,  and  enables  the  body  to 
support  an  erect  position,  it  is,  at  the  same 
time,  flexible,  so  as  to  Lend  in  all  directions. 
No  iiuman  art  has  ever  been  able  to  devise 
a  chain  that  can  perform  these  complicated 
offices.  Here  we  .see  that  in  mere  mechan- 
ical contrivance,  the  wctks  of  God  defy 
competition  from  man. 

Hut  this  is  not  all.  The  spine  has  still 
another  otlice  to  perform.  In  the  centre  of 
this  chain  of  twcntv-four  bones,  and  passinn- 
through  them  all,  is  a  l\ibe,  containing  the 
spinal  nerve.     This  extends  from  the  brain 


1S4 


INGENIOUS    CONTRIVANCES    OF    NATURE. 


through  the  back,  and  communicates  with 
every  part  of  the  body  by  a  thousand  small 
pipes,  which  have  the  name  of  nerves. 

Besides  all  this,  the  spine  is  to  be  so  ad- 
justed that  the  ribs  may  be  fastened  to  it, 
as  well  as  the  legs  and  arms  ;  and,  finally, 
to  this  the  various  muscles,  which  enable 
the  limbs  and  body  to  move,  are  to  be  fas- 
tened. 


The  human  spine. 

Now,  suppose  that  an  ingenious  mechanic 
were  to  undertake  to  construct  an  artificial 
skeleton,  in  imitation  of  that  which  belongs 
to  man  ;  would  it  not  be  impossible  for  him 
to  accomplish  the  task  ;  and  would  he  not 
be  compelled  to  give  up  in  despair  ?  Let 
us  consider  that  we  only  ask  of  the  human 
architect  an  imitation,  and  that  even  this  is 
beyond  his  ability.  How  great,  then,  must 
be  the  wisdom  and  power  of  that  supreme 
Architect,  who  not  only  made,  but  designed 
and  contrived  his  works,  and  not  only  de- 
signed and  contrived  them,  but  furnished 
the  very  materials  from  his  own  manufac- 
tory —  the  bones,  the  muscles,  the  nerves, 
and  the  fluids  necessary  for  his  purpose. 

Let  us  take  another  illustration  of  the 
wisdom  and  power  of  God,  as  displayed  in 
animal  mechanism.  It  is  the  design  of  the 
Creator  that  the  blood  shall  be  distributed 
throughout  the  body,  and  that  this  shall  be 
essential  to  life.  The  body  is,  therefore, 
provided  with  two  systems  of  blood-vessels 
—  arteries  and  veins  ;  the  first  to  carry  the 
blood  from  the  heart,  and  the  latter  to  bring 
it  back. 


These  tubes  are  wonderfully  contrived 
and  distributed  over  the  body ;  and  the 
blood  which  is  to  pass  through  them  is 
furnished  by  means  equally  wonderful. 
But  what  machinery  can  be  devised  to  re- 
ceive the  blood  from  the  veins  and  force  it  ; 
through  the  arteries  and  throughout  the 
system  ?     The  heart  is  destined  to  perform 


The  heart. 

the  work.  This  is  a  hollow  muscle,  in  the 
centre  of  the  body,  surrounded  by  spiral 
fibres,  running  in  both  directions,  the  layers 
crossing  and  interlacing  each  other.  By  a 
contraction  of  these  spiral  fibres,  the  hollow 
muscle  is  compressed,  and  whatever  fluid 
may  be  in  it  is  squeezed  out  from  the  cavity 
within.  By  a  relaxation  of  these  spiral 
fibres,  the  cavities  in  the  hollow  muscle 
are  prepared  to  admit  any  fluid  that  may 
be  poured  into  it.  Into  these  cavities  the 
great  trunks  or  pipes  of  the  arteries  and 
veins  are  inserted  —  the  one  to  carry  out 
the  blood,  and  the  other  to  return  it. 

Every  time  that  the  heart  beats,  a  con- 
traction of  the  spiral  fibres  takes  place,  and 
the  blood  is  sent  through  the  arteries  by 
the  force  of  the  stroke,  as  water  gushes 
through  a  syringe  ;  and  exactly  at  the  same 
time  an  equal  proportion  is  received  from 
the  veins.  Thus  at  every  pulse  about  two 
spoonfuls  of  blood  are  sent  out  from  the 
human  heart,  through  the  arteries,  and  the 
same  quantity  is  received  through  the  veins. 
It  is  said  that  each  ventricle  of  the  heart 
will  contain  an  ounce  of  blood.  The  heart 
contracts  four  thousand  times  in  an  hour, 
from  which  it  appears  that  four  thousand 
ounces,  or  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
of  blood  pass  through  the  heart  every 
hour! 


)l('~~~~ 


THE   INDIAN  VOLTAIRE. 


The  orip^inal  name  of  this  famous  chief- 
lain  was  Shong;-irun-e-cuth-e,  or  the  Prairie 
Wolf.  The  title  of  the  letan,  by  which 
he  was  chiefly  known  to  the  whites,  was 
given  for  exploits  which  will  be  detailed 
in  the  course  of  our  narrative.  His  father 
was  named  Big-Horse,  and  he  had  several 
brothers,  two  of  whom,  Blue-Eyes  and 
Lodge-Pole,  became  celebrated  warriors. 

The  tribe  of  which  he  was  a  native  con- 
sists of  the  remnants  of  the  Ottoes  and  Mis- 
soiiries,  once  numerous  and  warlike  tribes, 
which  roamed  over  the  boundless  west;  but 
they  are  now  so  greatly  reduced  that  the 
whole  number  of  warriors,  in  both  tribes, 
docs  not  exceed  two  hundred.  Being  united 
by  the  closest  friendship,  they  have  cast 
their  lots  in  union  and  act  together  as  one 
people ;  and,  small  as  is  their  aggregate,  they 
have  sustained  themselves  with  such  unifonn 
bravery  and  good  conduct  as  to  command 
the  respect  of  the  tribes  around  them.  They 
are  more  indebted  to  letan  than  to  any  other 
individual  for  the  high  reputation  they  haie 
maintained,  as  he  was  not  only  one  of  the 


boldest  of  their  warriors,  but  he  was  distin- 
guished for  his  knowledge  and  wisdom  in 
peace.  The  tribe  lives  near  the  La  Platte, 
thirty  miles  south-west  of  Council  Bluffs. 
They  have  two  mud  villages,  where  they 
plant  corn  and  pumpkins,  which  they  leave 
to  grow  during  the  summer,  while  they 
go  to  the  prairies,  to  hunt  the  buffaloes. 
At  this  period,  they  live  in  tents  made  of 
their  buffalo  robes.  Upon  their  return  they 
gather  their  harvest,  and  spend  the  winter 
in  their  wigwams. 

When  Colonel  Long's  party  were  en- 
camped on  the  Upper  Missouri,  in  1S19, 
they  were  visited  by  a  party  of  Ottoes, 
among  whom  was  letan,  then  a  young  but 
distinguished  warrior.  A  grand  dance  was 
performed  in  honor  of  the  American  offi- 
cers ;  in  the  course  of  which  the  leaders 
of  the  greatest  repute  among  the  Indians 
narrated  their  exploits.  In  his  turn  letan 
stepped  forward  and  struck  the  flag-staff 
which  had  been  erected,  and  around  which 
the  dancers  moved.  This  ceremony  is 
called  striking  the  post;  and  such  is  the  j: 


186 


THE    INDIAN   VOLTAIRE. 


respect  paid  to  it,  that  whatever  is  spoken 
by  the  person  who  strilces  may  be  relied 
upon  as  strictly  true  ;  and,  indeed,  it  could 
not  well  be  otherwise,  for  the  speaker  is 
surrounded  by  rival  warriors,  who  woi  Id 
not  fail  to  detect,  and  instantly  expose,  any 
exaggeration  by  which  he  should  endeavor 
to  swell  his  own  comparative  merits. 

In  recounting  his  martial  deeds,  letan 
said  he  had  stolen  horses  seven  or  eight 
times  from  the  Kanzas  ;  he  had  first  struck 
the.  bodies  of  three  of  that  nation,  slain  in 
battle.  He  had  stolen  horses  from  the  letan 
nation,  and  had  struck  one  of  their  dead. 
He  had  stolen  horses  from  the  Pawnees, 
and  had  struck  the  body  of  one  Pawnee 
Loup.  He  had  stolen  horses  several  times 
from  the  Omahas,  and  once  from  the  Puncas. 
He  had  struck  the  bodies  of  two  Sioux. 
On  a  war-party,  in  company  with  the  Paw- 
nees, he  had  attacked  some  Spaniards,  and 
penetrated  into  one  of  their  camps.  The 
Spaniards,  excepting  a  man  and  a  boy,  fied, 
himself  being  at  a  distance  before  his  party ; 
he  was  shot  at  and  missed  by  the  man, 
whom  he  immediately  shot  down  and 
struck. 

On  the  occasion  above  alluded  to,  we  are 
told,  in  the  dance  letan  represented  one 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  stealing  horses. 
He  carried  a  whip  in  his  hand,  as  did  a 
considerable  number  of  the  Indians,  and 
around  his  neck  were  thrown  several 
leathern  thongs,  for  bridles  and  halters, 
the  ends  of  which  trailed  on  the  ground 
behind  him.  After  many  preparatory  ma- 
noeuvres, he  stooped  down,  and  with  his 
knife  represented  the  act  of  cutting  the 
hopples  of  the  horses ;  he  then  rode  his 
tomahawk  as  children  ride  their  broom- 
sticks, making  such  use  of  his  whip  as  to 
indicate  the  necessity  of  rapid  movement, 
lest  his  foes  should  overtake  him. 

While  yet  young,  the  letan  was  the 
leader  of  a  party  of  some  eight  or  ten  war- 
riors, against  a  small  tribe  called  letans  — 
probably  a  branch  of  the  Snake  or  Black- 
foot  Indians  ;  they  surprised  a  considerable 
party  of  the  enemy,  and,  in  the  desperate 
fight  which  followed,  letan  killed  seven 
warriors  with  his  own  hand.  On  r*urning 
to  his  camp,  he  displayed  seven  scalps,  and 
several  horses,  the  trophies  of  his  skill  and 
courage.  From  this  period,  he  was  ranked 
as  one  of  the  greatest  warriors  of  his  nation, 
and  the  name  of  The  letan  became  his  com- 
mon appellation. 

But  the  qualities  of  a  warrior  were  not 
those  by  which  he  was  most  extensively 
known.     The  Indians  are  by  no  means  in- 


sensible to  wit,  and  among  themselves  they 
frequently  take  much  delight  in  pleasantry. 
But  it  is  not  often  that  a  person  is  found 
among  them  who  is  distinguished  for  a 
playful  fancy.  This,  however,  was  the 
case  with  letan.  His  humor  broke  out  on 
all  occasions.  Wherever  he  went,  he  was 
the  life  of  the  party  ;  and  such  at  last  was 
his  established  reputation  as  a  wag,  that, 
whenever  he  opened  his  mouth,  the  Indians 
around  were  prepared  to  laugh. 

On  one  occasion  a  great  number  of  war- 
riors had  assembled,  to  hold  a  council. 
They  sat  around  in  silence,  no  one  pre- 
suming to  speak.  Decorum  required,  upon 
such  an  august  occasion,  the  sages  and 
warriors,  renowned  alike  for  their  great  vir- 
tues and  their  famous  deeds,  being  present, 
that  all  should  preserve  the  utmost  gravity, 
letan  was  among  the  number  ;  and  a  super- 
ficial observer  might  have  fancied,  on  look- 
ing at  his  face,  that  he  fully  participated  in 
the  solemnity  of  the  scene.  A  closer  critic 
might  have  remarked,  as  beneath  a  mask,  a 
quivering  smile  around  his  lip,  indicating 
some  merry  thought  about  to  burst  forth 
upon  the  assembly.  At  last,  preserving  his 
grave  exterior,  he  made  some  remark  in  a 
low  tone,  yet  so  as  to  be  heard  over  the 
whole  mass.  In  an  instant  the  gravity  of 
the  council  was  disturbed ;  there  was  a 
general  grunt,  and  then  a  laugh,  which 
could  not  be  repressed.  letan  had  sug- 
gested some  idea  so  humorous,  that  even 
the  established  laws  of  Indian  good  soc.ety 
were  set  at  nought. 

An  instance  of  playfulness  of  fancy  is 
afforded  in  the  following  story.  He  had 
been  on  a  visit  to  Governor  Clarke,  the  In- 
tendant  of  Indian  Afliairs  at  St.  Louis.  As 
he  was  returning,  he  stopped  at  the  little 
settlement  of  Liberty,  about  half  way  to 
Council  Bluffs.  Here  he  manifested  a  great 
desire  to  see  the  process  of  manufacturing 
whiskey,  which  he  knew  was  carried  on 
there.  As  the  Indians  had  already  made 
some  attempts  to  procure  this  article,  in 
which  they  had  sacrificed  large  quantities 
of  their  corn,  it  was  not  thought  prudent 
to  show  so  sagacious  a  person  as  letan  the 
whole  process.  He  was,  therefore,  taken 
only  into  the  room  where  the  distillation 
was  taking  place.  When  he  saw  the  coil- 
ing pipe,  called  the  worm,  and  understood 
its  use  and  operation,  he  remarked  play- 
fully, —  "I  see  now  why  it  is  that  the 
whiskey,  when  it  gets  into  the  head, 
makes  the  brain  turn  round  so  ;  it  is  be- 
cause of  the  trick  it  gets  in  passing 
through  the  tube  ! " 


THE    INDIAN    VOLTAIRE. 


1S7 


Bein?  once  at  Council  Bluffs,  with  some 
of  his  Indian  friends,  he  saw  some  rockets 
sent  into  the  air  by  the  soldiers.  In  talk- 
ing with  his  companions  upon  the  subject, 
he  tidd  them  that  the  Great  Spirit  had 
made  the  whites  superior  to  the  Indians  in 
two  things,  —  in  making  fire-water  and  fire- 
powder  ;  and  in  gratitude  for  these  gifts, 
t'ney  sent  up  these  streams  of  fire,  so  that 
he  might  light  his  pipe  ! 

About  the  year  1S22,  Major  O'Fallan, 
who  had  been  stationed  at  Council  Bluffs, 
attended  a  deputation  of  chiefs  from  several 
of  the  tribes,  to  Washington.  Among  them 
were  warriors  from  the  Kanzas,  Pawnees, 
Otoes,  Gros  Ventres,  Mandans,  Omahas, 
&c.,  amounting  in  all  to  about  twenty. 
Of  this  party,  letan  was  one.  During  the 
expedition,  he  was  constantly  exciting  the 
mirth  of  his  companions  by  his  wit,  and  his 
humorous  observations  upon  what  they  saw. 

The  chiefs  were  tnken  from  Washington 
to  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  and  New  York. 
They  took  careful  note  of  everything  ;  they 
paced  the  decks  of  the  ships,  and  measured 
the  guns  of  the  forts  with  strings  ;  they  also 
measured  the  size  of  some  of  the  public 
buildings.  They  attempted  to  count  the 
people  of  New  York,  and  keep  the  record 
upon  notched  sticks  ! 

On  their  return  to  their  homes,  these 
cniefs,  with  the  exception  of  letan,  gave  an 
account  of  what  they  had  seen.  In  every 
instance  this  was  received  with  incredulity, 
and,  in  most  cases,  the  result  was  fatal  to 
the  character  of  the  chiefs  for  veracity.  It 
has  been  a  matter  of  policy  for  the  leaders 
of  the  Indians  to  inculcate  the  belief  that 
they  were  among  the  most  sagacious  and 
powerful  of  the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is 
the  pride,  the  conceit,  thus  established,  that 
becomes  the  source  of  much  of  their  cour- 
age and  vigor  of  character.  Let  them 
become  humbled  by  a  knowledge  of  their 
comparative  ignorance  and  weakness,  and 
they  would  soon  sink  into  listlessness  and 
insignificance. 

The  fate  of  the  IMandan  chief  was  melan- 
choly indeed.  On  his  return,  he  told,  with- 
out cxagfjcration,  what  he  had  seen.  "The 
white  people,"  said  he,  "  have  lodges,  some 
of  which  are  a  hundred  paces  in  length  ; 
the}'  have  canoes  fifty  paces  in  length,  and 
of  sullicient  bulk  to  hold  live  hundred  men. 
In  their  great  cities  the  people  are  so  nu- 
merous tliat  you  cannot  number  them  ;  they 
seem  as  countless  as  the  stars  in  the  sky, 
or  the  straws  on  the  prairie." 

This  announcement,  so  difTcrcnt  from  the 
current  notions  of  the  people  at  that  time, 


was  received  with  universal  disbelief.  Some 
of  them  rose  up  and  told  the  chief  that  it 
could  not  bo  true  ;  that  ho  had  sought  to 
deceive  them ;  that  he  had  spoken  with  a 
double  tongue.  In  vain  the  chief  protested 
that  he  spoke  the  truth  ;  in  ^^in  did  he 
appeal  to  the  Great  Spirit,  in  attestation  of 
his  veracity.  "  You  hove  spoken  with  a 
false  tongue  ! "  was  the  universal  cry. 

However  they  may  practise  every  species 
of  deceit  toward  their  enemies,  truth  toward 
each  other  is  a  cardinal  virtue  with  the  In- 
dians. An  attempt  to  practise  a  deception 
upon  the  tribe  is  held  to  be  an  unworthy 
degradation  of  the  man,  and  a  foul  sin 
against  Heaven.  It  is  considered  better 
that  a  man  shall  die,  and  put  an  end  to 
sinning,  than  to  live  after  he  has  defiled 
himself  by  falsehood.  Proceeding  upon 
these  views,  the  Mandan  savages  were 
called  out  for  the  execution  of  the  chief, 
whom  they  had  pronounced  a  liar.  "  Sing 
your  death-song,  for  you  must  die! "was 
the  universal  decree. 

Seeing  that  it  was  vain  to  resist,  and 
submitting  to  a  decision  which  every  Indian 
considers  final,  the  chief,  in  the  presence  of 
the  assembled  tribe,  began  his  death-song. 
This  is  a  sort  of  dying  confession,  offered 
to  the  Great  Spirit,  but  it  usually  ccntains 
as  much  of  boasting  as  humility.  '  I  am 
a  great  warrior,"  said  the  cnief;  "1  have 
stolen  many  horses ;  I  have  taken  many 
scalps  from  my  enemies ;  I  have  struck 
many  bodies  of  the  dead,  in  the  heat  of 
battle.  I  am  a  great  hunter.  Who  could 
ride  over  the  prairie  more  swiftly  than  me  ? 
Whose  arrow  was  more  true  than  mine  ? 
Who  has  slain  so  many  buffaloes  as  I  have 
done  ?  And  who  was  wiser  in  council  than 
the  chief  of  the  Mandans  ?  Yet  he  must 
die,  for  he  is  condemned  by  his  own  people. 
I  have  spoken  the  truth,  yet  they  say  I  am 
a  liar!  Thou,  Great  Spirit  of  the  air  — 
thou  knowest  all  things  ;  and  thou  knowest 
that  I  spoke  truly.  Yet  I  die  content,  for 
my  people  have  so  decreed.  Great  Father 
of  the  Indian  family,  smile  upon  me  in  the 
far  land  of  spirits.  Let  me  dwell  forever 
in  the  rich  prairie,  far  from  the  Black  Feet, 
and  the  Snakes,  and  the  Pawnees;  let  mo 
feast  upon  the  fattest  of  buffaloes  ;  let  there 
be  no  enemy  to  disturb  my  feast,  or  to  break 
my  slnmbers ;  no  prickly-poar  to  wound 
my  feet.  Let  me  be  surrounded  by  willing 
squaws,  who  will  arrange  my  tent,  provide 
my  moccasins,  and  dress  my  food." 

Having  sung  his  death-song,  of  which  this 

is  an  imaginarj'  though  characteristic  sketch   , 

—  the  chief  declared  that  he  was  ready  to  die.   | 


18S 


THE    INDIAN    VOLTAIRE, 


; 


, 


Several  of  the  Indians  had  their  rifles  pre- 
pared ;  they  fired,  and  he  fell  dead  upon  the 
earth.  Thus  it  seems  that  among  savages, 
as  among  civilized  men,  ignorance  is  ever 
bigoted  ;  that  it  is  an  offence  to  know  more 
than  the  mass  ;  and  to  announce  truth  that 
conflicts  with  the  established  creed  of  so- 
ciety leads  to  condemnation.  Galileo  was 
persecuted  for  declaring  that  the  earth  had 
a  revolving  motion  ;  and  the  Mandan  chief 
was  shot  for  asserting  that  the  whites  pos- 
sessed ships  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
length  ! 

The  fate  of  the  Great  Bear,  a  chief  of 
the  Pawnees,  who  had  accompanied  the 
party  to  Washington,  and  who  indiscreetly 
disclosed  the  truth  on  his  return,  was  hardly 
less  severe.  He  was  degraded  from  his 
rank  as  a  warrior,  and  made  to  hold  a  sta- 
tion among  the  squaws  —  a  mark  of  the 
utmost  reprobation.  One  of  our  officers, 
belonging  to  the  station  at  Council  Bluffs, 
happening  to  be  at  the  Pawnee  village,  saw 
the  Great  Bear  in  his  state  of  humiliation. 
He  was  covered  with  filth  ;  his  neglected 
beard  was  grown  long  upon  his  face,  and 
his  head  was  covered  with  ashes.  When 
tlie  warriors  assembled  in  council,  he  took 
his  place  without  the  circle  of  chiefs,  among 
the  boys. 

letan  was  present  on  this  occasion.  Dur- 
ing the  session  of  the  council,  the  Great 
Bear  left  the  boys,  and,  after  a  short  space, 
he  returned  in  the  full  dress  of  a  warrior. 
He  was  a  man  of  noble  form,  and  now,  in 
his  war  gear,  had  an  imposing  appearance. 
He  wore  around  his  neck  the  medals  he 
had  received  at  Washington,  and  held  in 
his  hand  a  roll,  consisting  of  several  certifi- 
cates he  had  received  from  different  Indian 
agents  of  the  United  States.  He  proceeded 
with  a  lofty  air  to  the  centre  of  the  council, 
and  cast  a  haughty  look  upon  the  grave 
circle  of  smoking  warriors  and  sages.  He 
then  began  an  address,  in  which  he  set 
forth  his  deeds  as  a  hunter  and  a  warrior. 
He  appealed  to  the  assembled  chiefs,  in 
attestation  of  the  truth  of  what  he  said. 
"But  1  am  now  degraded,"  said  he,  "to 
the  level  of  a  squaw  ;  the  Great  Bear,  the 
renowned  warrior,  the  fear  of  his  enemies, 
and  the  pride  of  the  Pawnees,  is  now  an 
object  of  contempt !  In  the  assembly  of  the 
chiefs,  I  am  obliged  to  take  my  place  in  the 
outer  circle,  with  the  boys  !  And  why  is 
this  ?  Because  I  told  my  people  what  I 
had  seen  in  the  land  of  the  white  men.  In 
vain  have  I  declared  my  veracity  ;  in  vain 
have  I  appealed  to  the  Great  Spirit,  to  attest 
my  innocence.     But  there  is  now  here  a 


great  warrior  and  a  great  chief  of  the  Otoes. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Shongmunecuthe,  the 
letan  ?  He  is  here.  I  appeal  to  him.  He 
was  with  me  in  the  cities  of  the  white  men. 
He  can  tell  you  whether  I  spoke  with  a 
false  tongue.  Speak,  Shongmunecuthe ! 
I  told  my  people  that  the  white  men  had 
canoes  fifty  paces  in  length,  and  that  some 
of  their  lodges  were  two  hundred  paces  in 
length.  I  said  that  the  white  men  were 
numerous  as  the  stars.  Say,  chief  of  the 
Otoes,  is  the  Great  Bear  a  liar  ? " 

The  scene  produced  a  strong  excitement. 
Every  eye  was  bent  upon  letan,  who  now 
arose,  and  replied  to  the  appeal  thus  made. 
But  it  seems  that  generosity  was  not  among 
the  virtues  of  the  Prairie  Wolf.  He  knew 
the  Indian  character  well,  and  he  had  been 
careful  not  to  jeopard  his  reputation  by 
telling  the  Indians  what  they  would  not 
readily  believe.  In  speaking  of  what  he 
had  seen  among  the  white  people,  he  had 
always  used  general  terms.  He  now  re- 
plied in  the  same  manner.  "The  whites,"' 
said  he,  "  have  some  pretty  large  lodges, 
and  large  canoes,  and  their  people  are  nu- 
merous." The  effect  of  his  speech  was 
unfavorable  to  the  Great  Bear.  The  cau- 
tious manner  in  which  the  renowned  letan 
had  spoken,  satisfied  the  assembly  that  the 
Pawnee  chief  had  been  guilty  of  misrepre- 
sentation. The  latter  saw  the  effect  pro- 
duced, and,  with  a  dejected  air,  he  retired 
from  the  council.  Thus  it  appears,  that, 
by  his  sagacity,  letan  preserved  his  charac- 
ter and  standing  with  the  Indians  ;  knowing 
their  prejudices,  he  took  care  not  to  shock 
them  by  his  statements,  which  would  only 
prove  injurious  to  himself;  while  the  less 
prudent  chiefs  fell  victims  to  their  frankness. 

An  extraordinary  evidence  of  the  confi- 
dence reposed  in  him  by  his  tribe  was 
afforded  a  few  years  before  letan's  death. 
Some  of  the  white  traders  came  to  the 
village  of  the  Otoes,  and,  in  order  to  bribe 
the  chiefs  to  use  their  influence  with  the  In- 
dians to  part  with  their  furs  on  easy  terms, 
presented  them  with  a  keg  of  whiskey. 
They  therefore  prepared  for  a  debauch  — 
a  business  upon  which  they  usually  enter 
with  due  calculation.  The  women,  fore- 
seeing what  would  follow,  took  care  to  put 
the  knives  and  other  weapons  of  the  savages 
beyond  their  reach. 

In  the  height  of  their  revel,  letan  and 
his  brother,  Lodge-Pole,  fell  into  a  dispute, 
which  ended  in  a  quarrel.  They  grap- 
pled, and  letan  was  thrown  to  the  ground. 
During  the  violent  scuffle  which  ensued, 
Lodge-Pole  bit  off  his  brother's  nose.    Both 


m^^0%f^^^^^t^^' 


THE    PALISADOES. 


189 


parties  were  too  much  intoxicated  to  notice 
wliat  had  happened,  but  the  next  day, 
when  letan  came  to  his  senses,  and  discov- 
ered the  mutilation,  he  seized  his  rifle, 
went  straight  to  his  brother's  lodge,  and 
shot  him  dead.  Knowing  that  he  had 
forfeited  his  life,  he  left  the  village  and 
proceeded  to  Council  Bluffs.  He  was  well 
known  by  the  officers,  who  sought  in  vain 
to  comfort  him.  He  cared  little,  indeed, 
for  his  brother's  death,  or  his  own  exile  ; 
but  he  seemed  to  feel  a  peculiar  degree  of 
humiliation  on  account  of  the  wound  upon 
his  nose.  He  was  not  a  little  relieved 
when  the  surgeon  found  means  to  patch  it 
up,  assuring  ium  that  the  scar  would  be 
scarcely  visible. 

The  chief  had  been  absent  but  a  few 
days,  when  a  "  crying  dejiutation,"  as  it 
is  called,  came  from  tiie  tribe,  beseeching 
letnn  to  return.  It  consisted  of  the  princi- 
pal men  of  the  tribe  ;  they  were  loaded 
with  presents  of  horses,  cloths,  and  furs  ; 
and  as  they  came  into  the  presence  of  their 
chief,  they  wept  aloud,  in  token  of  their 
sorrow.  letan  promised  to  take  tlie  subject 
into  consideration.  This  he  did,  and,  after 
a  few  weeks,  he  returned.  He  was  re- 
ceived with  joy  by  the  people  ;  his  crime 
was  overlooked  ;  and  from  that  time  he  was 
the  war-chief  of  the  tribe. 


He  continued  to  be  their  leader  for  a 
number  of  years  ;  his  reputation,  not  only 
as  a  warrior,  but  as  a  man  of  sagacity  and 
wisdom,  was  greatly  extended,  and  he  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  great  men  of  the 
day.  His  fame  for  wit  was  spread  far  and 
wide,  and  his  society  was  much  sought  on 
account  of  his  powers  of  amusement.  The 
white  people  were  accustomed  to  call  him 
the  Indian  Voltaire. 

The  death  of  this  renowned  chief  was 
inglorious.  During  his  absence,  about  the 
year  1S34,  one  of  his  young  wives,  being 
smitten  witii  affection  for  one  of  the  youth- 
ful dandies  of  the  tribe,  forgot  her  duly,  and 
went  to  live  with  her  new  lover.  \Vhen 
letan  was  about  to  return,  the  young  Indian 
began  to  dread  the  wrath  of  the  chief.  Ac- 
cordingly, being  joined  by  five  or  six  of  his 
companions,  he  fled  to  the  woods.  letan 
returned,  and  learning  what  had  happened, 
pursued  the  seducer  and  his  party.  They 
lay  in  ambush,  and  as  the  chief  approached 
they  rose  and  fired  a  volley  upon  him. 
Though  desperately  wounded,  he  sprung 
upon  them  like  a  tiger,  and  slew  two  of 
ihem  with  his  own  hand.  In  the  midst 
of  the  conflict,  he  received  a  ball  in  his 
breast,  and  fell  shouting  in  triumph  for 
the  vengeance  he  had  inflicted  upon  his 
enemy. 


THE    PALISADOES. 


Some  of  the  finest  scenery  in  this  country 
is  found  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river  ; 
but  the  Palisadocs,  as  they  are  called,  are  not 
merely  Iieautiful  —  they  are  indeed  one  of 


the  curiosities  of  nature.  They  consist  of 
steep  rocks,  formed  like  a  wall,  and  consti- 
tuting the  western  bank  of  the  river,  from 
12  to  20  miles  above  the  city  of  New  York. 


190 


i' 


QUETZALCOATL. 


As  you  pass  by  in  the  steam ooat,  the 
Palisadoes  cannot  fail  to  excite  your  won- 
der. Though  the  rocks  are  so  high  as  to 
seem  almost  like  mountains,  yet  they  are 


You  can  hardly  persuade  yourself,  indeed, 
that  they  are  not  cut  by  the  hand  of  man. 
If,  however,  you  go  upon  these  rocks,  you 
will  see  that  they  are  too  vast  a  work  for 


often  so  ren-ular  as  to  look  like  works  of  art.  I  any  other  than  an  Almighty  liand. 


^l^MM. 


QUETZA 

The  earliest  traditions  of  the  American 
Indians  present  us  the  names  of  certain  re- 
markable personages,  to  whom  they  referred 
the  origin  of  their  civilization.  Their  his- 
tories are  all  more  or  less  obscured  by 
fable,  and  a  sceptical  inquirer  might  assign 
their  existence  to  the  regions  of  mythology. 
While  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  con- 
tinent are  still  in  their  original  state  of 
barbarism,  these  mysterious  persons  arise 
among  them,  and,  by  the  exercise  of  some 
unknown  influence,  acquire  such  a  degree 
of  power  over  their  minds,  as  to  turn  them 
from  the  savage  state,  and  implant  in  their 
communities  the  germ  of  civilized  life. 
These  important  events  are  not  always  de- 
tailed with  distinctness,  and  the  real  facts 


LCOATL. 

are  often  embellished  with  accounts  that 
are  allied  to  the  marvellous.  Men  with 
beards,  and  with  clearer  complexions  than 
the  rest  of  the  people,  make  their  appear- 
ance among  the  mountains  of  Anahuac,  on 
the  j"lain  of  Cundinamarca,  and  in  the  ele- 
vated regions  of  Cuzco,  without  any  indi- 
cations of  the  place  of  their  birth.  These 
strange  beings,  bearing  the  title  of  high 
priests,  of  legislators,  and  of  the  friends  of 
peace  and  the  arts,  are  received  with  vener- 
ation by  the  natives,  who  submit  implicitly 
to  their  authority.  Manco  Capac  is  the 
lawgiver  of  Peru.  Bochica  presents  him- 
self on  the  high  plateaus  of  Bogota,  where 
he  acquires  authority  among  the  Muyscas; 
but  of  this  individual  we  have  hardly  any 


THE    STAR-FISH. 


191  f 


distinct  account,  beyond  the  simple  fact, 
that  he  came  from  the  savannas  that  extend 
along  the  east  of  the  great  mountain  ridge 
of  the  Cordilleras. 

Quctzalcoatl,  who  performs  a  similar 
part  among  the  tribes  which  afterward 
constituted  the  Mexican  empire,  is  said  to 
have  appeared  first  at  Panuco,  on  the 
shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  clothed  in  a 
blade  sacerdotal  robe.  He  was  a.  white 
and  bearded  man,  and  became  high  priest 
and  chief  magistrate  of  Tula.  He  estab- 
lished a  religious  sect,  the  members  of 
which,  like  the  fanatics  of  Hindostan,  in- 
flicted on  themselves  the  most  cruel  pen- 
ances. He  introduced  the  custom  of  boring 
the  lips  and  cars,  and  of  lacerating  and 
mangling  the  body.  He  led  the  life  of  a 
hermit,  and  his  chosen  place  of  retirement 
was  the  volcano  of  Catzitepetl,  where  he 
walked  barefooted  on  the  prickly  leaves  of 
the  agave.  The  reign  of  Quctzalcoatl  was 
the  golden  age  of  the  people  of  Anahuac. 
All  the  classic  fables  of  the  Saturnian 
times  are  imitated  in  the  descriptions  of 
this  period.  Men  and  animals  lived  in 
peace  ;  the  earth,  unassisted  by  the  labor 
of  man,  brought  forth  the  most  fruitful 
harvests,  and  the  air  was  filled  with  mul- 
titudes of  birds,  admirable  both  for  the 
melody  of  their  songs  and  the  magnificence 
of  tiieir  plumage.  But  this  delightful  state 
of  things  was  not  of  long  duration.  The 
great  spirit,  Tezcatlipoca,  offered  Quetzal- 
coatl  a  cup  of  drink,  which  rendered  him 
immortal,  but  at  the  same  time  inspired 
him  with  a  desire  for  roaming.  He  had 
heard  of  a  distant  countrj',  called  TIapallan, 
and  sot  out  in  search  of  it.  With  his  de- 
parture all  things  began  to  deteriorate. 

Quetzalcoatl  directed  his  journey  at  first 
to  the  south-east,  and  then  easterly,  though 
we  are  not  informed  of  the  locality  of  the 
territory  of  TIapallan.  In  passing  through 
the  country  of  Cholnia,  he  was  solicited  by 
the  inhabitants  to  remain  among  them,  and 
he  became  their  ruler.  He  stayed  twenty 
years  in  this  quarter,  taught  the  people 
various  arts,  among  others  that  of  casting 
metals,  instituted  fasts,  and  regulated  the 
intercalations  of  the  Toltec  year.  He 
preached  peace  to  man,  and  permitted  no 
other  offerings  to  the  Deity  than  the  first 
fruits  of  the  harvest.  After  leaving  Cholula 
lie  passed  on  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  Go- 
asacoalco,  in  the  bay  of  Campeachy,  where 
he  disappeared,  having  promised  the  Cho- 
lulans  that  he  would  return  in  a  short  time 
and  confirm  their  happiness,  Quetzalcoatl 
was  afterwards  deified,  and  the  great  pyra- 


mid of  Cholula  had  an  altar  on  its  summit 
dedicated  to  him  as  god  of  the  air. 

The  name  Quetzalcoatl  signifies,  in  the 
]\Iexican  language,  '•  Feathered  Serpent.'' 
The  Mexican  pictures  and  statues  represent 
him  as  tall  and  stout,  with  a  fair  com- 
plexion, open  forehead,  large  eyes,  long 
black  hair,  and  thick  beard.  His  dress  is 
commonly  a  long  robe.  As  in  the  history 
of  the  demigods  and  heroes  of  Greece,  the 
facts  of  his  life  are  overlaid  by  mythologi- 
cal fictions  ;  yet  there  is  no  good  reason  to 
doubt  his  real  existence.  A  Spanish  writer  , 
has  maintained  that  he  was  no  other  than 
the  apostle  Saint  Thomas,  who  preached 
Christianity  in  India,  and  from  thence 
miglit  have  passed  to  America.  It  is  re- 
markable that  the  image  of  the  cross  is 
plainly  discernible  in  the  .sculptures  of  Pa- 
lenque  ;  and  persons,  ap])arently  priests,  are 
represented  as  making  ofllrings  to  this 
symbol  of  Christianity.  Yet  the  mission 
of  Saint  Thomas  to  America  must  be 
regarded  as  the  mere  suggestion  of  an 
enthusiastic  fancy. 


THE   STAIl-FISH. 

Did  you  ever  stand  on  the  rocky  shore 
of  the  sea  and  notice  the  star-fishes  that 
come  floating  along  ?  Many  of  them  ap- 
pear like  pieces  of  jelly,  drifting  with  tlie 
tide,  without  life,  and  without  the  power 
of  motion.  But  they  are  all  capable  of 
moving  from  place  to  place,  and  shoot  out 
their  arms  in  every  direction.  Some  of 
them  have  five  rays,  as  in  the  picture  ; 
this  kind  are  called  Five-Fingcrcd  Jack. 
These  star-fishes  have  ra'-enous  appetites, 
and  are  veiy  expert  in  gratifying  them. 
They  grasp  prawns,  shrimps,  worms,  and 
insects  that  come  in  their  way ;  and.  soft 
and  pulpy  as  they  seem,  woe  to  the  poor 
creature  they  get  hold  of!  One  thing  is 
very  curious,  and  that  is,  that  they  de- 
vour shells  of  considerable  size,  which  are 
crushed  to  pieces  in  their  stomachs  ! 


\ 


192 


THE    BHEELS. 


Not  only  are  the  star-fishes  of  different 
forms,  but  they  are  of  diflerent  hues  also  : 
some  are  striped,  some  are  red,  and  some 
green  In  fine  weather,  they  are  seen  in 
the  water,  spread  out,  fishing  for  their  meal. 
Some  have  long  fibrous  arms,  which  stretch 
forth  to  a  distance,  and  with  them  they  puU 
in  their  prey.  If  you  take  one  of  those 
creatures  and  put  him  on  the  shore,  he  be- 
comes a  mass  of  clensive  liquid,  like  water, 
in  about  twenty-four  hours. 

This  picture  represents  one  of  those  cu- 
rious creat\ires,  called  Medusce.  The  kinds, 
as  we  have  said,  are  numerous,  and  in  some 
seas,  they  are  found  in  myriads.     The  most 


curious  property  of  these  strange  fishes  is, 
that  they  give  out  a  light  at  night,  which 
often  makes  the  waves  very  brilliant.    This 


Medusa. 

light  is  called  phosphork,  and  may  be  often 
noticed  in  the  track  of  a  vessel,  and  almost 
seeming  as  if  the  water  were  on  fire. 


THE   BHEELS. 

The  Bheels,  or  Bils,  are  a  peculiar  race  1  regarded  as  a  nobler  and  manlier  race  than 
of  people  in  Hindostan,  living  in  the  prov-  any  of  the  Hindoo  tribes  which  surround 
inces  of  Gujeraf  and  Malwa.  They  are  ,  them.  They  are  very  expert  in  the  use  of 
believed  to  be  the  remnant  of  an  aboriginal  the  bow,  wliich  in  their  hands  is  a  most 
tribe,  who  were  driven  into  the  mountain-  formidable  weapon.  They  seldom  or  never 
ous  parts  of  the  country,  at  a  very  early  attack  the  Europeans  in  their  vicinity,  but 
period  of  history,  by  the  Brahmins.  I  receive  in  a  friendly  manner  such  Christian 

The  Bheels  have  a  great  aversion  to  travellers  as  visit  their  country.  Their 
regular  industry,  and  live  a  loose  sort  of  ;  Hindoo  visitors  are  treated  with  less  hospi- 
life,  plundering  their  neighbors,  or  serving  tality.  Many  attempts  have  been  made  to 
as  mercenaries  in  the  armies  of  such  of  civilize  the  Bheels,  and  to  wean  them  from 
the  Hindoo  chiefs  as  choose  to  hire  them,  their  wild  and  lawless  way  of  life,  but  thus 
A  few  of  them  are  cavalry,  but  the  greater  far  without  success.  They  profess  to  be  of 
part  fight  on  foot,  armed  only  with  bows, '  the  Hindoo  religion,  but,  from  their  igno- 
and  almost  naked.  Their  dwellings  are  ranee,  they  are  by  no  means  exact  observ- 
of  the  rudest  kind,  and  they  are  in  other  ers  of  the  Brahminical  rites, 
respects  barbarians  ;  yet  they  are  generally  I 


THE   ALTS. 


i 


: 


Tie  Alps  arc  the  highest  mouiitiilns  in 
Europe.  Tlic  tallest  peak  is  called  Mount 
Blanc.  Its  top  is  nearly  16,000  feet,  or 
about  three  miles,  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  This  is  in  Switzerland,  and  if  you  ever 
visit  that  country  you  will  be  delisjhted  and 
astonished  by  the  scenery  you  will  behold. 

Mount  Blanc  may  be  seen  at  the  distance 
of  nearly  two  luindred  miles  ;  it  then  appears 
like  a  white,  bluish  cloud,  just  visible  above 
the  horizon.  You  would  not  imacjine  it  to 
be  a  mountain  unless  some  one  were  to 
point  it  out,  and  assure  you  of  the  fact. 
From  the  city  of  Geneva,  a  distance  of 
forty  miles,  this  mountain  appears  like  a 
lofty  pyramid  of  snow  piled   up  to  the  skv. 

Switzerland  is  every  way  a  remarkable 
cour  Ty.  It  has  some  of  the  most  beautiful 
lakes  111  the  world,  and  they  are  still  more 
beautiful  because  they  are  surrounded  by 
such  wild  scenery  —  lofty  rocks,  steep- 
ling  precipices  and  mountains,  whose  tops 
seem  to  nimgle  with  the  clouds.  There  are 
deep,  quiet  valleys,  also,  checkered  with 
green  meadows,  and  rich  pastures,  and 
golden  harvests,  in  their  season.  Above 
these,  and  seeming  almost  to  hang  over 
them,  arc  mountain-peaks,  covered  with  the 
everlasting  snow. 


It  might  seem  that  such  a  wild  and  nig- 
ged country  as  Switzerland  could  hardly  be 
inhabited  ;  but  it  has  a  considerable  popula- 
tion. There  are  not  only  large  cities,  but 
many  villages ;  and  houses  are  scattered, 
here  and  there,  over  the  countn,',  even  upon 
the  shaggy  sides  of  the  mountains,  on  the 
verge  of  precipices,  and  along  the  edge  of 
clifTs,  where  you  would  imagine  the  wild 
deer  alone  could  find  a  footing. 

Among  the  mountains  of  Switzerland, 
there  is  a  species  of  wild  goat  called  c/inmois. 
It  is  about  the  size  of  our  common  goat.  It 
dwells  in  the  higher  parts  of  the  mountains, 
even  where  the  earth  and  rocks  are  covered 
with  snow  an<l  ice.  It  feeds  upon  moss  and 
the  stinted  shrubs  and  grasses  that  flourish 
in  those  dreary  regions.  Here  it  may  be 
seen  fearlessly  leaping  from  rock  to  rock, 
while  chasms  a  thousand  feet  in  depth  are 
yawning  at  its  feet. 

The  pursuit  of  these  swift-footed  moun- 
taineers is  dangerous  sport,  but  the  Swiss 
are  passionately  fond  of  it.  They  will  go 
forth  in  the  morning,  and  spend  the  whole 

!  day  in  climbing  up  the  mountains,  in  ford- 
ing rivers,  scrambling  over  precipices,  and 

I  traversing  ridges,  content  and  even  happy 
if  they  have  secured   a   single  chamois   in 


194 


THE    WHITE    CHAMOIS. 


the  chase.  They  seera  to  think  no  toil  too 
severe,  no  danger  too  great,  for  this  fasci- 
nating occupation. 

A  great  many  curious  adventures  have 
happened  to  the  chamois  hunters.  We  shall 
iTJve  you  an  account  of  one  of  these,  saying, 
however,  before  we  proceed,  that  if  it  be  a 
tale  of  f:-ncy,  it  is  still  characteristic  of  the 
country. 

Some  years  ago,  there  was  a  young  man 
by  the  name  of  Stephen  Borlis,  who  lived 
in  the  valley  of  Chamouni.  Here  is  a  little 
village,  situated  eight  thouiand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  and  at  no  great  distance 
from  tlie  topof  jMount  Blanc.  It  is  a  favor- 
ite sloping  place  for  travellers  who  come  to 
visit  Mount  Blanc,  and  who  usually  stay  a 
short  time  to  enjoy  the  beautiful  scenery  of 
this  valley. 

Our  story  begins  at  a  period  when  Ste- 
phen had  reached  his  eighteenth  year.  He 
liad  become  greatly  attached  to  chamois 
hunting,  and  was  famous  for  his  daring  and 
dexterity  in  this  perilous  amusement.  He 
was,  therefore,  a  sort  of  hero  in  the  little 
village  of  Chamouni.  It  is  necessary  to 
state,  that  there  was  a  maiden  in  this  vil- 
lage, as  much  renowned  for  her  beauty  as 
Stephen  was  for  success  in  chamois  hunt- 
ing. She  was  now  about  sixteen,  and  bore 
the  name  of  Marsaline. 

Now  the  beauty  of  this  young  lady  had 
drawn  around  her  a  great  many  lovers,  and 
it  was  said  that  she  was  sorely  puzzled  to 
choose  between  them.  If  she  had  any  pref- 
erence, it  seemed  to  be  for  Stephen  Borlis  ; 
but  though  the  youth  pressed  his  suit  warm- 
ly, vhe  maiden  could  never  be  persuaded  to 
decide  in  his  favor.  At  length  she  adopted 
a  strange  resolution.  There  was  a  famous 
chamois  in  the  mountains,  which  had  long 
baffled  the  skill  of  the  hunters ;  it  was  said 
to  be  so  swift  of  foot  as  to  seem  to  fly  rather 
than  run.  It  was  extremely  wild,  always 
perceiving  the  approach  of  the  hunter  from 
afar,  cither  by  its  penetrating  sight  or  its 
acute  scent.  It  would  leap  across  the  most 
fearful  chasms,  and  bound  along  the  icy 
sides  of  the  mountains  in  a  manner  so  won- 
derful, that  many  people  believed  the  white 
GOAT  possessed  more  than  earthly  powers, 
and  was,  in  fact,  a  sort  of  wizard. 

Wull,  the  decision  of  Marsaline  was  this. 
She  •esoived  to  marry  the  hunter  who  should 
succeed  in  taking  the  white  chamois  ;  if  no 
one  could  accomplish  this  feat,  she  declared 
her  resolution  to  remain  a  maiden.  In  her 
heart  she  believed  that  Stephen  Borlis  would 
be  the  successful  hunter,  and  thus  win  her 
hand ;    and   it  was,  perhaps,    part  of  her 


scheme  to  incite  him  to  an  achievement 
which  would  increase  his  fame,  in  the  glory 
of  which  she  would  have  a  share.  ' 

A  particular  day  was  fixed  for  the  hunt, 
and  about  twenty  youths  set  out  for  the 
chase.  Stephen  Borlis  was  up  in  the  moun- 
tains at  the  first  break  of  day.  It  was  au- 
tumn ;  and  though  the  morning  was  clear, 
the  air  was  keen  as  winter.  The  route  of 
the  youth  led  him  over  rocky  cliffs,  masse?, 
of  ice,  rising  like  castles  in  the  air,  and  fieldj 
of  snow,  of  dazzling  whiteness.  As  the  sun 
rose,  he  was  on  the  top  of  Mount  Blanc. 
What  an  amazing  prospect  spread  around 
him !  All  Switzerland  was  before  him, 
seeming  like  a  sea  of  mountains  and  valleys. 
He  could  look  down  upon  numerous  towns 
and  villages  —  could  trace  the  course  of 
rivers,  and  observe  numerous  lakes,  seeming 
like  mirrors  encircled  by  hills  and  forests. 
How  gloriously  the  sun  rose  on  this  scene! 
And  how  did  the  young  man's  heart  swell 
with  exultation  as  he  gazed  upon  it! 

Having  remained  here  some  time,  the 
youth  began  to  descend  the  mountains.  The 
early  morning  had  past,  and  he  had  not  seen 
the  object  of  his  pursuit.  A  sort  of  despond- 
ence crept  over  him.  And  the  idea  that 
some  person  more  fortunate  than  himself 
might  win  the  hand  of  the  fair  Marsaline, 
occupied  him  to  such  a  degree  that  he  be- 
came inattentive,  and  was  on  the  point  of 
sliding  into  one  of  those  enormous  chasms, 
or  cracks,  which  are  found  in  the  snow  and 
ice  on  the  mountains. 

He  recovered  himself,  however  ;  but  while 
he  was  yet  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  i 
crevice,  he  heard  a  sort  of  whistling  and  the  } 
clatter  of  feet.  Turning  in  the  direction  of 
these  sounds,  he  perceived  the  white  cha- 
mois flying  along  the  side  of  the  mountain. 
The  distance  was  great ;  but  instantly  bring- 
ing his  rifle  to  his  shoulder,  he  fired.  He 
saw  the  animal  first  leap  into  the  air,  and 
then  fall  into  the  valley  below ;  but  the 
recoil  of  Stephen's  gun  caused  his  feet  to 
slip,  and  he  was  instantly  borne  forward 
upon  the  smooth  surface  of  the  snow.  For 
a  few  moments,  he  preserved  his  presence 
of  mind  ;  but  soon  he  became  insensible  from 
the  rapidity  of  his  descent,  and  was  at  last 
plunged  into  an  immense  bed  of  snow  which 
had  collected  between  the  mountains. 

When  his  senses  returned,  the  youth 
found  himself  in  a  comfortable  room,  and  a 
woman  was  at  his  bedside  watching  over 
him.  On  making  inquiries,  he  learned,  that 
he  had  broken  through  the  snow  which  had 
fallen  from  the  mountains  and  buried  a 
farm-house   beneath   it.     Here   the   people 


THE    MONKEY    BEGGAR. 


195 


were  inpnsoned  for  the  winter,  but  as  such 
events  .vciv?  not  uncommon,  they  were  well 
provided  against  it.  Young  Borlis  soon 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  fall,  and 
was  eager  to  depart;  but  this  was  impossi- 
ble. He  was  obliged  to  wait  four  long 
months  before  he  could  return  to  Chamouni. 

When  at  last  he  arrived  there,  he  found 
the  whole  village  in  a  great  state  of  excite- 
ment. When  he  inquired  the  cause  of  this, 
he  found  that  the  fair  Marsaline  was  going 
to  be  married  that  very  day.  "  And  who  is 
she  to  marry  ?"  said  he.  "  Why,  have  n't  you 
heard?  To  Arthur  Mnloen,the  hunchbaclc." 

"  And  why  to  him  ?" 

"  Becaiiso  he  killed  the  ic/iile  chamois  !" 

The  young  man  stayed  to  hear  no  more  ; 
the  bells  were  already  ringing;  the  villagers 
had  gathered  into  the  church.  He  rushed 
to  the  place  —  the  ceremony  was  begun  — 
the  lovely  bride  and  her  deformed  partner 
were  kneeling  at   the  altar.     The  sudden 


appearance  of  young  Borlis  struck  the  as- 
sembly with  amazement;  they  had  all  im- 
agined him  dead,  for  a  rumor  had  gone  forth 
that  he  had  been  dashed  in  pieces  in  fjillinr 
over  a  precipice.  But  no  one  seemed  so 
much  affected  as  the  intended  bridegroom  ; 
he  turned  pale  as  ashes,  and  his  teeth  chat- 
tered as  if  he  had  been  seized  with  ague. 
Stephen  soon  broke  the  silence.  He  told 
his  story  to  the  assembly,  and  the  craven 
Moleen  confessed  that  he  had  practised  an 
imposition.  He  chanced  to  be  near  when 
Borlis  shot  the  white  chamois  ;  he  saw  him 
fall,  and  supposing  him  dead,  laid  the  game 
over  his  slunikler,  and  returned  to  Chamouni. 
He  there  boasted  of  his  achievement,  and 
claimed  the  hand  of  Marsaline  as  his  reward. 
He  now  begged  ten  thousand  pardons;  and 
young  Borlis,  taking  his  place  at  the  altar 
by  the  side  of  the  maiden,  clasped  her  hand 
in  his,  and  tliey  were  speedily  united  in  the 
bands  of  wedlock  ! 


THE   MONKEY   BEGGAR. 


Most  of  our  readers  would  not  understand 
this  picture,  without  explanation.  In  the 
great  cities  of  Europe,  there  are  many  peo- 
ple who  are  very  poor,  and  these  resort  to  a 
variety  of  means  to  get  a  living.  Some  pick 
up  old  bits  of  rags,  papers,  bones,  etc.,  and 
sell  them ;  some  go  about  vending  pins, 
needles,  and  other  trifles ;  some  sit  on  the 
sidewalks  and  play  upon  violins;  some  carry 
about   marmots   and    monkeys,   and   some 


sweep  the  cross-walks  in  the  streets,  begging 
of  the  passers-by  for  a  penny  or  two. 

The  picture  represents  a  man  who  has 
put  a  jacket  on  a  monkey,  and  taught  him 
to  stand  on  his  hind  legs,  and  appear  to  take 
a  broom  and  sweep  the  streets,  while  his 
master  stands  by  and  begs  for  a  little  money. 
Such  arts  as  these  are  often  adopted  by  the 
beggars  in  Paris, 


SHOPS   IN    LONDON. 


The  shops  in  London  are  among  the 
finost  in  the  world.  We  do  not  speak 
now  of  the  arcades  and  hazaars,  where  a 
whole  village  of  shop-keepers  are  associated 
together  under  one  vast  roof,  but  of  single 
shops  situated  upon  the  streets. 

We  give  a  picture  above,  of  one  of  the 
shops  of  Ludgate  Hill,  and  there  are  others 
of  equal  magnificence  in  other  parts  of  Lon- 
don. The  rooms  in  these  establishments 
are  of  great  extent,  and  fitted  up  in  the  most 
elegant  and  imposing  style.  At  the  front, 
are  windows  with  plates  of  glass  eight  or 
ten  feet  in  length,  and  of  proportional  width  ; 
the  sashes  are  of  polished  brass.  The  doors 
are  of  the  richest  mohoganj%  and  the  en- 
trance is  altogether  in  the  most  sumptuous 
stylo. 

Within,  the  shop  presents  a  scene  like 
fairy  land.  Splendid  mirrors  are  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  multiply  the  columns  of  the 
room,  and  throw  a  long  vista  before  the  eye 


of  the  beholder ;  at  the  same  time,  the  rich- 
est and  most  gorgeous  of  merchandises  are 
displayed  on  all  sides,  so  as  to  strike  the 
eye,  and  add  to  the  effect  produced  by  the 
mirrors.  When  the  shop  is  filled  with  well- 
dressed  ladies,  as  is  usually  the  case  from 
ten  in  the  morning  till  three  in  the  after- 
noon, there  is  a  bewildering  splendor  about 
the  scene,  and  one  might  almost  fancy,  that 
a  species  of  fascination,  calculated  to  make 
the  customer  an  easy  prey  to  the  shopkeep- 
er, is  at  once  the  object  and  the  end  of  these 
devices. 

The  wealth  displayed  in  the  shops  of 
London  is  suitable  to  the  metropolis  of  the 
world.  In  one  you  see  heaps  of  silks,  of  the 
richest  and  most  splendid  patterns;  and  if 
you  pause  to  note  their  infinite  variety,  you 
become  at  last  surfeited  and  sickened  with 
mere  luxury.  In  another  shop  you  see 
every  species  of  jewelry  —  and  rubies,  dia- 
monds,  emeralds,   sapphires,   cameos,  and 


GUY    FAWKES. 


197 


intaglios,  are  so  abundant,  that  you  pass  on, 
content  that  they  are  not  yours. 

You  come  to  a  window,  where  gold  and 
silver  plate  are  stretched  out  before  you  in 
such  profusion,  that  they  almost  look  cheap 
and  vulgar  !  In  one  window  is  a  display 
of  cutlery,  so  bright  and  so  fancifully  ar- 
ranged, that  it  looks  like  the  gaudy  figures 
in  a  kaleidoscope  ;  in  another,  there  is  such 
an  assemblage  of  furs,  that  you  dniw  a  long 
breath,  with  a  smothering  sensation,  just  to 
look  at  it. 

Thus,  as  you  pass  on,  one  after  another 
of  these  shops  presents  you  with  its  treas- 
ures,—  and  all  attended  by  every  ingenious 
device,  every  suggestion  of  busy  fancy,  to 
set  them  oft"  to  the  best  advantage.  There 
is  a  perpetual  strife  between  the  shopkeepers, 
to  outshine  each  other :  each  one  is  desirous 


of  obtaining  notoriety,  of  catching  the  pub- 
lic eye,  of  securing  a  run  of  custom — in 
short,  of  being  in  the  fashion  and  making  a 
fortune,  of  course. 

Regent  street,  at  night,  seems  like  an 
illuminated  city.  The  lights  in  the  shop 
windows,  arranged  to  display  the  goods,  are 
exceedingly  brilliant;  yet  they  are  gener- 
ally hidden  from  the  siijht,  while  they  throw 
the  whole  flood  of  their  blaze  upon  the  mer- 
chandise. The  efll'ct  is  truly  beautiful, — 
and  if  any  one  desires  to  see  the  shops  of 
London  to  the  greatest  advantage,  let  them 
visit  Regent  street  in  the  evening.  And 
one  thing  more  —  if  a  person  wishes  to  save 
his  money  let  him  defer  buying  till  he  has 
been  in  London  a  month  ;  by  that  time,  he 
is  likely  to  be  so  surfeited  with  splendor,  as 
to  feel  weary  of  it. 


The  boya  of  London  on  Guy  Fawkei*  day. 


GUY  FAWKES. 


Guy  Fawlces'  day,  or  the  anniversary  of 
the  gunpowder  plot,  is  celebrated  in  Eng- 
land, on  the  5th  of  November,  on  the  foUow- 
ing  account : 

The  Roman  Catholics  of  England  had 

,  been  treated  with  considerable  severity  dur- 

(   ing  the  reign  of  Queon  Elizabeth,  but  when 

I  she  was  succeeded  on  the  throne  by  James 

>   the  First,  they  hoped  to  sec  better  times, 

and  even  had   expectations  that  the  king, 

whose  mother  had  been  a  Catholic,  would 

restore   that  religion   to   its   supremacy  in 

England.     But  in   these   hopes  they  were 

disappointed.    James  avowed  himself  a  strict 

Protestant,  and  this  socnraged  the  Catholics, 

that  a  number  of  the  more  zealous  among 

them  formed  a  plot  to  destroy  the  king  and 

the  Parliament  at  a  single  blow.     For  this 

purpose  they  hired  the   rooms  in  the  base- 

5   ment  story  of  the  Parliament  house,  at  Lon- 

(  don,  which  had  been  used  for  the  purpose 

J   of  storing  wood,  coals,  and  bulky  materials. 

i  Then  they  deposited  in  the  vaults,  directly 


under  the  hall  of  Parliament,  a  large  nuni 
ber  of  barrels   of  gunpowder,  and  covered 
them  up  with  fagots  and  billet.'!  of  wood,  to 
avoid  suspicion. 

Guy  Fawkes  was  the  person  selected  to 
watch  the  cellar  and  fire  the  powder  when 
all  was  ready.  The  time  was  fixed  for  the 
fnh  of  November,  1605,  when  the  Parlia- 
ment was  to  meet,  and  the  king  was  to  at- 
tend in  person,  to  open  the  session.  One 
of  the  conspirators,  however,  being  desirous 
of  saving  Lord  Montengle,  wrote  him  an 
anonjnnous  letter,  ten  days  before  the  time, 
informing  him  that  "  a  terrible  blow"  was 
about  to  fall  upon  the  Parliament,  and  yet 
that  they  "  should  not  see  who  hurt  them.' 
He  therefore  warned  him  to  keep  away  from 
the  meeting  of  Parliament,  and  to  bum  the 
letter  as  soon  as  ho  had  read  it. 

Lord  Monteaglc  showed  this  letter  to 
some  persons  of  his  acquaintance,  and  it 
was  laid  before  the  king  in  council.  AH 
agreed  that  it  denoted  some  dantrer  bv  means 


« — 

198 


GOY    FAWKES. 


of  gui  powder.  In  order  to  make  the  dis- 
covery sure,  they  decided  to  keep  quiet  about 
the  matter  till  the  evening  before  the  assem- 
bling of  Parliament,  and  then  to  search  the 
vaults  under  the  house.  Accordingly,  on 
the  4th  of  November,  at  midnight,  the  place 
was  visited,  and  a  man  in  a  cloak  and  boots 
was  found  at  the  door,  who  proved  to  be 
Guy  Fawkcs.  On  removing  the  wood-pile, 
thirtj'-six  barrels  of  gunpowder  were  dis- 
covered. Fawkes  was  then  searched,  and 
a  dark-lantern,  a  tinder-box,  and  a  bunch 
of  matches,  were  found  concealed  under  his 
cloak.  Finding  it  useless  to  deny  the  plot, 
he  at  once  confessed  that  his  design  was  to 
blow  up  the  king  and  Parliament,  and  he 
manifested  great  sorrow  at  being  prevented, 
saying  it  was  the  devil,  and  no  one  else, 
that  had  made  the  discovery.  He  boldly 
asserted,  that  if  he  had  not  been  arrested  so 
quickly,  he  would  have  blown  up  those  who 
seized  him  and  himself  together.  Fawkes 
was  afterwards  put  to  death,  with  several 
others  of  the  conspirators,  who  failed  to 
make  their  escape. 

The  "gunpowder  treason  day"  has  been 
kept  in  England  from  that  time  to  the  pres- 
ent. On  these  occasions  the  boys  assemble 
and  carry  about  a  "  Guy"  through  the  streets. 
This  is  a  stuffed  image,  representing  Guy 
Fawkes  with  a  lantern  and  bunch  of  matches. 
The  boys  hurrah,  and  sing  songs  like  this  : 

"  Please  to  remember  the  fifth  of  November, 
Gunpowder  Ireasoa  and  plot !  "  ^tc.,  etc. 

Sometimes  two  parties  meet  in  the  street, 
each  with  their  own  Guy  ;  they  then  have 
a  regular  squabble  and  fight,  just  for  the 
entertainment  of  it ;  each  party  attempting 
to  capture  the  other's  Guy. 

The  celebration  of  this  festival  was  one 
of  the  many  old  English  customs  trans- 
planted hither  by  the  Puritan  settlers  of 
New  England.  It  was  called  Pope's  day 
in  this  country,  and  seems  to  have  been 
kept  up  with  all  the  grotesque  and  noisy 
jollity  of  the  London  "  Guy"  frolics.  The 
latest  instance  of  the  kind  which  we  find  on 
record,  was  at  Newburyport,  in  1773.  It  is 
described  in  the  following  terms  in  Coffin's 
history  of  that  town  : 

"  This  year  the  celebration  went  off  with 
a  great  flourish.  In  the  day-time  compa- 
nies of  little  boys  might  be  seen  in  various 
;  parts  of  the  town,  with  their  little  popes 
dressed  up  in  the  most  grotesque  and  fan- 


tastic manner,  which  they  carried  about, 
some  on  boards  and  some  on  litlle  carriages, 
for  their  own  and  others'  amusement.  But 
the  great  exhibition  was  reserved  for  the 
night,  in  which  young  men  as  well  as  boys 
participated. 

"  They  first  constructed  a  huge  vehicle, 
varying  at  times  froin  twenty  to  forty  feet 
long,  eight  or  ten  wide,  and  five  or  six  high, 
froiTi  the  lower  to  the  upper  platform,  on  the 
front  of  which  they  erected  a  paper  lantern, 
capacious  enough  to  hold,  in  addition  to  the 
lights,  five  or  six  persons.  Behind  that,  as 
large  as  life,  sat  the  mimic  pope  and  several 
other  personages  —  monks,  friars,  etc.  Last, 
but  not  least,  stood  an  image  of  Old  Nick 
himself,  with  a  pair  of  huge  horns,  holding 
in  his  hand  a  pitchfork,  and  otherwise  ac- 
coutred, with  all  the  frightful  ugliness  that 
their  ingenuity  could  devise. 

"  Their  next  step,  after  they  had  mounted 
their  ponderous  vehicle  on  four  wheels, 
chosen  their  officers  —  captain,  first  lieuten- 
ant, purser,  etc.  —  placed  a  boy  under  the 
platform  to  elevate  and  move  around  the 
head  of  the  pope,  was  to  take  up  their  line 
of  march  through  the  streets  of  the  town, 
with  dancers,  a  fiddle,  and  a  large  crowd, 
who  made  up  a  long  procession.  Their 
custom  was  to  call  at  the  principal  houses, 
ring  their  bell,  cause  the  pope  to  elevate  his 
head  and  look  round  upon  the  audience,  and 
repeat  the  following  lines  : 

'The  fifth  of  November, 
As  you  well  remember, 
Was  gunpowder  treason  and  plot ; 
I  know  of  no  reason 
Why  the  gunpowder  treason 
Should  ever  be  forgot. 

'  VVhen  the  first  King  James  the  sceptre  swayed 

This  hellish  powder-plot  was  laid  ; 

Thirty-six  barrels  of  powder  placed  down  below, 

All  for  old  England's  overthrow. 

Happy  the  man,  and  happy  the  day, 

That  caught  Guy  Fawkes  in  ihe  micldleof  hisplay. 

Vou  'II  hear  our  bell  go  "jink,  jink,  jink," 

Pray,  madam —  sirs,  if  you  '11  sometning  give. 

We  'II  burn  the  dog,  and  never  let  him  live. 

Match,  touch  !     Catch,  prime! 

In  Ihe  good  nick  of  time! 

Here  is  the  Pope  that  we  've  got. 

The  whole  promoter  of  the  plot. 

We'll  stick  a  pitchfork  in  his  back. 

And  throw  him  in  the  fire,'  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

"  After  the  verses  were  repeated,  the  pur- 
ser stepped  forward  and  took  up  the  collec- 
tion. They  concluded  their  evening's  enter- 
tainment with  a  splendid  supper  and  a 
bonfire." 


^^^tS/\^,^^^t/'\^^^^\  ( 


LANDSEER'S   DOGS. 


Shakspeare  speaks  with  contempt  of  a 
man  in  office  —  one  "  dressed  /?;  a  little  brief 
authority"  —  who  exercises  tlie  power  con- 
ferred upon  him  with  conceit,  arro^ncc,  aiui 
despotism.  The  picture  we  present  to  our 
readers,  thoiiijli  it  only  exhihits  a  group  of 
dofjs,  forcibly  recalls  to  mind  the  words  of 
the  great  moralist. 

Look  at  the  cur  upon  the  table!  He  is 
eitlier  appointed  to  pliice  by  his  master,  or 
he  has  usurped  the  place,  of  his  own  head. 
There  he  sits,  keeping  guard  over  the  good 
thine."  about  the  room.  What  an  air  of 
superiority  he  assumes!  What  a  cold,  heart- 
less rebufi'does  he  give  to  the  pleadings,  the 
whinings,  and  the  yearnings  of  his  fellow 
brutes  !  What  cares  he  that  they  are  griped 
with  hunger  ?  His  stomach  is  full ;  his  ribs 
are  lined  with  fat ! 

If  this  dog  could  spealc,  we  could  imagine 
him  to  address  his  a\uiilors  much  as  follows: 
"Get  out,  you  brutes,  you  dogs,  and  don't 
bother  me  !  I  want  to  go  to  sleep.  I  have  n't 
had  a  nap  these  two  hours.  Don't  you 
know  better,  you  low,  vulgar  blackguards, 
than  to  disturb  a  gentleman  like  me  ?  Get 
out,  I  say !" 

Now  such  a  speech  would  become  a  cur ; 


but  how  ill  would  it  seem  in  a  man  '  Vet 
there  are  some  men,  sad  are  we  to  say  it, 
who  arc  very  currish  in  their  manners. 
Even  in  the  exercise  of  their  duties,  they 
are  harsh  and  dogmatical.  Let  such  people 
come  and  look  at  their  portrait  in  the  dog 
upon  the  table. 

The  original  of  this  picture  is  by  Land- 
seer,  of  London,  the  best  painter  of  animals 
that  has  ever  lived.  He  not  only  paints  their 
bodies  accurately,  but  he  gives  the  air,  the 
character,  the  mind  and  soul,  of  the  animals 
he  portrays.  And  often  he  goes  further,  and 
hits  ofTtlie  follies  and  vices  of  society,  as  in 
the  ])icture  before  us.  There  is  thus  a 
meaning  and  moral  in  many  of  his  pieces, 
which  render  them  as  instructive  as  the 
fables  of  TEsop. 

Now  we  wish  all  oiir  readers,  young  and 
old,  to  study  the  picture  of  the  proud  cur 
and  his  hungry  brothers.  Study  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  former;  and  remember,  my 
friends,  that  when  you  are  rude  to  those 
placed  beneath  you  in  station  —  when  you 
exercise  your  power  harshly  and  despotically 
—  it  is  ten  to  one  that  you  look  very  much 
like  that  fat  cur;  it  is  ten  to  one  that  your 
brow  has   the  same  malignant  leer  —  that 


200 


PIERRE    RAMUS. 


your  mouth  lias  the  same  supercilious  twist 
—  that  in  fact  you  are,  as  I'ar  as  a  human 
being  can  be,  like  that  very  cur. 

Now  what  can  be  more   low,  mean,  and 
silly,  than  for  one  who  belongs  to  the  hu- 
man family  to  iii)it;ite  a  dog.     My  friends, 
let  this  be  a  caution  to  us  all;  let  us  slum 
low  examples,  and   endeavor   to   raise  our- ; 
selves  by  imitating  high   examples.     How. 
lofty,  how   beautiful,  does   t!ie   conduct   of 
our  Saviour  appear,  in  the  exercise  of  his 
authority!     How  gentle  was  he  to  the  ji.oor 
and   unfortunate  —  how  kind  even  to  chil- 
dren I     "  Sutter  them  to  come  to  me,"  said  i 
he,  "and  forbid  them  not." 

And  look  at  the  conduct  of  Washington.  | 
How  kind,  how  gentle  was  he,  also,  to  those  | 


beneath  him  1  And  so  all  persons,  truly 
srreat,  are  considerate  ofthe  feelings  of  others, 
and  when  they  see  any  one  suffering  from 
a  sense  of  poverty,  or  weakness,  or  misfor- 
tune, they  do  not  frown  upon  him  and  crush 
him,  but  they  encourage  him,  and  seek  to 
soothe  his  pained,  irritated  mind. 

In  our  country,  there  are  many  people 
who  get  suddenly  rich.  These  persons  are 
in  dano-er  of  becoming  proud  and  haughty 
—  looking  down  with  lofty  contempt  upon 
those  less  wealthy  than  themselves.  Let 
such  persons  remember  that  Mr.  Landseer 
has  painted  their  portrait,  and  that  every- 
body can  see  the  resemblance  between  them 
and  the  fat  cur  in  our  picture. 


i 


? 


PIERRE   RAMUS. 


PiF.nnE  DE  LA  Eamkk,  more  generally 
Ifiiown  by  the  name  of  Tirimiis,  was  born  in 
1515,  in  a  village  in  Normandy.  His  par- 
ents were  of  the  poorest  rank;  his  grand- 
father Ix'ing  a  charbonnier,  a  calling  similar 
j   to  that  of  the  coalheaver,  and  his  father  a 


laborer.     Poverty  being  his  consequent  in- 
heritance. Ramus  was  early  left  to  his  own 

resources ;  no  sooner,  therefore,  had  he  at-  i 

tained  the  age  of  eight  years,  than  he  re-  > 

paired  to  Paris.     The  difficulty  he   found  > 

there  of  obtaining  common  subsistence  soon  J 


PIERRE    RAMUS. 


201 


obliged  him  to  return  home :  another  attempt 
which  he  afterwards  made,  met  with  no 
Dettor  success. 

Early  imbued  with  a  strong  love  and  de- 
sire for  learning-,  he  sufTcred  every  misery 
and  privation,  in  order  to  obtain  the  means 
necessary  for  its  acquirement.  Having  re- 
ceived a  limited  aid  from  one  of  his  uncles, 
^  he,  for  a  third  time,  set  out  for  Paris,  where, 
'  iminediatelv  on  his  arrival,  he  entered  the 
college  of  Navarre  in  the  capacity  of  valet ; 
during  the  day  fulfilling  every  menial  task, 
but  devoting  liis  nights  to  his  dear  and  ab- 
sorbing study. 

This  extreme  perseverance  and  apjilica- 
tion,  regardless  of  dilliculties,  obtained  its 
consequent  reward.  Being  admitted  to  the 
degree  of  master  of  arts,  which  he  received 
with  all  its  accompanying  scholastic  honors, 
he  was  enabled  to  devote  himself  with  more 
intensity  to  study.  By  the  opinions  which 
he  promulgated,  in  the  form  of  a  thesis, 
respecting  the  philosophy  of  Aristotle,  —  a 
doubt  of  whose  sovereign  authority  at  that 
time  was  considered  a  profane  and  audacious 
sacrilege,  —  he  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
scholars  of  the  time,  and  ultimately  their 
enmity.  With  the  uncompromising  hardi- 
hood of  his  character,  he  continued  to  deny 
the  infallibility  of  the  favorite  code  of  phi- 
losophy, and  published,  in  support  of  his 
opinions,  two  volumes  of  criticisms  upon 
Aristotle's  works. 

Kamus  was  at  first  persecuted  merely 
with  scholastic  virulence,  but,  on  his  further 
irritating  his  opponents,  a  serious  accusa- 
tion was  brouglit  against  him,  before  the 
Parliament  of  Paris;  and  to  such  lengths 
had  the  matter  gone  as  to  call  for  the  medi- 
ation of  Francis  the  First. 

Kamus  was  found  guilty,  and  sentenced, 
in  1513,  to  vacate  his  professorship,  and 
his  worlcs  were  interdicted  throughout  the 
kingdom.  This  severe  sentence,  however, 
did  not  produce  the  effect  desired  by  the 
Sorboime ;  for,  in  the  following  year,  he 
was  appointed  to  a  professorshi])  in  the  col- 
lego  of  Presles,  and,  in  1551,  received  the 
furtlier  ajipointment  of  royal  professor  of 
philosopliy  and  rhetoric.  HisojHnions  had, 
however,  attracted  the  attention  and  enmity 
of  a  more  powerful  body  than  that  of  the 
Sorbonne.  To  contest  the  infallibility  of 
Ari^totle,  at  the  same  time  that  it  attacked 
scholastic  Jirejudices,  was  sullicient  to  pro- 
voke a  revolution  even  in  theology.  The 
conse(pience  to  IJanms  was  inqilacable  ha- 
tred from  theecclesiastical  body,  who  seemed 
intent  upon  his  destruction. 

One  of  the  great  sulijects  of  reform  at- 


tempted by  Eamus,  and  wliich  created  the 
greatest  animosity  against  him,  was  that 
which  had  for  its  object  the  introduction  of 
a  democratical  government  into  the  church. 
He  pretended  that  the  consistories  alone 
ought  to  prepare  all  questions  of  doctrine, 
and  submit  them  to  the  judgment  of  the 
faithful.  The  people,  according  to  his  ten- 
ets, possessed  in  themselves  the  right  of 
choosing  their  ministers,  of  excominunica- 
tion,  and  absolution. 

The  persecution  of  Ramus  was  carried  to 
such  an  extent,  that,  according  to  Bayle,  he 
was  obliged  to  conceal  himself.  At  the 
king's  instigation,  he  for  some  time  secreted 
himself  at  Fontainbleau,  where,  by  the  aid 
of  the  works  he  found  in  the  roval  library, 
he  was  enabled  to  prosecute  his  geometrical 
and  astronomical  studies.  On  his  residence 
there  being  discovered,  he  successfully  con- 
cealed himself  in  ditTerent  places,  thinking 
by  that  means  to  evade  his  relentless  perse- 
cutors. During  his  absence,  his  library  at 
Presles  was  given  up  to  public  pillage. 

On  the  proclamation  of  peace,  in  the  year 
1563,  between  Charles  the  Ninth  and  the 
Protestants,  Ramus  returned  to  his  profes- 
sorship, devoting  himself  principally  to  the 
teaching  of  mathematics.  On  the  breaking 
out  of  the  second  civil  war,  in  1567,  he  was 
again  obliged  to  quit  Paris,  and  seek  pro- 
tection in  the  Huguenot  camp,  where  he 
remained  until  the  battle  of  St.  Denis.  A 
few  months  after  this,  on  peace  being  again 
proclaimed,  he  once  more  returned  to  his 
professorial  duties ;  but,  foreseeing  the  in- 
evitable approach  of  another  war,  and  fear- 
ing the  consequent  result,  he  sued  for  the 
king's  permission  of  absence,  under  the  plea 
of  visiting  the  German  academies,  which  ','• 
being  granted,  he  retired  to  Germany,  in 
156S,  where  he  was  received  with  every 
demonstration  of  honor.  Ramus  returned 
to  France  on  the  conclusion  of  the  third  war, 
in  1.571,  and  perished  in  the  mas.sacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew,  as  related  by  Moreri  in 
the  following  words : 

"  Ramus  having  concealed  himself  during 
the  tumult  of  the  massacre,  he  was  discov- 
ered by  the  assassins  sent  by  Charpentier, 
his  competitor.  After  having  paid  a  large 
sum  of  money,  in  the  hopes  of  bribing  his 
assassins  to  preserve  his  life,  he  was  severely 
wounded,  and  thrown  from  the  window  into 
the  court  beneath.  Partly  in  consequence  ' 
of  the  wounds  received  and  the  efl'ects  of  tlic 
fall,  his  bowels  protruded.  The  scholars, 
encouraged  by  the  pivsence  of  their  profes- 
sors, no  sooner  saw  this,  than  they  tore  them 
from  the  body,  and  scattered   them   in   the 


'2B 


202 


PUNCH    AND    JUDY. 


Street,  along  which  they  dragged  the  bod}', 
beating  it  with  rods,  hy  way  of  contempt." 
Such  was  the  luirrid  death  of  one  of  the 
most  estimable  men  that  ever  lived.  The 
private  life  of  Ramus  was  most  irreproacha- 
ble. Entirely  devoting  himself  to  study  and 
research,  he  refused  the  most  lucrative  pre- 
ferments, choosing  rather  the  situation  of 
professor  at  the  college  of  Presles.  His 
temperance  was  exemplary :  except  a  little 
bouilli,  he  ate  little  else  for  dinner.     For 


twenty  years  he  had  not  tasted  wine,  and 
afterwards,  when  he  partook  of  it,  it  was  by 
the  order  of  his  physicians.  His  bed  was 
of  straw ;  he  rose  early,  and  studied  late  ; 
he  was  never  known  to  foster  an  evil  pas- 
sion of  any  kind  ;  he  possessed  the  greatest 
firmness  under  misfortune.  His  only  re- 
proach was  his  obstinacy ;  but  every  man 
who  is  strongly  attached  to  his  convictions 
is  subject  to  this  reproach. 


PUNCH   AND  JUDY. 


There  are  some  wise  old  people,  who, 
when  they  hear  the  music  of  the  showmen 
in  the  streets,  are  very  much  annoyed,  and 
wish  to  have  the  vagrants  sent  off  to  the 
work-house.  Gently  —  gently — Mr.  Snarl. 
This  very  exhibition  of  Punch  and  Judy  has 
g'ven  more  innocent  pleasure  than  almost 
any  other  that  was  ever  invented. 

The  story  of  Punch  and  his  wife  Judy 
had  its  origin  in  Italy.  As  it  is  a  pleasant 
story,  we  will  tell  it.  In  the  district  of  Acezza, 
near  Naples,  the  people  are  very  much  ad- 
dicted to  the  making  of  wine  from  grapes  ; 
and  it  is  curious  that  from  antiquity  they 
have  been  famous  for  their  love  of  droll  wit 
and  comic  fun. 

Well,  many  years  ago,  in  the  season  of 
the  vintage,  which  is  a  time  when  every- 
body seems  to  be  full  of  joke  and  frolic,  some 
comic  plaj'ers  came  along,  through  Acezza. 
They  began  to  poke  fun  at  the  vintagers, 
and  in  the  war  of  wit,  the  players  got  the 
worst  of  it. 

Now  there  was,  among  the  vintagers,  a 
fellow  with  an  enormous  red  nose,  long  and 
crooked  like  a  powder  horn ;  and  he  was  the 


very  drollest  and  wittiest  of  the  whole  com- 
pany. The  players  were  so  tickled  with  his 
witty  sayings,  all  set  off  by  his  odd  face  and 
veryqueerair  and  manner,  that  they  almost 
cracked  their  sides  with  laughter. 

After  they  went  away,  they  began  to  think 
that  this  droll  fellow  would  be  a  great  acces- 
sion to  their  company;  so  they  went  back 
and  made  oflers  to  him.  These  he  accepted ; 
and  such  was  the  success  of  his  efforts  that 
the  company  acquired  great  fame  and  a  great 
deal  of  money.  Everybody  went  to  see  this 
witty  buffoon,  and  all  were  delighted. 

This  example  led  to  the  establishment  of 
a  droll  or  buffoon  in  all  companies  of  come- 
dians ;  and  he  was  always  called  after  the 
original  one,  whose  name  was  Pucco  d'Ani- 
ello.  This  was,  in  the  course  of  time,  soft- 
ened into  Polecenello ;  the  French  made  il 
Polichenel,  and  the  English,  PuncMnello. 
After  a  time,  the  English,  for  the  sake  of 
brevity,  left  off  the  latter  part  of  the  word, 
and  called  it  plain  Punch. 

How  Judy  originated,  history  does  not 
tell  us ;  but  it  is  easy  to  guess  out  her  story. 
Such  a  merry  fellow  as  Punch  has  as  good 


^^^V^^  VV^i^^ 


TOAD-STOOLS    AND    MUSHROOMS. 


203 


a  right  to  a  wife  as  anybody,  if  he  can  get 
one.  Why  not?  You  may  think  that  his 
be(tt-like  nose  would  stand  in  the  way  of  his 
finding  a  woman  willing  to  marry  him ;  but 
his  wit  IS  a  fair  ofTsct  to  this.  Women  are 
fond  of  wit,  and  Punch  would  play  his  part 
ill,  if  he  could  not  make  it  cover  his  nose. 

\\  ell,  we  now  suppose  Punch  to  have  a 
wife,  and  also  suppose  her  name  to  be  Judy. 
What,  then,  is  more  natural  than  for  this 
amiable  couple,  now  and  then,  to  have  a  bit 
of  a  breeze  ?  They  live  a  wandering  life, 
and  do,  like  other  people  in  their  station, 


take  a  little  liquor  to  raise  their  spirits. 
After  the  effect  is  over,  feeling  a  little  peev- 
ish, they  fall  to  calling  each  other  hard 
names,  and  hard  blows  follow,  as  natural  as 
life.  So  here  is  the  whole  history,  fairly 
made  otit. 

Gentle  reader !  if  you  are  young,  you  will 
not  quarrel  with  the  showmen,  nay,  you  will 
stand  by,  chip  your  hands  and  pay  your 
pence.  If  you  are  old,  consider  that  you 
were  once  young,  and  tolerate  the  innocent 
exhibition,  in  behalf  of  those  who  are  now  \: 
wliat  you  were  some  half  century  ago. 


Toad  fllools. 


TOAD-STOOLS   AND   MUSHROOMS. 


These  two  kinds  of  plants,  though  oT 
similar  appearance,  are  so  very  different, 
tliat  while  one  is  poisonous,  the  other  is  a 
wholesome  and  delicious  article  of  food. 

The  toad-stool,  of  which  we  give  a  picture 
above,  usually  grows  in  moist  places,  and 
where  the  soil  is  very  rich. 


The  mushroom  grows  in  situations  simi- 
lar to  those  in  which  the  toad-stool  is  found. 
They  both  belong  to  the  genus  which  the 
botanists  call  agarke ;  but  they  may  be 
easily  distinguished.  The  edges  of  the 
mushroom  are  usually  thin,  ragged,  and 
turned  a  little  upward ;  while  those  of  the 


IVIushriioms. 


toad-Stool  are  bent  down,  and  carried  round       The    mushroom    is    cooked    in    various 


in  a  smooth  circle,  the  top  being  shaped 
like  an  umbrella.  The  under  side  of  the 
mushroom  is  of  a  pinkish  hue,  and  the  skin 
is  easily  peeled  off  from  the  top. 


ways  ;  here,  it  is  chiefly  used  for  making 
ketchup ;  but  in  France,  the  people  stew 
and  fry  it,  and  consider  it  among  the  most 
delicate  of  dishes. 


COMPARATIVE   SIZE   OF   ANIMALS. 


The  above  engraving  represents  several 
well-known  animals,  and  exhibits  them  in 
jnst  proportion  to  one  another.  The  ele- 
phant is  the  largest,  and  the  rat  is  the 
smallest,  in  the  picture.  The  camelopard, 
or  giraffe,  is  the  tallest  —  for,  while  the 
elephant  is  only  about  nine  or  ten  feet 
high,  the  giraffe  is  seventeen. 

it  is  well  to  be  able  to  carry  in  the 
memory  an  accurate  idea  of  the  compara- 
tive size  of  quadrupeds  ;  and,  therefore,  we 
ask  our  young  readers  to  run  over  the  picture 
for  this  purpose.  The  elephant,  with  his 
curling  trunk  and  long  tusks,  takes  the  lead  ; 
and  he  is  six  times  as  large  as  a  horse.  Next 
comes  the  rhinoceros,  with  a  horn  on  his 


nose,  and  a  skin  that  makes  him  look  as  if 
he  had  a  harness  on. 

Next  conies  the  hippopotamus  —  a  fellow 
that  loves  the  mud  —  and  a  stupid  creature 
he  seems  to  be.  Then  comes  the  tall 
giraffe,  with  ears  resembling  horns,  and 
standing  up  veiy  straight  for  a  four-legged 
creature.  The  horse,  one  of  the  most 
graceful  of  animals,  is  next.  Then  comes 
the  lion  —  then  the  tiger  —  then  the  stag 
—  then  the  sheep  —  then  the  deer  —  then 
the  antelope  —  then  the  wolf — then  the 
dog  —  then  the  jackal  —  then  the  fox  — 
then  the  wild-cat  —  then  the  labbit  —  then, 
last  and  least,  the  rat. 


PERILS  OF  THE  WILDERNESS. 


A  REMARKABLE  instance  of  fortit\ide 
amid  dinger  and  sufTering  is  furnished  in 
the  adventures  of  Madame  Godin.  She 
was  the  wife  of  a  French  astronomer,  sent 
by  the  government  to  Soutli  America  in 
the  year  1735,  for  scientific  purposes.  By 
a  strange  course  of  events,  she  was  sepa- 
rated from  her  husband  for  many  years. 
At  last,  she  proceeded  to  join  him  at  Gui- 
ana. Being  near  the  city  of  Quito,  her 
plan  was  to  pass  down  the  Amazon  ;  and 
she  set  out,  accompanied  by  her  children, 
and  several  other  persons  as  attendants. 

After  passing  through  incredible  difficul- 
ties and  dangers,  they  lost  their  boat  in  the 
river,  several  of  their  party  having  deserted 
or  been  drowned.  Having  lost  nearly  all 
their  effects,  as  well  as  their  boat,  tiiey 
built  a  raft,  and  attempted  to  continue  their 
voyage.  This  miserable  craft  soon  struck 
against  a  snag,  overset,  and  plunged  the 
whole  party,  and  all  their  baggage,  into  the 
wafer.  Madame  Godin  sunk  twice,  but  by 
great  exertion  she  was  saved  to  endure  new 


perils  and  sufferings.  The  part}'  all  gained 
the  shore,  but  as  they  had  few  clothes, 
and  no  implements  of  any  kind,  and  very 
scanty  provision,  they  were  in  an  alanning 
situation. 

The  company,  consisting  of  eight  per- 
sons, now  bcg;\n  their  journey  through  the 
nearly  impervious  thickets,  and,  in  a  few 
days,  utterly  lost  themselves.  Their  pro- 
visions were  e.xhausted,  no  water  was  to  be 
found,  their  feet  were  lacerated,  and  one 
after  another  they  laid  themselves  do^\^l  and 
expired.  Madame  Godin  alone  survived, 
being  in  the  midst  of  a  frighful  wilderness, 
abounding  in  wild  beasts  and  venomous 
reptiles.  Half  delirious,  stupefied,  and  tor- 
mented with  thirst,  this  heroic  woman  sti  J 
determined  not  to  abandon  lierself  to  her 
fate.  So,  after  two  days,  she  arose,  and 
dragged  herself  forward.  She  had  no 
shoes,  and  her  clothes  were  nearly  torn  to 
shreds.  She,  however,  cut  the  shoes  off 
the  feet  of  her  dead  brother,  and  made 
herself  sandals. 


206 


THE    PROPHET    JEREMIAH. 


Thus  wretchedly  equipped  she  wandered 
up  and  down  the  dreary  solitude.  The 
spectacle  of  the  dead  around  her,  and  the 
constant  fear  of  death  herself,  had  such  an 
efTect  upon  her,  that  her  hair  turned  sud- 
d(?nly  gray.  On  the  second  day's  march, 
she  found  water,  and  some  wild  fruit  and 
birds'  eggs.  This  food  gave  her  strength 
to  continue  her  journey,  which  lasted  eight 
days.  On  the  ninth,  she  reached  the  bank' 
of  a   river.     Here   she  was   startled   by  a 


noise,  which  at  first  terrified  her ;  but  she 
at  length  found  that  it  was  occasioned  by 
two  Indians,  who  were  launching  a  canoe. 
She  approached  them,  and  they,  taking  pity 
on  her  forlorn  situation,  carried  her  to  their 
hut,  and  treated  her  with  the  utmost  kind- 
ness. By  their  aid,  she  succeeded  in  fin- 
ishing her  journey  ;  and  finally  joined  her 
husband  in  safety,  after  a  separation  of 
twenty  years. 


Jeremiah  foretelling  ihe  downfall  of  Jerusalem. 

THE   PROPHET   JEREMIAH. 


Jeremiah  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
of  the  Jewish  prophets.  He  lived  about  six 
hundred  years  before  Christ,  and  prophesied 
about  seventy  years  after  Isaiah.  He  began 
his  career,  by  divine  command,  at  an  early 
age.  He  was  a  man  of  great  piety,  and  a 
sincere  lover  of  his  country.  He  foresaw 
the  evils  which  his  sinful  countrymen  would 
bring  upon  themselves  by  their  idolatries, 
and  while  he  warned  them  of  the  wrath  to 
come,  he  seems  to  have  done  it  with  an 
almost  breaking  heart. 

It  became  his  duty,  in  obedience  to  the 
instruction  of  God,  to  predict  the  downfall 
of  Jerusalem,  and  the  destruction  of  the 
temple.    Zedekiah  was  then  king  of  Judah, 

!  and  the  fearful  prophecy,  no  doubt,  grated 
harshly  on  his  ear.  The  people,  too,  who 
cared  not  for  the  truth,  but  only  desired  a 
prophet  who  would  prophesy  smooth  things, 

:    look  Jeremiah,  and  were  near  putting  him 
to  death,  only  on  account  of  his  fidelity. 
In  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  the  prophe- 


cies  of  Jeremiah,  we  see  his  prediction  of 
the  fate  that  awaited  Jerusalem,  and  in  the 
fifty-second  chapter,  we  see  how  this  sad 
and  fearful  warning  was  fulfilled. 

After  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  —  he 
himself  witnessing  the  completion  of  this 
prophecy,  —  he  was  carried  into  Egj-pt, 
with  a  remnant  of  the  Jews,  and,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  was  murdered  by  his 
countrymen,  for  warning  them  against 
their  idolatrous  practices. 

The  book  of  Lamentations  is  a  melan- 
choly and  pathetic  poem,  written  by  Jere- 
miah, in  commemoration  of  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  It  is 
exceedingly  aflfecting,  and  it  is  impossible 
to  read  it  without  deeply  sympathizing 
with  the  afflicted  prophet.  Some  parts 
are  very  beautiful,  and  the  who'te  teing 
imbued  with  a  religious  spirit  and  ieeling, 
it  is  calculated,  in  a  peculiar  degree,  to 
soften,  purify,  and  sanctify  the  heart  of  the 
Christian. 


THE  OTTER. 


:: 


TiiF.  body  of  the  otter  is  long,  measuring 
usually  about  two  feet,  besides  tlie  tail, 
which  is  nearly  sixteen  inches  ;  the  legs 
are  short,  strong,  muscular,  and  so  placed, 
as  to  be  capable  of  being  brought  into  a 
line  with  the  body,  and  perlorniing  the 
functions  of  fins.  On  each  foot  are  five 
toes,  which  are  webbed,  and  furnished  with 
strong,  sharp  nails.  The  eyes  are  large, 
brilliant,  and  so  situated  in  tlie  head,  tiiat 
the  animal  can  see  any  object  that  is  above 
it,  which  adds  to  the  singularity  of  its 
aspect.  The  fur  of  the  otter  is  deep  black- 
ish brown,  with  two  small  light  spots  on 
each  side  of  the  nose,  and  another  under 
the  chin. 

The  otter  is  a  native  of  the  whole  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  and  of  North  America.  It 
makes  its  habitation  on  the  banks  of  rivers, 
where  it  burrows  to  some  depth.  Its  prin- 
cipal food  being  fish,  it  is  a  semi-amphibi- 
ous animal,  living  almost  constantly  in  the 
water.  The  burrow  is  constructed  with 
great  sagacity,  the  entrance  of  the  hole 
being  invariably  under  water,  inclining 
upwards  to  the  surface  of  the  earth  ;  and 
before  reaching  the  top,  he  constructs  sev- 
eral lodges,  at  different  iicights,  to  which 
he  may  retire,  in  the  event  of  floods  ;  for, 
although  so  much  accustomed  to  a  watery 
element,  no  animal  is  more  particular  in 
lying  quite  dry.  At  the  top  of  the  upper- 
most of  these  cells,  he  opens  a  very  small 
orifice,  for  the  admission  of  air  ;  and  the 
more  efTcctually  to  conceal  this  opening,  it 
is  generally  in  the  middle  of  a  thick  bush 
of  willows,  or  other  shrubs. 

During  winter,  in  Canada,  otters  are  in 
the  habit  of  travellino'  to  a  considerable  dis- 


tance from  rivers,  but  for  what  purjioso  has 
not  been  ascertained.  In  these  cases,  the 
Indians  track  them  in  the  snow,  and  kill 
them  with  clubs,  which  they  carry.  The 
otter  is  a  slow-paced  animal  ;  and,  if  closely 
|)ursued,  before  being  overtaken,  when  tiie 
snow  happens  to  be  light  and  deep  he  im- 
mediately dives  a  considerable  way  under 
it :  but  this  seldom  avails  him  ;  for  his  crafty 
pursuers  can  easily  trace  him  by  his  motions 
in  passing  through  the  snow. 

The  otter  is  naturally  an  animal  of  a  fe- 
rocious disposition  ;  but,  nevertheless,  when 
taken  young,  and  properly  treated,  it  can 
easily  be  rendered  quite  tame,  and  may  be 
taught  to  catch  fish,  and  fetch  them  to  its 
master. 

In  the  Pradinm  Riistiaim  of  Vaniere, 
mention  is  made  of  tame  otters  being  em- 
ployed in  fishing,  in  the  following  passage, 
translated  from  that  author  : 

"  Shoiilil  chance  within  this  dark  recess  hetray 
The  tender  youncj,  l»car  quick  the  prize  away. 
Tamed  tiy  tnv  care,  the  u*icful  lirnods  slial!  jnin 
The  watery  chase,  and  add  tiieir  toils  to  tlinic  ; 
From  each  close-lnrkiiif?  liole  sliall  fitrce  away, 
And  drive  within  their  nets,  the  silver  prey; 
As  the  tain^hl  hound  the  lintid  stasr  suhdues. 
And  o'er  liie  dewy  plain  the  panting  hare  pursues." 

Hunting  the  otter,  formerly,  was  a  favor- 
ite pastiiTie  in  Britain  ;  but  it  has  now 
fallen  greatly  into  disuse.  A  few  otter- 
hounds are,  however,  still  to  be  found. 
During  Elizabeth's  reign,  large  packs  were 
kept  for  this  diversion,  which  was  eagerly 
practised  by  the  young  nobles.  In  Somer- 
ville's  beautiful  poem  of  the  Chase,  he  makes 
the  following  allusion  to  the  otter,  and  mor- 
alizes on  its  destructive  propensities  :  — 


20S 


THE    OTTER. 


<    "  ^Vi^c^c  mgcs  not  oppression  ?    Where,  alas! 
i    Is  innocence  sccnrc  ?     lupine  and  spoil 
{    Haunt  e'en  llie  lowest  deeps.     Si'as  have  their  sharks  ; 
Rivers  and  ponds  enclose  the  ravenous  pike  ; 
He,  in  his  turn,  lieconies  a  prey  ;  on  hint 
Tlie  auiphit.ious  otier  feasts.     Just  is  his  fate 
Deserved  ;  liut  lyrnnts  know  no  lioinids  ;  nor  spears 
That  bristle  on  his  hack,  defend  the  perch 
From  his  wide  greerly  jaws  ;  nor  liurnished  mail 
The  yellow  carp  ;  nor  all  his  uris  can  save 
The  insinuating^  eel,  that  hides  his  liead 
Beneath  the  slimy  mud  ;  nor  yet  escapes 
The  crimson-spotted  trout,  the  river's  pride, 
And  hoauiy  of  the  stream.     Withnnt  remorse, 
This  midnight  pillaLrer,  raiiina:  around, 
}    lusiitiale,  swallows  all.     The  owner  monnis 
I    The  iiiipeopled  rivnlel,  and  i^'iadly  hoars 
I    The  huntsman's  early  call. 

5  The  otter,  when  hunted,  and  overaken 
I  by  dogs,  defends  itself  with  great  obsti- 
s  nacy,  never  yielding  while  he  has  life,  and 
S  indicting  very  severe  wounds  on  his  adver- 
I  sarics.  He  not  unfrequently  fastens  like 
5   a  bull-dog,  and  seldom  quits   his  hold  till 

killed. 
I  The  flcfh  of  the  otter  is  extremely  rank 
I  and  tishy  ;  on  which  account,  the  Eomish 
^  Church  permitted  it  to  be  eaten  on  meagre 
days.  We  are  informed  by  Pennant,  that, 
when  on  his  travels,  he  once  entered  the 
kitchen  of  the  Carthusian  convent,  near 
Uijon,  in  France,  where  he  saw  an  otter 
cooknig  for  the  religious  of  that  rigid  order, 
who,  by  their  rules,  were  bound  to  perpetual 
absiinonce  from  animal  food. 

When  the  otter  has  caught  a  fish,  he 
carries  it  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  de- 
vours the  head  and  upper  parts  of  the  body, 
leaving  the  rest  untouched  ;  so  that  it  re- 
quires a  considerable  quantity  to  allay  his 
hunger.  He  pursues  his  prey,  generally, 
from  the  bottom  upwards,  and  takes  them 
by  surprise,  which  he  can  easily  do,  from 
the  way  in  which  his  eyes  are  situated. 

The  female  brings  forth  in  the  spring, 
from  four  to  five  at  a  birth.  Their  parental 
aflection  is  so  powerful,  that  they  will  fre- 
quently suffer  tliemselves  to  be  killed  rather 
than  quit  their  progeny ;  and  this  is  often 
the  occasion  of  their  losing  their  lives,  when 
they  might  otherwise  have  escaped. 

Professor  Stellar  says,  "  Often  have  I 
spared  the  lives  of  the  female  otters,  whose 
young  ones  I  took  away.  They  expressed 
their  sorrow,  by  crying  like  human  beings, 
and  followed  me  as  I  was  carrying  ofT  their 
young,  while  tliey  called  to  them  for  aid, 
with  a  tone  of  voice  which  very  much  re- 
sembled the  crying  of  children.  When  I 
sat  down  in  the  snow,  they  caine  quite  close 
to  me,  and  atteiripted  to  carry  off  their 
young. 

"  On  one  occasion,  when  I  had  deprived 
an  otter  of  her  progeny,  I  returned  to  the 


place  eight  daj's  after,  and  found  the  female 
sitting  by  the  river,  listless  and  despond- 
ing ;  who  suffered  me  to  kill  her  on  the 
spot,  without  making  any  attempt  to  escape. 
On  skinning  her,  I  found  that  she  was  quite 
wasted  away,  from  sorrow  for  the  loss  of 
her  )'oung. 

"  Another  time,  I  saw,  at  some  distance 
from  me  an  old  female  otter  sleeping  by 
the  side  of  a  young  one,  about  a  year  old. 
As  soon  as  the  mother  perceived  us,  she 
awoke  the  young  one,  and  enticed  him  to 
betake  himself  to  the  river.  But,  as  he  did 
not  take  the  hint,  and  seemed  inclined  to 
prolong  his  sleep,  she  took  him  up  in  her 
fore  paws,  and  plunged  him  into  the  water." 

James  Campbell,  near  Inverness,  Scot- 
land, procured  a  young  otter,  which  he 
brought  up  and  tamed.  It  would  follow 
him  wherever  he  chose  ;  and  if  called  on 
by  its  name,  would  immediately  obey. 
When  apprehensive  of  danger  from  dogs, 
it  sought  the  protection  of  its  master,  and 
would  endeavor  to  spring  into  his  arms,  for 
greater  security.  It  was  frequently  ern- 
ploj-ed  in  catching  fish,  and  would,  some- 
times take  eight  or  ten  salmon  in  a  day. 
If  not  prevented,  it  alwaj-s  made  an  attempt 
to  break  the  fish  beliind  the  anal  fin,  which 
is  next  the  tail ;  and,  as  soon  as  one  was 
taken  away,  it  always  dived  in  pursuit  of 
more.  It  was  equally  dexterous  at  sea- 
fishing,  and  took  great  numbers  of  young 
cod,  and  other  fish,  there.  When  tired,  it 
would  refuse  to  fish  any  longer,  and  was 
then  rewarded  with  as  much  as  it  could 
devour.  Having  satisfied  its  appetite,  it 
always  coiled  itself  round,  and  fell  asleep, 
in  which  state  it  was  generally  carried 
home. 

A  person  who  kept  a  tame  otter  taught 
it  to  associate  with  hisdogs,  who  were  upon 
the  most  friendly  terms  with  it  on  all  occa- 
sions ;  and  it  would  follow  him  on  different 
excursions,  in  company  with  his  canine  at» 
tendants.  He  was  in  the  practice  of  fishing 
in  rivers  with  nets ;  on  which  occasions,  the 
otter  proved  highly  useful  to  him,  by  going 
into  the  water  and  driving  trout  and  other 
fish  towards  the  net.  It  was  very  remarka- 
ble, that  dogs  accustomed  to  otter-hunting 
were  so  far  from  offering  it  the  least  moles- 
tation, that  they  would  not  even  hunt  an)' 
other  otter  while  it  remained  with  thein ; 
on  which  account  the  owner  was  under  the 
necessity  of  parting  with  it. 

A  man  of  the  name  of  William  Collins, 
who  resided  in  Northumberland,  England, 
had  a  tame  otter,  which  followed  him 
wherever  he  went.     He  frequently  took  it 


THE    SUGAR-CANE. 


209 


to  fish  in  the  river,  for  its  own  food  ;  and 
when  satiated,  it  never  failed  to  return  to  its 
mnster.  One  day,  in  the  absence  of  Collins, 
the  otter  lieing  taken  out  to  fish,  by  his  son, 
instead  of  returning  as  usual,  refused  to 
come  at  the  accustomed  call,  and  was  lost. 


Collins  tried  every  means  to  recover  it,  and, 
after  several  days'  search,  being  near  the 
place  where  his  son  had  lost  it,  and  calling 
it  by  its  name,  to  his  inexpressible  joy,  it 
came  creeping  to  his  feet,  exhibiting  many 
marks  of  affection  and  firm  attachment. 


THE   SUGAR-CANE. 


:: 


Sugar  is  found  in  a  great  many  vege- 
tables, particularly  in  beets,  carrots,  pars- 
nips, sugar-cane,  Indian  corn,  the  sugar- 
maple  tree,  &c.  Sugar  is  manufactured 
from  beets,  in  large  quantities,  in  France, 
and  in  this  country  it  is  made  from  beets, 
also,  to  some  extent.  It  is  also  made  from 
the  juice  of  the  maple-tree,  particularly  in 
the  Western  States.  In  March,  the  trees 
are  tapped  in  the  sides,  and  little  reeds  are 
inserted,  in  which  the  sap,  as  it  ascends 
from  the  earth  to  the  extremities,  is  caught 
and  conducted  into  wooden  troughs.  It  is 
then  boiled  down,  and  becomes  lirst  molas- 
ses, and  then  sugar.  Many  millions  of 
pounds  are  made  in  this  way  every 
year. 

But  this  is  a  very  small  quantity,  com- 
pared with  what  is  made  from  the  sugar- 
cane, in  the  West  Indies,  Louisiana,  and 
South  America.  The  sugar-cane  is  a 
jointed  reed,  of  a  fine  straw  color,  growing 


from  eight  to  fourteen  feet  high.  It  ter- 
minates at  the  top  in  blade-shaped  leaves, 
the  edges  of  which  are  finely  notched. 
Its  flowers  form  a  delicate  silver-colored 
cluster. 

When  the  cane  is  about  a  year  old,  it  is 
cut,  and  crushed  between  iron  rollers,  which 
press  out  the  juice.  This  is  then  conducted 
into  large  copper  boilers,  and  by  various 
processes  of  boiling  and  cooling,  it  is  at  last 
made  into  sugar,  and  molasses,  the  latter 
being  the  liquid  part,  that  drips  from  the 
sugar.  In  the  process  of  manufacture,  a 
good  deal  of  lime  and  bullocks'  blood  are 
mixed  with  the  juice  of  the  cane,  and  these 
assist  in  refining  the  sugar. 

A  very  interesting  discovery  has  lately 
been  made  in  this  country,  which  is,  that 
the  stalks  of  Indian  corn,  if  the  ears  are 
cropped  just  after  they  begin  to  set,  will 
produce  more  sugar  than  the  cane.  Ac- 
cordingly a  machine  for  the  crushing  of  the 


87 


210 


stalks  has  been  contrived,  and  a  model  of 
it  may  be  seen  at  tlie  Patent  Office  at 
Washington.  It  is  said  that  a  single  acre 
of  ground  will  yearly  produce  a  ton  of  sugar, 
and  it  is  bch'eved  that  sugar  will  soon  be 
raised  in  abundance  in  the  Western  States, 
in  this  way.  The  stalks  make  excellent 
fodder  for  cattle,  after  the  juice  is  crushed 
out. 

Sugar  is  now  regarded  as  one  of  the 
necessaries  of  life,  and  about  six  hundred 
thousand  tons,  or  one  hundred  and  twenty 
millions  of  pounds,  are  annually  produced. 


Yet  it  seems  that  sugar  was  not  known 
to  the  Greeks  or  Romans,  and  it  is  never 
mentioned  in  the  Bible.  It  was,  in  fact, 
known  only  as  a  medicine  till  modem 
times.  In  the  tenth  century,  it  took  the 
place  of  honey  in  the  druggist's  shop,  and 
was  chiefly  used  in  fevers,  to  relieve  them. 
The  sugar-cane  was  found  growing  wild 
in  the  West  Indies,  by  Christopher  Colum- 
bus. The  art  of  refining  sugar,  so  as  to 
make  it  white,  was  discovered  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  by  a  Venetian,  who  made 
a  vast  fortune  by  it. 


Solon  writing  laws  for  Athens. 


SOLON. 


Of  all  the  nations  of  antiquity,  the 
Greeks  were,  in  many  respects,  the  most 
interesting.  Though  they  inhabited  one 
country,  they  were  divided  into  diflferent 
states,  somewhat  as  the  United  States  are. 
Among  the  principal  states  were  Athens 
and  Sparta.  The  people,  government,  and 
laws  of  these  were  very  different.  The 
Athenians  cultivated  literature,  such  as 
piietry  and  history  ;  but  the  Spartans  de- 
spised these  things.  The  Athenians  were 
devoted  to  science  and  philosophy;  the 
Spartans  had  no  relish  for  them.  The 
Atlnnians  encouraged  the  arts  —  as  music, 
sculpture,  painting,  and  architecture;  the 
Spartans  held  such  things  in  contempt. 
The  Athenians  were  gay,  fickle,  and  fond 
of  jijeasure  ;  the  Spartans  were  severe,  de- 
termined, and  devoted  to  war. 

It  is  not  easy  to  account  for  such  differ- 
ences of  character  in    the   people  of  two 


states,  living  but  a  few  miles  apart.  Prob- 
ably it  was  owing  in  part  to  original  differ- 
ences in  the  people  who  settled  the  two 
countries,  and  in  part  to  the  difference  of 
the  laws. 

Sparta  had  a  famous  lawgiver,  named 
Lycurgus.  He  drew  up  a  system,  or  cod? 
of  laws,  and  then  called  the  people  together. 
He  told  them  he  was  going  away,  and 
asked  them  if  they  would  keep  his  laws 
till  he  should  return.  This  they  solemnly 
promised  to  do  :  so  Lycurgus  went  away, 
and  starved  himself  to  death.  His  object 
was  to  make  the  Spartans  keep  his  laws 
forever.  His  body  was  burned,  by  his  di- 
rection, and  his  ashes  thi'own  into  the  sea, 
so  that  the  Spartans  could  not  bring  his 
body  back,  and  thus  have  an  excuse  for 
setting  aside  his  laws.  He  died  about  two 
thousand  seven  hundred  years  ago. 

Solon    was    the    greatest    lawgiver    of 


THE    STAG. 


211 


Athens.  Many  of  his  laws  were  wise  and 
good,  and  some  of  them  have  even  de- 
scended to  our  day,  and  are  incorporated 
in  our  own  codes.  But  the  people  of 
Athens  were  changeable;  and,  soon  after j 


Solon's  death,  the  supreme  power  was 
usurped  by  an  ambitious  citizen,  named 
Pisistratus,  and  the  government  thus  be- 
came, for  a    time,  a    sort    of    despotism. 


THE   STAG. 


We  have  several  species  of  deer  in 
America,  but  the  stag  is  not  among  them. 
It  is  the  most  beautiful  of  the  genus,  if 
we  take  into  consideration  the  elegance  of 
his  form,  the  lightness  of  his  motions, 
the  flexibility  of  his  limbs,  and  his  bold 
branching  horns,  which  have  throe  antlers, 
all  curving  upwards,  the  summit  forming 
a  crown  of  snags,  from  a  common  centre. 
His  eyes  are  large,  bold,  and  expressive, 
and  are  furnished  with  lachrymal  sinuses  ; 
the  fur  is  reddish-brown  in  summer,  and 
brownish-gray  in  winter;  the  hind  quarters 
are  of  a  pale  bulT. 

At  one  period  the  horns  of  stags  grew 
into  a  much  greater  number  of  ramifica- 
tions than  at  the  present  day ;  some  have 
supposed  this  to  have  arisen  from  the  great- 
er profusion  of  food,  and  from  the  animal 
having  more  repose,  before  tiie  population 
became  so  dense.  In  some  individuals 
these  multiplied  to  an  extraordinary  extent. 
Tiiere  is  one  in  the  museum  of  Hcsse-Casscl 
with  twenty-eight  antlers.  Baron  Cuvier 
mentions  one  of  sixty-six,  or  thirty-three  on 


each  horn.     This  stag  was  killed  by  the 
first  king  of  Prussia. 

The  stag  begins  to  shed  his  horns  in  the 
latter  end  of  February,  or  beginning  of 
March,  when  he  retires  to  thickets,  and  re- 
mains till  the  horns  are  completely  restored. 
Soon  after  the  old  horns  have  fallen  off,  a 
soft  tumor  begins  to  appear,  which  is  quickly 
covered  with  a  velvet-like  substance.  From 
this,  every  day,  little  buds  shoot  forth,  like 
the  grafts  of  a  tree,  and  rising  by  degrees, 
spring  out  the  antlers  on  each  side  ;  the 
skin  continues  to  cover  it  for  some  time, 
and  is  furnished  with  blood-vessels,  whicli 
supply  the  growing  horn  with  nourishment, 
and  occasion  the  furrows  observable  in  them 
when  the  covering  is  stripped  off.  When 
the  horns  are  full  grown,  they  acquire 
strength  and  solidity,  and  the  velvet  cover- 
ing, or  skin,  with  its  blood-vessels,  dries  up, 
and  begins  to  fall  off;  which  is  facilitated 
by  the  animal  rubbing  them  against  trees. 
At  this  time  they  again  enter  the  open 
parts  of  the  forest,  to  join  the  female.  The 
hind  is  gravid  eight  months  and  some  days, 


212 


THE    STAG. 


and  produces  a  single  fawm,  in  the  end  of 
May  or  beginning  of  June.  The  fawn 
continues  with  the  dam  during  the  summer, 
but  in  the  winter  all  the  animals  of  both 
sexes,  and  their  )'oung,  congregate  in  large 
herds,  and  extend  as  the  severity  of  the 
winter  increases,  remaining  together  till 
the  males  disperse  to  shed  their  horns. 

The  full-grown  stag  is  from  three  feet  six 
inches  to  four  feet  high  at  the  shoulders, 
and  the  horns  rise  to  nearly  three  feet  above 
the  head.  He  is  said  to  be  very  long  lived  ; 
but  late  observation  limits  the  period  of  his 
existence  to  twenty  years. 

The  stag  inhabits  every  part  of  Europe, 
excepting  Lapland.  They  are  to  be  found 
in  Gloucestershire,  and  the  north-west  of 
Devonshire,  England  ;  a  few  are  still  reared 
on  some  of  the  islands  of  Loch  Lomond,  in 
Scotland  ;  and  they  are  to  be  met  with  in 
a  wild  state  in  some  of  the  mountainous 
districts  in  the  south-west  of  Ireland. 

Stag-hunting  has  been  a  favorite  pastime 
from  very  remote  periods.  He  is  a  strong 
animal,  and  capable  of  running  a  long  time, 
and  of  making  a  defence  when  overtaken. 
In  Britain,  large  tracts  of  land  were  ancient- 
ly set  apart  for  making  forests  to  shelter 
stagfs.  Villasfes  and  sacred  edifices  were 
destroyed,  and  converted  into  a  wide  waste. 
In  the  reigns  of  William  Rufus  and  Henry 
I.,  it  was  considered  more  criminal  to  kill 
a  beast  of  chase  than  a  human  being.  But 
these  times  have  passed  away  ;  and  com- 
merce, useful  arts,  and  the  wide  improve- 
ments of  agriculture,  have,  in  their  turn, 
arisen,  to  replace  tyranny  and  oppression. 

At  Veuve,  a  village  situated  on  the  river 
Ouche,  which  falls  into  the  Paone,  about 
twelve  miles  below  Dijon,  in  the  province 
of  Cote  d'Or,  France,  it  was  formerly  cus- 
tomary, from  the  beginning  of  April  till 
the  end  of  June,  to  drive  the  cows  to  graze 
upon  the  neighboring  hills,  situated  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  through  which 
they  waded  without  difficulty.  In  the  year 
1757,  at  the  hour  when  the  herds  were 
driven  to  pasture,  a  stag  used  daily  to  come 
down  from  the  hills  to  the  banks  of  the 
river  and  meet  them.  The  bull  which  ac- 
companied these  cattle,  proud  of  his  imag- 
ined superiority  and  strength,  and  jealous 
of  his  rights,  attempted  to  drive  away  this 
intruder,  by  butting  him  with  his  horns. 
The  stag  willingly  accepted  the  challenge, 
and  attacked  the  bull  with  such  impetuos- 
ity, that  he  was  obliged  to  yield  to  him  the 
command  of  the  herd.  This  combat  was 
daily  renewed,  and  the  two  rivals  chal- 
lenged each  other  to  the  onset,  while  still 


at  a  great  distance  from  each  other,  and  the 
hills  actually  resounded  with  their  bellow- 
ing. But  such  was  the  vigor  of  the  stag's 
attacks,  and  the  rapidity  of  his  movements, 
that  he  always  came  off  victorious,  and  led 
the  cows  every  day  triumphantly  to  the 
hills,  availing  himself  of  all  the  rights  of  a 
conqueror. 

At  Wonersh,  near  Guildford,  the  seat 
of  Lord  Grantly,  a  fawn  was  drinking  in 
the  lake,  when  one  of  the  swans  sudden- 
ly flew  upon  it,  and  pulled  the  poor  animal 
into  the  water,  where  it  held  it  under, 
till  it  was  drowned.  This  act  of  atrocity 
was  noticed  by  the  other  deer  in  the 
park,  and  they  took  care  to  revenge  it,  the 
first  opportunity.  A  few  days  after,  this 
swan  happening  to  be  on  land,  was  sur- 
rounded and  attacked  by  the  whole  herd, 
and  presently  killed.  Before  this  time  they 
were  never  known  to  molest  the  swans. 

The  native  courage  of  the  stag  has  often 
formed  an  interesting  topic  of  inquiry;  and 
the  following  circumstance  will  show  that 
when  pressed  by  enemies,  he  possesses  it 
in  an  eminent  degree  : 

As  Captain  Smith,  of  the  Bengal  Native 
Infantry,  was  out  in  that  country  with  a 
shooting-party,  very  early  in  the  moming, 
they  observed  a  tiger  steal  out  of  a  jungle, 
in  pursuit  of  a  herd  of  deer  ;  having  select- 
ed his  object,  the  poor  animal  was  quickly 
deserted  by  the  herd ;  the  tiger  advanced 
with  such  amazing  swiftness,  that  the  stag 
in  vain  attempted  to  escape,  and  at  the 
moment  the  gentlemen  expected  to  see  the 
fatal  spring,  the  stag  gallantly  faced  his 
enemy,  and  for  some  minutes  kept  him  at 
bay  ;  and  it  was  not  till  after  three  attacks 
that  the  tiger  succeeded  in  securing  his 
prey.  He  was  supposed  to  have  been  con- 
siderably injured  by  the  horns  of  the  stag, 
as,  on  the  advance  of  Captain  Smith,  he 
abandoned  the  carcass,  having  only  sucked 
the  blood  from  the  throat. 

The  following  experiment  was  made  by 
the  late  Duke  of  Cumberland,  to  ascertain 
the  instinctive  courage  of  the  stag,  when 
opposed  to  an  enemy  of  the  most  formida- 
ble and  terrific  description.  To  efTect  this, 
one  of  the  ablest  stags  in  Windsor  Forest 
was  enclosed  in  an  area,  formed  upon  a 
selected  spot,  near  the  lodge,  and  surround- 
ed with  a  remarkably  strong  net-toiling, 
full  fifteen  feet  high.  This  operation  took 
place  in  sight  of  Ascot-Heath  races,  so  that 
thousands  were  present  upon  the  occasion. 
When  everything  was  prepared,  and  the 
stag  parading  in  majestic  consternation  at 
the  assemblage  of  people  around  the  net- 


THE    STAG. 


213 


woik,  a  trained  ounce,  or  hunting-tiger, 
was  led  in,  hoodwinked,  by  the  two  blacks 
that  had  the  care  of  him,  and  who,  upon  a 
signal,  set  him  and  his  eyes  at  liberty. 
Perhaps  so  general  a  silence  never  prevailed 
among  so  many  thousands  of  spectators  as 
at  that  moment,  when  the  slightest  aspira- 
tions of  a  breeze  might  have  been  distinctly 
heard. 

The  ounce,  taking  one  general  survey, 
instiintly  caught  sight  of  the  deer,  and 
crouching  down  on  his  belly,  continued  to 
creep  exactly  in  the  manner  of  a  cat  draw- 
ing up  to  a  mouse,  watching  to  dart  upon 
it  with  safety.  The  stag,  however,  most 
warily,  steadily,  and  sagaciously,  turned  as 
he  turned  ;  and  this  strange  and  desperate 
antagonist  found  himself  dangerously  op- 
posed by  the  threatenings  of  his  formidable 
brow-antlers.  In  vain  did  the  ounce  at- 
tempt every  manoeuvre  to  turn  his  flanks  ; 
the  stag  possessed  too  much  generalship  to 
be  foiled  upon  the  terra  firma  of  his  native 
country,  by  a  foreign  invader. 

This  cautious  warfare  continuing  so  long 
as  to  render  it  tedious,  and,  probably  to  pro- 
tract the  time  of  starting  the  horses  upon 
the  race-ground,  the  duke  inrpiircd  if,  by 
irritating  the  ounce,  the  catastrophe  might 
not  be  hastened.  He  was  answered,  it 
probably  might  prove  dangerous,  or  be 
attended  with  disagreeable  consequences ; 
but  it  was  ordered  to  be  done  ;  upon  which 
the  keepers  proceeded  very  near  the  ounce, 
and  did  as  they  were  directed.  Imme- 
diately, without  attacking  the  deer,  with 
a  most  furious  and  elastic  bound,  he  sprang 
at  and  cleared  the  toiling  that  enclosed 
them  —  landing  amidst  the  clamors,  shouts, 
and  affrighted  screams  of  the  multitude, 
who  fled  in  every  direction,  each  male  and 
female  thinking  themselves  the  destined 
victim  of  the  ounce's  rage.  Nevertheless, 
regardless  of  their  fears  or  their  persons, 
he  crossed  the  road,  and  rushed  into  the 
opposite  wood,  where  he  fastened  upon 
the  haunch  of  one  of  the  fallow-deer,  and 
brought  him  to  the  ground.  His  keepers, 
to  whom  he  was  perfectly  familiarized, 
hesitated  for  some  time  to  go  near  him  ;  at 
length,  however,  they  mustered  resolution 
to  approach,  and,  cutting  the  deer's  throat, 
separated  the  haunch  which  he  had  seized, 
and  led  him  away  with  it  in  his  mouth. 

Among  the  varied  novel  and  diversified 
experiments  of  a  sporting  nature,  performed 
by  the  late  Lord  Oxford,  perhaps  none  was 
more  eccentric  than  his  determination  to 
drive  four  red-deer  stags  in  a  phaeton, 
instead  of  horses.     These  he  had  reduced 


to  perfect  discipline  for  his  excursions  and 
short  journeys  upon  the  road  ;  but,  unfor- 
tunately, as  he  was  one  day  driving  to 
Newmarket,  their  ears  were  saluted  with 
the  cry  of  a  pack  of  hounds,  which,  soon 
after  crossing  the  road  in  the  rear,  caught 
scent  of  the  "four-in-hand,"  and  commenc- 
ed a  new  kind  of  chase,  with  "breast-high" 
alacrity.  The  novelty  of  this  scene  was 
rich  beyond  description  ;  in  vain  did  his 
lordship  exert  all  charioteering  skill ;  in 
vain  did  his  well-trained  grooms  energeti- 
cally endeavor  to  ride  before  them  ;  reins, 
trammels,  and  the  weight  of  the  carriage, 
were  of  no  effect,  for  they  went  with  the 
celerity  of  a  whirlwind  ;  and  this  modern 
Phaeton,  in  the  midst  of  his  electrical  vibra- 
tions of  fear,  bid  fair  to  experience  the  fate 
of  his  namesake.  Luckily,  however,  his 
lordship  had  been  accustomed  to  drive  this 
set  of  "  fiery-eyed  steeds  "  to  the  Ram  Inn, 
at  Newmarket,  which  was  most  happily  at 
hand  ;  and  to  this  his  lordship's  most  fervent 
prayers  and  ejaculations  had  been  ardently 
directed.  Into  the  yard  they  suddenly 
bounded,  to  the  consternation  of  hostlers 
and  stable-boys,  who  seemed  to  have  lost 
every  faculty  upon  the  occasion.  Here 
they  were  luckily  overpowered,  and  the 
stags,  the  phaeton,  and  his  lordship,  were 
all  instantaneously  huddled  together  in  a 
barn,  just  as  the  hounds  appeared  in  full 
cry  at  the  gate. 

Some  years  since,  a  stag,  which  had  af- 
forded Lord  Derby's  hounds  a  very  fine 
run,  leaped  a  boarded  gate  into  a  gentle- 
man's grounds,  with  a  spiked  roller  on  the 
top  of  it ;  the  height  of  the  gate  and  roller 
being  eight  feet  four  inches.  What  made 
this  great  feat  of  animal  power  more  re- 
markable, the  deer  was  apparently  run 
down  at  the  time,  with  hounds  snatching 
at  his  haunches,  as  he  came  down  the  road 
from  whence  he  took  the  leap. 

The  following  circumstances,  mentioned 
by  Delacroix,  prove  that  the  stag  is  sus- 
ceptible of  receiving  instruction,  and  must 
be  capable  of  considerable  observation  :  — 
"  When  I  was  at  Compeigne,"  says  he, 
"  my  friends  took  me  to  a  German,  who 
exliibited  a  wonderful  stag.  As  soon  as 
we  had  taken  our  seats  in  a  large  room, 
the  stag  was  introduced.  He  was  of  an 
elegant  form  and  majestic  stature,  his 
aspect  at  once  animated  and  gentle.  The 
first  trick  he  performed  was,  to  make  a 
profound  obeisance  to  the  company  as  he 
entered,  by  bowing  his  head  ;  after  which 
he  paid  his  respects  to  each  individual  of 
us  in  the  same  manner.     He  next  carried 


214 


THE    PYRAMIDS    OF    EGYPT. 


aViout  a  small  stick  in  his  mouth,  to  each 
end  of  which  a  small  wax  taper  was  at- 
tached. Ho  was  then  blindfolded,  and  at 
the  beat  of  a  drum,  fell  upon  his  knees,  and 
laid  his  head  upon  the  ground.  As  soon 
as  the  word  pardon  was  pronounced,  he 
instantly  spnin;"^  upon  his  feet.  Dice  were 
thrown  upon  the  head  of  a  drum,  and  he 
told  the  numbers  that  were  cast  up,  by- 
bowing  his  head  so  many  times.  He  dis- 
charged a  pistol,  by  drawing  with  his  teeth 
a  string  that  was  tied  to  the  trigger.  He 
fired  a  small  cannon,  by  means  of  a  match 


that  was  fastened  to  his  right  foot,  without 
showing  any  signs  of  fear.  He  leaped  sev- 
eral times,  with  the  greatest  agility,  through 
a  hoop,  which  his  master  held  at  a  man's 
height  from  the  ground.  At  length  the 
e.xhibition  was  closed,  with  his  eating  a 
handful  of  oats  from  the  head  of  a  drum, 
which  a  person  was  beating  the  whole  time 
with  the  utmost  violence.  Almost  every 
trick  was  performed  with  as  much  steadi- 
ness as  it  could  have  beep  accomplished  by 
the  best  trained  dog." 


THE   PYRAMIDS   OF   EGYPT. 


These  gigantic  monuments,  erected  be- 
fore the  period  at  which  authentic  history 
begins,  have  ever  excited  the  curiosity  and 
wonder  of  mankind.  Their  vast  antiquity, 
their  amazing  magnitude,  the  mystery 
which  hangs  over  their  origin  and  design, 
contribute  to  render  them  objects  of  intense 
interest. 


!  great  pjTamid,  are  two  others,  of  consider- 
able'size,  and  several  smaller  ones.  All 
have  square  foundations,  and  their  sides 
face  the  cardinal  points.  The  largest  pyra- 
mid excited  the  wonder  of  Herodotus,  who 
visited  Egypt  4-50,  B.  C.  He  says  that 
one  hundred  thousand  men  were  employed 
twenty  years  in  building  it,  and  that  the 


There  are  great  numbers  of  these  struc- 1  body  of  Cheops  was  placed  in  a  room 
turcs  in  Egypt,  and  about  eighty  in  Nubia,  beneath  the  bottom  of  the  pyramid.  The 
Those  of  the  former  country  are  all  situated  second  pyramid  is  said  to  have  been 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Nile,  and  extend,  in  .built  by  Cephrenes,  the  brother  of  Cheops, 
an  irr<;gular  line,  to  the  distance  of  nearly  ;  and  the  third  by  Mycerines,  the  son  of 
seventy  miles.    The  most  famous  are  those   Cheops. 


of  Jizeh,  opposite  the  city  of  Cairo.  The 
largest,  which  is  said  to"  have  been  built 
by  Cheops,  a  king  ol  Egypt,  about  nine 
hundred  years  before  Christ,  is  by  far  the 
greatest  structure  in  stone  that  has  been 
reared  by  the   hand  of  man.     Near  this 


Cheops. 

The  great  pj^ramid  consists  of  a  ,'*>T-ts 
of  platforms,  each  of  which  is  sr.-^aller  than 
the  one  on  which  it  rests,  and  consequently 
presents  the  appearance  of  steps.  Of  these 
steps  there  are  two  hundred  and  three. 
They  are  of  unequal  thickness,  from  two 


!IC~~<^-«~~ 


THE    SNAIL. 


?15 


feet  and  eight  inches,  to  four  feet  and  eight 
inches.  The  stones  are  cut  and  fitted  to 
each  other  with  great  nicety.  The  whole 
height  is  four  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet. 
The  top  is  a  platform,  thirty-two  feet  square. 
The  foundation  is  seven  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  feet  on  each  side,  and  covers  a  space 
of  about  thirteen  acres.  The  pyramid  has 
been  entered,  and  has  been  found  to  consist 
of  chambers  and  passages,  some  of  great 
extent. 

The  material  of  which  the  pyramids  are 
built  is  limestone,  and  it  is  probable  that 
this  was  obtained  from  limestone  (piarrics 
contiguous  to  the  place  where  they  now 
stand.  The  stones  of  the  great  pjTamid 
rarely  exceed  nine  feet  in  length,  six  and  a 
half  in  breadth,  and  four  feet  ciglit  inches 
in  thickness.  The  ascent  is  attended  with 
great  difficulty  and  danger,  on  account  of 
the  broken  state  of  the  steps ;  yet  it  is 
frequently    accomplished,    and    sometimes 


by  females.  The  scene  from  the  top  is 
described  by  travellers  as  inconceivably 
grand. 

The  purpose  for  which  these  monuments 
were  reared  has  been  a  question  of  great 
interest.  It  has  been  conjectured  that  they 
were  built  as  observatories,  but  this  .«cems 
to  be  an  absurd  supposition  ;  for  why  build 
three  or  four  close  together  of  nearly  the 
same  elevation  ?  There  is  no  good  reason 
to  doubt  that  they  were  erected  as  burial- 
places  for  the  Egj'ptian  kings,  who  caused 
them  to  be  constructed.  The  natural  pride 
of  man,  the  desire  of  being  remembered  for 
ages,  and  probably  some  superstitious  no- 
tions connected  with  the  religion  of  the 
country,  doubtless  furnished  the  motives  for 
the  construction  of  these  vast  mon\nnents. 
Nothing  can  better  show  the  folly  of  human 
ambition,  than  that,  while  these  senseless 
stones  remain,  their  builders  have  perished, 
and  their  memories  been  blotted  out  forever. 


THE   SNAIL. 


This  creature,  apparently  so  insignificant, 
is  one  of  the  greatest  curiosities  of  nature. 
The  animal  consists  of  a  soft,  pulpy  sub- 
stance, with  a  curious  shell,  which  serves 
as  a  house,  and  to  wliich  it  always  is 
attached.  When  the  snail  wishes  to  go 
from  one  place  to  another,  he  drags  his 
shell  along  on  his  back  ;  when  he  wishes 
to  take  some  rest,  or  when  he  is  frightened, 
he  draws  himself  into  his  shell. 

This  little  creature  has  almost  as  com- 
plete a  set  of  the  organs  of  life  as  the  larger 
animals:  he  has  a  mouth,  eyes,  tongue, 
brain,  nerves,  stomach,  liver,  heart,  muscles, 
&c.  But  some  of  these  are  curiously  con- 
trived. Its  eyes,  for  instance,  it  carries  on 
the  points  of  iti  long  horns,  which  it  ))asses 
about  in  various  directions,  thus  seeing 
everything  that  is  going  on  near  it. 


Under  its  two  smaller  horns  —  for  if  has 
four — is  the  snail's  mouth;  and  though  it 
might  seem  too  pulpy  an  animal  to  have  i 
teeth,  yet  it  has  eight  of  them,  witl;  which  J 
it  devours  leaves,  and  even  bites  off  pieces  i 
of  its  own  sliell !  < 

The  snail  is  batched  from  an  egg ;  at  j 
first  its  shell  is  small,  hut  it  increases  with  < 
the  growth  of  the  animal.  If  this  shell  gets  \ 
broken,  the  creature  straightway  mends  it, 
and  makes  it  just  as  good  as  new.  It  is 
provided  with  a  bag,  in  which  it  has  a  col- 
oring matter,  for  painting  its  shell. 

At  the  apjiroach  of  winter,  the  snail  either 
retires  to  some  hole,  or  buries  itself  in  the 
earth,  where  it  remains  in  a  torpid  state  till 
spring.  In  some  comitrics,  snails  are  eaten 
as  fond,  and  they  are  so  much  esteemed  in 
France,  that  people  raise  thousands  of  them.    < 

1 


ALEXANDEE   SELKIRK. 


On  the  western  coast  of  Chili,  in  South 
America,  is  an  island  called  Juan  Fernandez. 
It  has  become  celebrated  as  the  residence  of 
Alexander  Selkirk,  whose  adventures  were 
the  basis  of  the  story  of  Robinson  Crusoe. 

Selcraig,  or  Selkirk,  as  he  called  himself 
after  he  went  to  sea,  was  bom  at  Largo,  in 
the  county  of  Fife,  in  Scotland,  in  1676. 
He  received  a  common  school  education, 
and  was  then  put  to  his  father's  business  of 
shoemaking.  He  was  the  seventh  son  of 
his  parents,  and  soon  became  a  spoiled  child. 
His  waywardness  of  temper  gave  them  much 
uneasiness.  A  strong  desire  to  go  to  sea 
rendered  his  employment  irksome  to  him, 
and  an  occurrence  at  last  afforded  him  an 
opportunity  to  indulge  his  predilection.  His 
irregularities  rose  to  such  a  pitch  that  he 
fell  under  the  formal  censure  of  the  church, 
and  was  cited  to  appear  before  the  session. 
He  was  at  this  time  eighteen  years  of  age, 
and  too  stubborn  to  submit  to  a  rebuke  for 
his  behavior;  accordingly  he  left  home,  and 
nothing  was  hoard  of  him  for  six  years. 
TViere  are  good  reasons  for  believing  that 
he  was  with  the  buccaneers  in  the  South 
Seas  during  this  period.     In  1701,  we  find 


him  again  at  Largo,  but  with  the  same  iras- 
cible and  intractable  temper,  and  involved  in 
constant  broils  with  his  family.  As  his  fond- 
ness for  a  maritime  life  was  unabated,  he  did 
not  remain  long  in  Scotland,  but  proceeded 
to  London  in  search  of  new  adventures. 

At  the  metropolis  he  fell  in  with  Captain 
Dampier,  who  was  then  fitting  out  an  expe- 
dition against  the  Spaniards  in  the  South 
Seas.  Selkirk  shipped  with  him  as  sailing- 
master  of  the  Cinque  Ports  galley,  a  consort 
of  Dampier's  ship,  the  St.  George,  and 
sailed  from  London  in  the  spring  of  1703. 
After  various  adventures,  both  vessels  ar- 
rived at  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  in 
February,  1704.  Having  remained  here 
some  time  to  refit,  they  continued  their 
cruise,  and  made  numerous  captures.  The 
two  vessels  separated,  and  after  this  a  vio- 
lent quarrel  broke  out  between  Selkirk  and 
Stradling,  the  commander  of  the  Cinque 
Ports.  So  bitter  was  this  animosity,  that 
Selkirk  resolved  to  leave  the  vessel,  what- 
ever might  be  the  consequence.  In  a  short 
time,  the  want  of  provisions  and  the  crazy 
state  of  the  vessel  compelled  Stradling  to 
put  back  to  the  island.     Here  he  remained 


ALEXANDER    SELKIRK. 


21^ 


for  some  time,  repairing  and  provisioning' 
his  vessel.  When  about  to  sail,  Selkirk 
announced  his  determination  to  remain  on 
the  island,  and  was  accordingly  set  on  shore 
with  all  his  effects.  He  leaped  upon  the 
land  with  a  joyful  feeling  of  liberty,  shook 
hands  with  his  comrades,  and  bade  them  a 
hearty  adieu.  But  this  joyous  feeling  was 
soon  chilled.  Scarcely  had  the  sound  of 
their  oars,  as  they  pulled  away  from  the 
land,  fallen  upon  his  ears,  when  his  heart 
sunk  within  him,  and  the  horrors  of  solitude 
and  the  loss  of  all  human  society,  perhaps 
forever,  rushed  into  his  mind.  His  resolu- 
tion instantly  abandoned  him,  and  he  called 
to  his  comrades  to  be  taken  on  board  ;  but 
Stradling  was  deaf  to  his  entreaties,  and  took 
a  pleasure  in  mocking  his  despair.  The  ship 
was  soon  out  of  sight,  and  Selkirk  found  him- 
self the  only  human  being  in  that  lonely  isle. 
Tliis  was  near  the  end  of  September,  1704. 

Juan  Fernandez  is  about  a  dozen  leagues 
in  circuit.  A  great  part  of  the  island  is 
mountainous  and  covered  with  wood,  chiefly 
pimento,  cotton  and  cabbage  trees.  The 
climate  is  delightful;  wild  goats  run  at 
large  in  the  woods,  and  the  shores  are  fre- 
quented by  vast  numbers  of  seals  and  sea- 
lions.  It  is  a  charming  region,  and  miglit 
seem  an  agreeable  residence,  but  the  soli- 
tude in  which  Selkirk  was  placed  made  it 
as  dreary  to  him  as  a  desert.  For  many 
days  after  the  departure  of  the  ship,  his 
dejection  of  mind  was  so  extreme,  that  he 
sat  immovably  fixed  upon  the  shore,  gnzing 
at  the  spot  where  her  sails  had  sunk  beneath 
the  horizon,  vainly  hoping  to  see  her  return 
and  relieve  him  from  his  misery.  He  took 
no  food  until  compelled  by  the  sharpest 
hunger,  nor  indulged  in  sleep  until  over- 
powered by  watchfulness.  The  season  was 
now  the  beginning  of  spring  in  that  hemi- 
sphere, and  all  nature  was  verdant,  blooming 
and  fragrant;  but  his  forlorn  condition 
caused  the  beauties  of  the  scenery  and  the 
bahnincss  of  the  air  to  be  disregarded. 
What  greatly  added  to  the  horror  of  his 
loneliness,  was  the  dismal  wail  of  the  sea- 
lions  at  night ;  to  this  was  added  the  fre- 
quent crashing  of  falling  trees  and  rocks 
among  the  heights,  which  often  broke  tlie 
drear  stillness  of  midnight  with  strange  and 
appalling  sounds  that  echoed  from  valley  to 
valley.  In  an  excess  of  terror  and  despair 
he  often  meditated  suicide  ;  but,  after  sev- 
eral months,  his  melancholy  began  to  wear 
away,  and  he  cast  about  to  see  by  what 
means  he  could  improve  his  condition. 

He  had  brought  with  him  on  shore  his 
Clothes  and  bedding,  a  musket,  some  pow- 


der and  shot,  tobacco,  a  hatchet,  a  knife,  a 
pewter  pot,  a  flip-can,  some  mathematical 
instruments  and  books,  and  a  Bible.  The 
building  of  a  hut  was  his  first  undertaking; 
this  he  constructed  of  pimento  wood,  and 
thatched  the  roof  with  long  grass.  At  some 
distance  he  erected  a  smaller  building  for 
his  kitchen.  Both  were  lined  with  goat- 
skins. He  shot  these  animals  as  long  as 
his  powder  lasted,  which  was  but  a  pound ; 
afterwards  he  caught  them  by  running  them 
down.  At  first,  he  could  overtake  only  the 
kids,  but  afterwards,  so  much  did  his  frugal 
liabits,  joined  to  air  and  exercise,  improve 
his  strength,  that  he  could  overtake  the 
swiftest  goat  on  the  island  in  a  few  minutes, 
toss  it  over  his  shoulder,  and  carry  it  witli 
case  to  his  hut.  This  agility  on  one  occa- 
sion nearly  cost  him  his  life.  While  pur- 
suing a  goat,  he  made  a  snatch  at  it  on  the 
brink  of  a  precipice,  which  he  did  not  per- 
ceive, as  it  was  hidden  by  bushes,  and  both 
fell  from  a  great  height.  He  was  so  stun- 
ned and  bruised  by  the  fall,  that  he  lay 
senseless  for  some  hours,  and  when  became 
to  himself,  he  found  the  goat  lying  dead 
beneath  him.  This  happened  about  a  mile 
from  his  hut,  and  he  lay  twenty-four  hours 
before  he  was  able  to  move.  After  crawl- 
ing home  with  extreme  difficulty,  he  re- 
mained ten  days  stretched  upon  his  bed  in 
great  pain.  This,  however,  was  the  only 
accident  of  the  kind  that  happened  to  him 
during  his  residence  in  the  island. 

After  his  powder  was  exhausted,  he  ob- 
tained fire  by  the  Indian  method  of  rubbing 
two  pieces  of  wood  together.  The  cabbage- 
palm  oflered  him  a  tolerable  substitute  for 
bread ;  vegetables  of  various  kinds  grew 
spontaneously,  and  a  bed  of  turnips  had 
been  sowed  on  the  island  by  Dampier's 
men;  his  meat  he  seasoned  with  pimento. 
Thus  having  food  in  abundance,  and  find- 
ing the  climate  healthy  and  pleasant,  in 
about  a  year  and  a  half  ho  became  recon- 
ciled to  his  situation.  The  time  no  longer 
hung  heavy  on  his  hands ;  his  constant  de- 
votion, and  the  study  of  the  Bible,  soothed 
his  feelings,  and  elevated  his  thoughts  ;  un- 
disturbed health,  a  temperate  regimen,  and 
the  perpetual  serenity  of  the  sky,  filled  his 
mind  with  cheerfulness.  He  took  delight 
in  everything  which  lay  around  him,  orna- 
mented his  hut  with  fragrant  branches, 
and  fomied  a  verdant  and  delightful  bower 
in  which  he  tasted  the  sweets  of  repose 
after  the  toil  of  the  chase.  Hunting  was 
his  chief  amusement,  and  he  caught  many 
more  goats  than  he  required  for  food ;  it 
was  his  custom,  after  running  them  down,  to 


as 


21S 


ALEXANDER    SELKIRK. 


mark  their  ears  and  let  them  escape.  The 
kids  he  carried  to  the  green  lawn  in  front 
of  his  hut,  and  employed  his  leisure  in  tam- 
in":  them.  They  in  time  supplied  him  with 
milk,  and  even  with  something  like  social 
amusement,  for  he  taught  them  to  dance, 
and  he  often  declared  afterwards  that  he 
never  danced  with  a  lighter  heart  than  he 
did  to  the  sound  of  his  own  voice  with  his 
dumb  companions. 

At  first,  he  suffered  much  annoyance  from 
rats,  which  gnawed  his  feet  during  sleep  ; 
for  a  remedy,  he  caught  some  of  the  cats 
which  ran  wild  in  the  woods,  and  tamed 
them.  These  put  the  rats  to  flight,  and 
became  his  companions.  He  taught  them 
to  dance  like  his  goats,  and  divert  him  by  a 
)  variety  of  odd  capers.  The  cats  multiplied 
{  to  such  an  extent,  that  he  soon  had  a  house 
full  of  them,  and  he  was  at  times  saddened 
by  the  thought  of  being  eaten  up  by  them 
after  death. 

His  clothing  soon  wore  out,  and  he  made 
new  dresses  of  goat-skins,  in  which  he 
looked  more  wild  than  his  brute  companions. 
He  always  went  barefoot,  and  neither  shaved 
nor  sheared  his  locks.  After  his  knife  was 
\vorn  out,  he  chanced  one  day,  in  strolling 
along  the  beach,  to  find  several  iron  hoops 
which  had  been  left  befiind  by  some  vessel. 
This  was  a  discovery  of  more  value  to 
him  than  a  mine  of  gold  or  diamonds  would 
have  been,  and  afforded  him  materials  for 
maivin^  tools  as  long  as  he  staid  on  the 
island.  One  of  them,  which  he  had  used 
as  a  chopper,  was  afterwards  carried  to 
London,  and  for  many  years  was  exhibited 
as  a  curiosity  at  the  Golden  Head  Coffee- 
house, near  Burlington  Gate.  He  occasion- 
ally amused  himself  by  carving  his  name 
upon  the  trees,  with  the  date  of  his  arrival 
in  the  island.  Several  times,  during  his 
stay,  he  saw  vessels  pass  near.  Two  of 
them  came  to  anchor.  Selkirk  always  con- 
cealed himself  on  the  approach  of  a  vessel ; 
i  but  on  one  occasion,  being  anxious  to  know 
!  whether  the  ship  was  French  or  Spanish, 
>  he  approached  too  near,  and  was  discovered. 
5  A  pursuit  commenced,  and  several  shot 
t  were  fired  at  him.  None  of  them  took 
5  effect,  and  he  hid  himself  by  climbing  up 
I  into  a  tree.  His  pursuers  stopped  under 
I  the  tree  and  killed  several  goats  near  it,  but 
J  not  discerning  Selkirk,  they  returned  to  the 
i  ship  and  sailed  away.  Had  they  been 
f  French,  he  would  have  given  himself  up, 
!  but  as  he  saw  that  they  were  Spaniards,  he 
I  chose  to  remain  on  the  island  and  die  alone, 
J  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  being  shot,  or 
\  linger  out  a  life  of  misery  in  the  mines  of 


Peru  or  Mexico,  which  he  supposed  might  1 
be  his  fate  if  he  should  fall  into  their  hands. 
It  was  a  strict  maxim  of  their  policy  never  to 
allow  an  Englishman  to  return  to  Europe  who   ; 
had  gained  any  knov/ledge  of  the  South  Seas. 

Selkirk  had  lived  alone  in  the  island  up-  ; 
wards  of  four  years,  when,  on  the  last  day 
of  January,  1709,  he  discovered  two  ships 
approaching;  and  as  they  drew  near,  he  j 
ascertained  that  they  were  English.  Great 
was  the  tumult  of  emotions  that  now  stirred 
his  breast ;  but  the  love  of  society  and  of 
home  overpowered  every  other  desire.  It  • 
was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  ships 
came  first  in  sight,  and  for  fear  they  might  ' 
sail  by,  without  knowing  there  was  a  man 
on  the  island,  he  made  a  large  fire  to  burn 
during  the  night.  His  hopes  and  fears  ban- 
ishing all  thoughts  of  sleep,  he  emploj'ed 
the  night  in  killing  goats,  and  preparing  an 
entertainment  for  his  visitors.  The  ships 
were  the  Duke  and  Duchess,  two  large 
cruisers,  under  the  command  of  Woodes 
Rogers,  with  Damper  for  pilot.  The  sight 
of  the  fire  on  shore  caused  great  alarm,  and 
they  conjectured  that  some  hostile  ship  of 
war  lay  at  anchor  under  the  island.  The 
ships  were  cleared  for  action,  and  dur.ng  the 
forenoon  of  the  following  day,  they  Kept  a 
sharp  lookout  for  the  enemy.  No  vessel 
appearing,  about  noon  a  boat  was  sent  on 
shore.  Selkirk  ran  down  to  the  beach,  and 
astonished  the  crew  by  the  wildness  of  his 
appearance,  which  literally  struck  them 
dumb.  He  had  at  this  time  his  last  shirt 
upon  his  back  ;  his  feet  and  legs  were  bare, 
and  the  rest  of  his  body  was  covered  with 
rough  and  shaggy  goat-skins ;  his  beard  was 
of  above  four  years'  growth.  His  long  dis- 
use of  conversation  had  affected  his  power  of 
speech,  and  he  uttered  his  words  by  halves. 

Selkirk  was  received  on  board,  and  en- 
gaged as  mate  of  Rogers'  ship,  the  Duke  ; 
he  served  in  that  capacity  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  expedition,  and  much  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  commander.  After  a 
long  cruise,  he  arrived  in  England,  in  Oct., 
1711,  with  eight  hundred  pounds  of  prize 
money,  having  been  absent  more  than  eight 
years.  He  no  sooner  had  made  his  appear- 
ance in  London,  than  his  strange  adventures 
attracted  great  attention,  and  he  became  an 
object  of  lively  curiosity.  Most  of  his  visit- 
ors who  have  left  any  account  of  him,  de- 
scribe him  as  an  unsociable  person,  of  eccen- 
tric habits,  and  far  from  communicative. 
As  he  spoke  in  a  broad  Scotch  dialect,  it 
was  with  difficulty  that  he  could  be  under- 
stood. Among  his  visitors  \Tas  Sir  Richard 
Steele,  who  collected  from  him  such  partic- 


-*5I 


hKA-WEZD. 


219 


ulars  as  he  could  recollect  of  his  life  in  the 
island,  which  he  afterwards  published,  with 
reflections  of  his  onm,  in  the  twenty-sixth 
number  of  the  Englishman. 

The  reader  may  wish  to  know  the  sequel 
of  Selkirk's  history.  He  returned  to  his 
native  town,  where  his  parents  received 
him  with  joy  ;  but  his  recluse  habits  induced 
him  to  shun  society,  and  he  constructed  a 
cave  in  the  garden,  where  he  lived  in  soli- 
tude. He  purchased  a  boat,  amused  him- 
self with  fishing,  and  took  lonely  walks 
among  the  roads  and  glens  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. In  these  rambles,  he  often  met  a 
young  girl,  Sophia  Bruce,  seated  alone,  and 
tending  a  single  cow,  the  property  of  her 
parents.  Her  lonely  occupation  and  inno- 
cent looks  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
him,  and  he  watched  her  for  hours  unseen, 
as  slic  gathered  wild  flowers  or  chanted  her 
rural  lays.  At  length,  he  joined  her  in 
conversation  ;  their  attachment  became  mu- 
tual, and  they  eloped  to  London.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  she  died  a  few  years  afterwards, 
or  that  Selkirk  deserted  her,  as  he  returned 
to  Scotland  alone,  and  became  involved  in 
broils  which  brought  him  under  the  disci- 
pline of  the  church.  This  drove  him  once 
more  to  England,  and  he  entered  tlie  navy. 


He  died  some  time  in  1723.  In  a  house  at 
Craigie  Well,  strangers  are  yet  gratified 
with  the  sight  of  the  room  in  which  he  slept; 
they  are  also  shown  his  sea-chest,  and  a 
cocoa-nut  shell  cup  that  belonged  to  him. 
But  the  most  interesting  relic,  by  far,  is  the 
flip-can  which  ho  had  in  the  island,  and 
which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his  great- 
gmnd-nephew,  John  Selcraig. 

Such  is  the  story  of  Selkirk.  Few  per- 
sons have  obtained  so  high,  yet  unsought 
renown.  He  never  aimed  at  notoriety,  yet 
immortality  has  been  conferred  upon  him 
by  one  who  knew  him  not.  His  adventures 
were  first  communicated  to  the  world  by 
Woodes  Rogers,  in  the  narrative  of  his  vo)'- 
age ;  after  which  the  tale  appeared  in  vari- 
ous shapes  by  other  hands.  Defoe  adopted 
it  for  the  groundwork  of  his  romance  of 
Robinson  Crusoe  ;  but  there  appears  to  be 
no  evidence  that  Selkirk  wrote  a  narrative 
himself,  from  which  Defoe  purloined  his 
materials,  as  has  been  often  suggested.  The 
leading  idea  only  was  borrowed  from  Sel- 
kirk's adventures ;  but  the  whole  arrange- 
ment and  execution,  all  the  filling  up  of 
incident,  reflection  and  character,  in  Robin- 
son Crusoe,  were  truly  and  entirely  created 
by  the  genius  of  Defoe. 


SEA-WEED. 


EvERV  portion  of  the  earth  seems  covered 
with  vegetation,  except  now  and  then  some 
sandy  desert.  Even  the  rocks  are  covered 
with  mosses  ;  and  we  have  heard  of  little 
red  plants,  that  take  root  so  thickly  in  snow- 
flakes,  as  to  make  a  fall  of  snow  seem  like 
a  shower  of  blond. 

The  bottom  of  the  sea,  too,  is  sown  with 


myriads  of  plants.  These  are  of  many  forms 
and  many  hues,  but  mostly  of  a  green  color ; 
it  is  owing  to  the  plants  beneath  the  surface 
that  the  sea  has  such  a  verdant  tinge.  In 
some  tropical  portions  of  the  sea,  the  marine 
plants  arc  so  thick  as  to  obstruct  the  pas- 
sage of  ships  ;  and  some  species  are  said  to 
grow  seven  hundred  feet  in  length 


i 


THE  MONKEY  FAMILY. 


This    numerous    tribe   is   divided    into 
several  kinds,  some  being  with  and  some 
without   tails.     They   are    only    found    in 
warm  countries.     The   larger  species,  as 
the  orang-outang  and  the  chimpanse,  are 
of  a  grave   character,  while  the  lesser  va- 
l  rieties   are   lively  and   gay.     We   give   a 
I  selection  of  curious  particulars  and  amus- 
i   ing  anecdotes,  collected  from  a  variety  of 
<   sources,  relative  to  these  animals. 
/       The  ape  is  very  fond  of  spirituous  liquors, 
J  and  these  are  used,  in  some  countries,  for 
I  the  purpose  of  entrapping  them.     A  person 
'  places  in  their  sight  a  number  of  vessels 
5   filled  with  ardent  spirits,  pretends  to  drink, 
5  and   retires.     The  apes,  ever  attentive   to 
the  proceedings  of  man,  descend,  and  imi- 
tate what  they  have  seen,  become  intoxi- 
cated, fall  asleep,  and  are  thus  rendered  an 
easy  prey  to  their  cunning  adversaries. 

The  Indians  of  South  America  make  this 

proneness  to   imitation  useful ;    for,  when 

they  wish  to  collect  cocoa-nuts,  and  other 

fruits,  they  go  to  the  woods  where  these 

i  grow,  which   are  generally  frequented    by 

^  apes  and  monkeys,  gather  a  few  heaps,  and 


withdraw.  As  soon  as  they  are  gone,  the 
apes  fall  to  work,  imitate  everj'thing  they 
have  seen  done,  and  when  they  have  gath- 
ered together  a  considerable  number  of 
heaps,  the  Indians  approach,  the  apes  fly 
to  the  trees,  and  the  harvest  is  conveyed 
home. 

We  are  told  that  persons  who  catch  apes 
in  Africa,  by  means  of  traps,  are  seldom 
successful  but  once  in  the  same  district ;  so 
soon  do  these  animals  become  acquainted 
with  the  artifices  employed  against  them. 
When  they  perceive  an  ape  wounded,  the 
community  never  fails  to  fly  to  his  assist- 
ance. It  has  been  said,  that  if  wounded 
by  an  arrow,  they  will  not  pull  it  out,  and 
thereby  lacerate  the  flesh,  but  bite  off  the 
shaft,  to  enable  their  unfortunate  brother 
to  escape  with  greater  facility. 

Apes,  in  general,  live  very  peaceably 
together.  In  large  and  fertile  solitudes, 
sometimes  whole  herds  of  them,  of  different 
species,  chatter  together,  without  any  dis- 
pute or  disorder  arising,  and  without  one 
species  intermingling  with  another.  But 
if  any  marauders  intrude   upon  a  district 


THE    MONKEY    FAMILY. 


221 


of  which  another  community  is  in  posses- 
sion, they  combine  to  assert  their  rights. 
M.  de  Maisoupre,  and  six  other  Europeans, 
were  spectators  of  such  a  contest,  which 
took  place  within  the  wall  which  surrounds 
the  pagoda  of  Cheringham.  A  large  and 
strong  ape  had  privately  got  into  the  place, 
but  was  soon  discovered  by  the  resident 
tribe.  Upon  the  first  alarm-cry,  a  number 
of  males  immediately  united  together  in  an 
attack  upon  the  interloper.  Although  the 
latter  was  much  larger  and  stronger  than 
his  assailants,  yet  he  perceived  that  he  was 
in  danger  from  the  fury  of  their  united 
attack,  and  fled  for  refuge  to  the  top  of  the 
pagoda,  which  was  eleven  stories  high, 
whither  he  was  closely  pursued  by  his 
enemies.  When  he  found  himself  at  the 
top  of  the  building,  which  terminated  in  a 
small  narrow  dome,  he  took  a  secure  posi- 
tion, and  availing  himself  of  the  advantages 
of  his  situation,  seized  upon  four  of  the  most 
impetuous  of  his  pursuers,  and  threw  them 
down.  These  proofs  of  his  prowess  intimi- 
dated the  rest,  who  thought  proper,  after  a 
great  deal  of  noise,  to  make  good  their  re- 
treat. The  victor  kept  his  post  till  the  even- 
ing, and  then  escaped  to  a  place  of  sccurit)'. 
Apes  and  monkeys,  in  many  parts  of 
India,  are  made  objects  of  religious  venera- 
tion, and  magnificent  temples  are  erected 
to  their  honor.  In  those  countries,  they 
propagate  to  an  alarming  extent ;  they 
enter  cities  in  immense  troops,  and  even 
venture  into  the  houses.  In  some  places, 
as  in  the  kingdom  of  Calicut,  the  natives 
find  it  necessary  to  have  their  windows 
latticed,  to  prevent  the  ingress  of  these 
intruders,  who  lay  hands  without  scruple 
upon  every  eatable  within  their  reach. 
There  are  three  hospitals  for  monkeys  in 
Amadabad,  the  capital  of  Guzerat,  where 
the  sick  and  lame  are  fed  and  relieved  by 
medical  attendants  ! 

We  are  told  by  Francois  Pyard,  that,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Sierra  Leone,  on  the 
coast  of  Africa,  apes  are  to  be  found  of  a 
robust  structure  of  body,  which  walk  up- 
right, are  strong  and  active,  and  are  some- 
times trained  to  perform  menial  offices, 
They  have  been  taught  to  pound  substances 
in  a  mortar,  and  fetch  water  from  the  river 
in  jugs.  But  unless  these  are  immediately 
taken  from  them  on  their  arrival  at  the 
door,  they  let  them  fall ;  and  when  they 
see  them  lying  broken  in  pieces,  they  utter 
a  lamentable  kind  of  cry. 

Speaking  of  the  chimpanse  of  Africa,  M. 
;  de  Grandpre  says,  — "  His  sagacity  is  ex- 
traordinary ;  he  generally  walks  upon  two 


legs,,  supporting  himself  with  a  stick.  The 
negro  fears  him,  and  not  without  reason, 
as  he  sometimes  treats  him  verj'  roughly." 
M.  de  Grandprt'  saw,  on  board  of  a  vessel, 
a  female  chimpanse,  which  exhibited  won- 
derful proofs  of  intelligence.  She  had 
learned  to  heat  the  oven ;  she  took  great 
care  not  to  let  any  of  the  coals  fall  out, 
which  might  have  done  mischief  in  the 
ship  ;  and  she  was  very  accurate  in  observ- 
ing when  the  oven  was  heated  to  the  proper 
degree,  of  which  she  immediately  apprized 
the  baker,  who,  relying  with  perfect  confi- 
dence upon  her  information,  carried  his 
dough  to  the  oven  as  soon  as  the  chimpanse 
came  to  fetch  him.  This  animal  performed 
all  the  business  of  a  sailor,  spliced  ropes, 
handed  the  sails,  and  assisted  at  unfurling 
them  ;  and  she  was,  in  fact,  considered  by 
the  sailors  as  one  of  themselves.  The 
vessel  was  bound  for  America ;  but  the 
poor  animal  did  not  live  to  see  that  coun- 
try, having  fallen  a  victim  to  the  brutality 
of  the  first  mate,  who  inflicted  very  cruel 
chastisement  upon  her,  which  she  had  not 
deserved.  She  endured  it  with  the  great- 
est patience,  only  holding  out  her  hands  in 
a  suppliant  attitude,  in  order  to  break  the 
force  of  the  blows  she  received.  But  from 
that  moment  she  steadily  refused  to  take 
any  food,  and  died  on  the  fifth  day,  from 
grief  and  hunger.  She  was  lamented  by 
every  person  on  board  not  insensible  to  the 
feelings  of  humanity,  who  knew  the  cir- 
cumstances of  her  fate. 

The  orang-outang  is  an  inhabitant  of 
Cochin-China  Borneo,  Malacca,  Sumatra, 
and  several  of  the  larger  islands  of  the 
Indian  Archipelago.  He  is  next  in  order 
to  the  chimpanse  in  his  resemblance,  in  ex- 
ternal conformation,  to  the  human  species, 
and  is  endowed  with  considerable  intelli- 
gence. He  lives  in  remote  situations, 
avoiding  man,  and  is,  consequently,  rarely 
seen  in  a  full-grown  state. 

The  orang-outang  which  was  in  Holland 
in  1776  most  commonly  walked  on  all 
fours,  like  other  apes  ;  but  she  could  also 
walk  erect.  When,  however,  she  assumed 
this  posture,  her  feet  were  not  usually  ex- 
tended like  those  of  a  man,  but  the  toes 
were  curved  beneath,  in  such  a  manner 
that  she  rested  chiefly  on  the  exterior  sides 
of  the  feet. 

One  morning  she  escaped  from  her  chain, 
and  was  seen  to  ascend  with  wonderful 
agility  the  beams  and  oblique  rafters  of  the 
building.  With  some  trouble,  she  was 
retaken,  and  very  extraordinary  muscular 
powers  were  on  this  occasion  remarked  in 


222 


THE    MONKEY    FAMILY. 


the  animal.  The  eflbrts  of  four  men  were 
found  necessary  in  order  to  secure  her. 
Two  of  them  seized  lier  by  the  legs,  and  a 
third  by  the  head,  whilst  the  other  fastened 
the  collar  round  her  body.  During  the  time 
she  was  at  liberty,  among  other  pranks,  she 
had  taken  a  bottle  of  Malaga  wine,  which 
she  drank  to  the  last  drop,  and  then  set  the 
bottle  again  in  its  place. 

She  ate  readily  of  any  kind  of  food  which 
was  presented  to  her  ;  but  her  chief  suste- 
nance was  bread,  roots,  and  fruit.  She  was 
particularly  fond  of  carrots,  strawberries, 
aromatic  plants,  and  roots  of  parsley.  She 
also  ate  meat,  boiled  and  roasted,  as  well 
as  fish,  and  was  fond  of  eggs,  the  shell  of 
which  she  broke  with  her  teeth,  and  then 
emptied  by  sucking  out  the  contents.  If 
strawberries  were  presented  to  her  on  a 
plate,  she  would  pick  them  up,  one  by  one, 
with  a  fork,  and  put  them  into  her  mouth, 
holding  at  the  same  time  the  plate  in  the 
other  hand.  Her  usual  drink  was  water  ; 
but  she  also  would  drink  very  eagerly  all 
sorts  of  wine,  and  of  Malaga,  in  particular, 
she  was  very  fond.  Whilst  she  was  on 
ship-board,  she  ran  freely  about  the  vessel, 
played  with  the  sailors,  and  would  go  like 
them  into  the  kitchen  for  her  mess.  When, 
at  the  approach  of  night,  she  was  about  to 
Ue  down,  she  would  prepare  the  bed  on 
which  she  slept,  by  shaking  well  the  hay, 
and  putting  it  in  proper  order  ;  and,  lastly, 
would  cover  herself  up  snugly  in  the  quilt. 
One  day,  on  noticing  the  padlock  of  her 
chain  opened  with  a  key,  and  shut  again, 
she  seized  a  little  bit  of  stick,  and  putting 
it  into  the  keyhole,  turned  it  about  in  all 
directions,  endeavoring  to  open  it. 

When  this  animal  first  arrived  in  Hol- 
land, she  was  only  two  feet  and  a  half  high, 
and  was  almost  entirely  free  from  hair  on 
any  part  of  her  body,  e.xcept  her  back  and 
arms ;  but,  on  the  approach  of  winter,  she 
became  thickly  covered  all  over,  and  the 
hair  on  her  back  was  at  least  si.\  inclies 
long,  of  a  chestnut  color,  e.xcept  the  face 
and  paws,  which  were  somewhat  of  a  red- 
dish bronze  color.  This  interesting  brute 
died,  after  having  been  seven  months  in 
Holland. 

BufTon,  who  saw  and  described  this  indi- 
vidual, says  he  has  seen  it  give  its  hand  to 
show  the  company  to  the  door ;  it  would  sit 
at  table,  unfold  its  napkin,  wipe  its  lips, 
make  use  of  the  spoon  and  fork  to  convey 
the  victuals  to  its  mouth,  pour  out  its  drink 
into  a  glass,  touch  glasses  when  invited, 
take  a  cup  and  saucer  and  lay  them  on  the 
table,  put  in  sugar,  pour  out  its  tea,  leave 


it  to  cool  before  drinking :  and  all  this 
without  any  other  instigation  than  the 
signs  or  commands  of  its  master,  and  often 
of  its  own  accord. 

M.  Le  Compte  saw  an  orang-outang  in 
the  Straits  of  Malacca,  all  the  actions  of 
which  were  so  expressive  and  lively,  that  a 
dumb  person  could  scarcely  have  rendered 
himself  better  understood.  He  was  kind 
and  gentle,  e.xhibiting  great  affection  for  all 
those  from  whom  he  received  any  attention. 
One  thing  was  very  remarkable,  that,  like 
a  child,  he  would  frequently  make  a  stamp- 
ing noise  with  his  feet,  for  joy  or  anger. 

His  agility  was  astonishing.  He  would 
run  about  with  the  greatest  ease  and  secur- 
ity among  the  rigging  of  the  ship,  vaulting 
from  rope  to  rope,  and  playing  a  thousand 
amusing  pranks,  as  if  he  had  pleasure  in 
exhibiting  his  feats  before  the  company. 
Sometimes,  suspended  by  one  arm,  he 
would  poise  himself,  and  then  suddenly 
turn  round  upon  a  rope,  with  nearly  as 
much  quickness  as  a  wheel.  He  would 
sometimes  slide  down  a  rope,  and  again 
ascend,  with  astonishing  rapidity.  There 
was  no  posture  which  this  animal  was  in- 
capable of  imitating,  nor  any  motion  that 
he  could  not  perform.  He  has  been  fre- 
quently known  to  fling  himself  from  one 
rope  to  another  at  a  distance  of  more  than 
thirty  feet ;  evincing  in  all  his  feats  great 
muscular  strength. 

Pere  Carbasson  brought  up  an  orang- 
outang, which  became  so  fond  of  him,  that 
wherever  he  went  it  was  desirous  of  bear- 
ing him  company.  Whenever,  therefore, 
he  had  to  perform  the  service  of  his  church, 
he  was  under  the  necessity  of  shutting  it 
up  in  his  room.  Once,  however,  the  ani- 
mal escaped,  and  followed  the  father  to 
the  church ;  where,  silently  mounting  the 
sounding-board,  above  the  pulpit,  he  lay 
perfectly  still  till  the  sermon  commenced. 
He  then  crept  to  the  edge,  and  overlooking 
the  preacher,  imitated  all  his  gestures  in  so 
grotesque  a  manner,  that  the  whole  con- 
gregation, unable  to  suppress  their  feelings, 
became  convulsed  with  laughter.  The 
father,  surprised  and  confounded  at  this 
unusual  conduct  on  the  part  of  his  con- 
gregation, severely  rebuked  them  for  then 
irreverence.  The  reproof  had  no  effect  in 
suppressing  their  excitement,  which  gave 
warmth  to  the  preacher,  and  he  redoubled 
his  reproof,  both  in  words  and  action,  which 
the  orang-outang  imitated  to  a  nicety,  and 
increased  their  merriment.  A  friend  of 
Carbasson  at  length  left  his  seat,  and,  step-  J 
ping  up  to  him,  intimated  the  cause  of  their  < 


THE    MONKEY    FAMILY. 


223 


improper  conduct ;  and  such  was  the  de- 
meanor of  the  animal,  that  it  was  with  the 
utmost  difficulty  he  could  himself  command 
his  gravity,  when  he  ordered  the  servants 
of  the  church  to  take  him  away. 

Gemelli  Carreri,  in  his  voyage  round  the 
world,  relates  a  circumstance  cnnceniing 
the  orang-outang-,  in  its  wild  state,  which 
is  indicative  of  very  considerable  powers, 
both  of  reflection  and  invention.  When 
the  fruits  of  the  mountains  are  exhausted, 
they  will  frequently  descend  to  the  sea- 
coast,  where  they  feed  on  various  species 
of  sliell-fish,  but,  in  particular,  on  n  large 
sort  of  oyster,  which  commonly  lies  open 
on  the  shore.  "  Fearful,"  he  says,  "  of 
putting  in  their  paws,  lest  the  oyster  should 
close  and  crush  them,  they  insert  a  stone 
as  a  wedge  within  the  shell  ;  this  prevents 
it  from  shutting,  and  they  then  drag  out 
their  prey,  and  devo\ir  it  at  their  leisure." 
Mdo,  of  old,  might  have  saved  his  life,  had 
he  been  only  half  as  wise. 

The  gibbon  is  distinguished  by  the  great 

I'  length  of  its  arms,  which  reach  to  the 
ground,  when  the  animal  is  standing  up- 
right. Its  face  is  flat,  tawny,  and  greatly 
resembling  that  of  man,  surrounded  by  a 
circle  of  gray  hairs,  which  increases  the 
singularity  of  its  aspect.  Its  eyes  arc  large 
and    deep   sunk,    cars    round    and    naked, 

;  much  like  those  of  the  human  race.  The 
body  is  covered  nil  over,  except  the  hinder 
parts,  with  black  rough  hair.  It  has  no 
tail.  The  gibbon  is  of  a  mild  and  tractable 
disposition,  and  feeds  on  fruits,  leaves,  and 
the  bark  of  certain  trees.  It  is  a  native  of 
the  East  Indies,  and  common  in  Sumatra, 
Molluccas,  and  the  coast  of  Coromandel. 
It  varies  in  size,  from  three  to  four  feet  in 
height. 

The  famous  Tavernier  tells  us,  that  re- 
turning from  Agra  with  the  English  presi- 
dent, to  Sural,  they  passed  within  four  or 
five  leagues  of  Anienadab,  through  a  little 
lorest  of  mangoes.  "  We  saw  here,"  says 
he,  "  a  vast  number  of  very  large  apes, 
male  and  female,  many  of  the  latter  having 
their  young  in  their  arms.  We  were  each 
of  us  in  our  coaches ;  and  the  English 
president  stopped  his,  to  tell  me  that  he 
had  a  very  fine  new  gun,  and  knowing  that 
1  was  a  good  marksman,  desired  me  to  try 

i  it,  by  shooting  one  of  the  apes.  One  of 
my  servants,  who  was  a  native  of  the  coun- 
try, made  a  sign  to  me  not  to  do  it ;  and  I 
did  all  that  was  in  my  power  to  dissuade 
the  gentleman  from  his  design,  but  to  no 
purpose  ;  for  he  immediately  levelled  his 
piece,  and  shot  a  she  ape,  who  fell  through 


the  branches  of  the  tree  on  which  she  was 
sitting,  her  young  ones  tumbling  at  the 
same  time  out  of  her  arms  upon  the  ground. 
We  presently  .saw  that  happen  which  my 
servant  apprehended,  for  all  the  apes,  to  the 
number  of  sixty,  came  immediately  down 
from  the  trees,  and  attacked  the  president's 
coach  with  such  fury,  that  they  must  infal- 
libly have  destroyed  him,  if  all  who  were 
present  had  not  flown  to  his  relief,  and,  by 
drawing  up  the  windows,  and  posting  all 
the  servants  about  the  coach,  protected  him 
from  their  resentment.  I  must  confess  1 
was  not  a  little  afraid,  though  they  did  not 
offer  to  meddle  with  me,  because  they  were 
very  large,  and  of  incredible  strength  ;  and 
their  fury  was  so  great,  that  they  pursued 
the  president's  coach  nearly  three  leagues." 

Bindrabund,  a  town  of  Agra,  in  India,  is 
in  high  estimation  with  the  pious  Hindoos, 
who  resort  to  it  from  the  most  remote 
parts  of  the  empire,  on  account  of  its  being 
the  favorite  residence  of  the  god  Krishna. 
The  town  is  embosomed  in  groves  of  trees, 
v.'hich,  according  to  the  account  of  Major 
Thorn,  are  the  residence  of  innumerable 
apes,  whose  propensity  to  mischief  is  in- 
creased by  the  religious  respect  paid  to 
them  in  honor  of  Hunaman.  a  divinity  of  the 
Hindoo  mythology,  wherein  he  is  charac- 
terized under  the  form  of  an  ape.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  degrading  superstition,  such 
numbers  of  these  animals  are  supported  by 
the  voluntary  contributions  of  pilgrims,  that 
no  one  dares  to  resist  or  ill-treat  them. 
Hence,  access  to  the  town  is  often  difiicult; 
for,  should  one  of  the  apes  take  an  antipathy 
against  any  unhappy  traveller,  he  is  sure  to 
be  assailed  by  the  whole  community,  who 
follow  him  with  all  the  missile-weapons 
they  can  collect,  such  as  pieces  of  bamboo, 
stones,  and  dirt,  making  at  the  same  time 
a  most  hideous  howling.  Of  the  danger 
attending  a  rencounter  with  enemies  of  this 
description,  a  melancholy  instance  occurred 
in  the  year  1S08.  Two  young  cavalry 
officers,  belonging  to  the  Bengal  aniiy, 
having  occasion  to  pass  that  way,  were 
attacked  by  a  body  of  apes,  at  whom  one 
of  the  gentlemen  inadvertently  fired.  The 
alarm  instantly  drew  the  whole  body,  with 
the  fakeers,  out  of  the  place,  with  so  much 
fury,  that  the  oflicers,  though  mounted  upon 
elephants,  were  compelled  to  seek  their 
safety  in  flight ;  and,  in  endeavoring  to 
pass  the  Jumna,  they  both  perished. 

A  striking  instance  of  the  audacity  of 
the  ape  in  attacking  the  human  species,  is 
related  by  M.  Mollien,  in  his  Tiaiels  in 
Africa.     A  woman  going  with  millet  and 


224 


THE    MONKEY    FAMILY. 


:: 


milk  to  a  vessel  from  St.  Louis,  which  had 
been  stopped  before  a  village  in  the  country 
of  Golam,  was  attacked  by  a  troop  of  apes, 
from  three  to  four  feet  high.  They  first 
threw  stones  at  her,  on  which  she  began  to 
run  away  ;  ihey  then  ran  after  her,  and, 
having  caught  her,  they  commenced  beat- 
ing her  with  sticks,  until  she  let  go  what 
she  was  carrying.  On  returning  to  the 
village,  she  related  her  adventure  to  the 
principal  inhabitants,  who  mounted  their 
horses,  and,  followed  by  their  dogs,  went 
to  the  place  which  served  as  a  retreat  to 
this  troop  of  apes.  They  fired  at  them, 
killed  ten,  and  wounded  others,  which  were 
brought  to  them  by  the  dogs.  Several 
negroes  were  severely  wounded  in  this 
encounter,  either  by  the  stones  hurled  at 
them  by  the  apes,  or  by  their  bites.  The 
females,  especially,  were  most  furious  in 
revenging  the  death  of  their  young  ones, 
whicli  they  carried  in  their  arms. 

D'Obsonville,  speaking  of  the  sacred 
haunts  of  apes  in  diiTeront  parts  of  India, 
says,  that  in  the  course  of  his  travels 
through  that  country,  he  occasionally  went 
into  the  ancient  temples,  in  order  to  rest 
himself.  He  noticed,  always,  that  several 
of  the  apes,  which  abounded  there,  first 
observed  him  attentively,  then  looked  in- 
quisitively at  the  food  which  he  was  about 
to  take,  betraying,  by  their  features  and 
gestures,  the  great  desire  which  they  felt 
to  partake  of  it  with  him. 

In  order  to  amuse  himself  upon  such  oc- 
casions, he  was  generally  provided  with  a 
quantity  of  dried  pease  ;  of  these  he  first 
scattered  some  on  the  side  where  the  leader 
stood,  (for,  according  to  his  account,  the 
baboons  always  obey  some  particular  one 
as  their  leader,)  upon  which  the  animal 
gradually  approached  nearer,  and  gathered 
them  eagerly  up.  He  then  held  out  a 
handful  to  the  animal ;  and,  as  they  seldom 
see  any  person  who  harbors  hostile  inten- 
tions against  them,  the  baboon  ventured 
slowly  to  approach,  cautiously  watching,  as 
it  seemed,  lest  any  trick  might  be  played 
on  him.  At  length,  becoming  bolder,  he 
laid  hold  with  one  of  his  paws  of  the  thumb 
of  the  hand  in  which  the  pease  were  held 
out  to  him,  while  with  the  other  he  carried 
them  to  his  mouth,  keeping  his  eyes  all  the 
while  fixed  upon  those  of  M.  d'Obsonville. 
"  If  1  happened  to  laugh,"  he  observes,  "  or 
to  move  myself,  he  immediately  gave  over 
eating,  worked  his  lips,  and  made  a  kind  of 
growling  noise,  the  meaning  of  which  was 
rendered  very  intelligible  to  me  by  his  long 
canine  teeth,  which  he  occasionally  exhib- 


ited. If  I  threw  some  of  the  pease  to  a 
distance  from  him,  he  sometimes  seemed 
pleased  to  see  other  apes  pick  them  up ; 
though,  at  other  times,  he  grumbled  at  it, 
and  attacked  those  who  approached  toe 
near  to  me.  The  noise  which  he  made, 
and  the  apprehensions  he  showed,  though 
they  might  perhaps  proceed,  in  some  meas- 
ure, from  his  own  greediness,  evidently 
proved,  however,  that  he  feared  I  might 
take  advantage  of  their  weakness,  and  so 
make  them  prisoners.  I  also  observed,  that 
those  whom  he  suffered  to  approach  the 
nearest  to  me,  were  always  the  largest  and 
strongest  of  the  males  ;  the  young  and  the 
females  he  always  obliged  to  keep  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  me. 

It  was  with  much  delight  that  M.  d'Ob- 
sonville witnessed  the  care  and  tenderness 
which  the  female  apes  evinced  towards  their 
young,  in  a  completely  wild  state.  They 
watched  them  with  maternal  affection,  and 
at  the  same  time  kept  them  under  great 
subordination.  He  saw  them  suckle  their 
young,  caress  them,  clean  them  of  the  ver- 
min they  had  about  them,  and,  after  putting 
them  on  the  ground,  watch  their  sports  with 
great  apparent  satisfaction.  The  little  ones 
threw  each  other  down,  chased  one  another, 
and  gamboled  like  little  children.  When 
any  of  them  were  guilty  of  a  malicious 
trick,  the  mother  laid  hold  of  the  aggressor 
by  the  tail  with  one  of  her  paws,  and  with 
the  other  boxed  his  ears.  When  she  quit- 
ted her  hold,  some  of  them  ran  ofT  to  a 
distance  ;  and  when  they  found  themselves 
out  of  danger,  they  approached  agaio,  with 
suppliant  gestures,  although  they  were  soon 
again  guilty  of  similar  misbehavior. 

Some  years  ago,  Mr.  Rutter,  doing  duty 
at  the  castle  of  Cape  Town,  kept  a  tame 
baboon  for  his  amusement.  One  evening, 
it  broke  its  chain,  unknown  to  him.  In  the 
night,  climbing  up  into  the  belfy,  it  began 
to  play  with  and  ring  the  bell.  Immedi- 
ately the  whole  place  was  in  an  uproar, 
some  great  danger  being  apprehended. 
Many  thought  that  the  castle  was  on  fire  ;  i; 
others,  that  an  enemy  had  entered  the  bay,  '■ 
and  the  soldiers  began  actually  to  turn  out, 
when  it  was  discovered  that  the  baboon  had 
occasioned  the  disturbance.  On  the  follow- 
ing morning  a  court-martial  was  summoned, 
when  Cape  justice  decided  that,  whereas 
Mr.  Butter's  baboon  had  unnecessarily  put 
the  castle  into  alarm,  the  master  should 
receive  fifty  lashes.  Mr.  Eutter,  however, 
found  means  to  evade  the  punishment. 

The  following  circumstance  is  truly 
characteristic   of   the    imitative   powers  of 


THE    MO?iKEY    FAMII.V. 


the  baboon  :  —  The  army  of  Alexander  the 
Great  marched,  in  complete  battle-array, 
into  a  countrj'  inhabited  by  great  numbers 
nf  baboons,  and  encamped  there  for  the 
night.  The  next  morning,  when  the  army 
was  about  to  proceed  on  its  march,  the  sol- 
diers saw,  at  some  distance,  an  enormous 
number  of  baboons,  drawn  up  in  rank  and 
file,  like  a  small  army,  with  such  regularity, 
that  the  Macedonians,  who  could  have  no 
idea  of  such  a  manccuvre,  imagined,  at  first, 
that  it  was  the  enemy  drawn  up  to  receive 
them, 
j  When  young,  the  mandrill  has  sometimes 
been  known  to  evince  attachment  to  man, 
and  to  cxliibit  feelings  of  tenderness  to  those 
with  whom  ho  is  acquainted  ;  but  when  he 
approaches  the  adult  state,  all  these  forsake 
him,  and  he  becomes  fretful,  capricious  and 
wiclccd.  When  irritated,  he  manifests  a 
horrid  fierceness,  and  utters  a  hideous  cry, 
which  has  somewhat  the  sound  of  the 
lion's  roar,  but  more  approaching  a  grunt. 
He  inhabits  the  Gold  Coast,  and  various 
districts  of  Africa.  He  lives  on  fruits  and 
roots  ;  and,  in  a  domesticated  state,  eats 
bread  freely.  IMr.  Brown,  author  of  Anec- 
dotes of  Quadrupeds,  says,  "  I  lately  in- 
spected a  fine  Specimen  of  this  animal  in 
the  menagerie  of  Mr.  Wombwell,  in  Lon- 
don, which,  although  tolerably  tame,  was 
not  to  be  trusted.  On  one  occasion,  when 
Mr.  Wombwell  was  showhig  me  the  con- 
sistence of  the  callosity  on  his  nose,  I  hap- 
pened to  put  my  face  too  near  the  bars  of 
his  cage,  when  he  forced  his  hands  sudden- 
ly through  them,  and  had  nearly  deprived 
me  of  one  nf  my  eyes."  This  animal  was 
fond  of  carrots,  fruits,  potatoes,  and  bread  ; 
and  was  very  partial  to  nuts,  which  he 
cracked.  He  liked  fermented  liquors,  and 
ginger-beer  was  a  favorite  beverage  with 
him. 

The  following  account  is  given  by  Lade : 
—  "  We  traversed  a  great  mountain,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  amused  ourselves  with  hunting  large 
apes,  which  are  very  numerous  in  that 
place.  I  can  neither  describe  all  the  arts 
jiractised  by  these  animals,  nor  the  nim- 
bleness  and  impudence  with  which  they 
returned,  after  being  pursued  by  us.  Some- 
;  times  they  allowed  us  to  approach  so  near, 
;  that  I  was  almost  certain  of  seizing  them. 
But  when  I  made  the  attempt,  they  sprang, 
at  a  single  leap,  ten  paces  from  me,  and 
mounted  frees  with  equal  agility,  from 
whence  they  looked  at  us  with  great  in- 
difference, and  seemed  to  derive  pleasure 
from   our   astonishment.      Some   of  them 


au 


were  so  large,  that,  if  our  interpreter  had 
not  assured  us  they  were  neither  ferocious 
nor  dangerous,  our  number  would  not  have 
appeared  sufficient  to  protect  us  from  their 
attacks.  As  it  could  serve  no  purpose  to 
kill  them,  we  did  not  use  our  guns.  But 
the  captain  levelled  his  piece  at  a  very 
large  one,  that  had  rested  on  the  top  of  a 
tree,  after  having  fatigued  us  a  long  time 
in  pursuing  him.  This  kind  of  menace, 
of  which  the  animal  perhaps  recollected  his 
liaving  sometimes  seen  the  consequences, 
terrified  him  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  fell 
down  motionless  at  our  feet,  and  we  had 
no  difHcidty  in  seizing  him  ;  but  when  he 
recovered  irom  his  stupor,  it  required  all 
our  dexterity  and  efforts  to  keep  him.  We 
tied  his  paws  together,  but  he  bit  so  fu- 
riously, that  we  were  under  the  necessity  of 
binding  our  handkerchiefs  over  his  head." 

Le  V^aillant  had  a  dog-faced  baboon  with 
him,  upon  his  expedition  through  the  south- 
ern part  of  Africa,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  Kces.  This  animal  was  of  great 
service  to  him ;  for  he  was  a  better  sentinel 
than  any  of  his  dogs,  and  often  gave  him 
warning  of  the  approach  of  beasts  of  prey, 
when  the  dogs  seemed  to  know  nothing 
of  the  matter.  "I  made  him,"  says  Lc 
Vaillant,  "  my  taster.  Whenever  we  fomid 
fruits  or  roots  with  which  my  Hottentots 
were  unacquainted,  we  did  not  touch  them 
till  Kees  had  tasted  of  them.  If  he  threw 
them  away,  w'e  concluded  that  they  were 
either  of  a  disagreeable  flavor,  or  of  a  per- 
nicious qualit}',  and  left  them  untasted. 
The  ape  possesses  a  very  peculiar  property, 
wherein  he  diflers  greatly  from  other  ani- 
mals, and  resembles  man, —  namely,  that 
he  is,  by  nature,  equally  gluttonous  and  in- 
quisitive. Without  necessity  and  witiiout 
appetite,  he  tastes  of  everything  that  falls 
in  his  way,  or  that  is  given  to  him.  But 
Kees  had  a  still  more  valuable  qiiality, — 
he  was  an  excellent  sentinel  ;  for,  whclher 
by  day  or  night,  he  immediately  sprancf  up 
on  the  slightest  appearance  of  danger.  By 
his  cry,  and  the  symptoms  of  fear  which  he 
exhibited,  we  were  always  apprized  of  the 
approach  of  an  enemy,  even  though  the 
dogs  perceived  nothing  of  it.  The  latter, 
at  length,  learned  to  rely  upon  him  with 
such  confidence  that  they  slept  on  in  pcriect 
tranquillity. 

"  I  often  took  Kees  with  me  when  I  went 
a  hunting  ;  and  when  he  saw  me  preparing 
for  sport,  he  exhibited  the  most  lively  dem- 
onstrations of  joy.  On  the  way,  he  would 
climb  into  the  trees,  to  look  for  gum,  of 
which  he  was  very  fond.     Sometimes  he 


226 


THE    MONKEY    FAMILY. 


discovered  to  me  honey,  deposited  in  the 
clefts  of  rocks,  or  hollow  trees.  But  if  he 
happened  to  have  met  with  neither  honey 
nor  gum,  and  his  appetite  had  become  sharp 
by  hi.s  running  about,  I  always  witnessed  a 
very  ludicrous  .scene.  In  those  cases,  he 
looked  for  roots,  which  he  ate  with  great 
greediness,  especially  a  particular  kind, 
which,  to  his  cost,  I  also  found  to  be  very 
well  tasted  and  refreshing,  and  therefore  in- 
sisted upon  sharing  with  him.  But  Kees 
was  no  fool.  As  soon  as  he  found  such  a 
root,  and  I  was  not  near  enough  to  seize 
upon  my  share  of  it,  he  devoured  it  in  the 
greatest  haste,  keeping  his  eyes  all  the  while 
riveted  on  me.  He  accurately  measured 
the  distance  I  had  to  pass,  before  I  could 
get  to  him  ;  and  I  was  sure  of  coming  too 
late.  Sometimes,  however,  when  he  had 
made  a  mistake  in  his  calculation,  and  I 
came  upon  him  sooner  than  he  expected, 
he  endeavored  to  hide  the  root,  in  which 
case  I  compelled  him,  by  a  box  on  the  ear, 
to  give  me  up  my  share.  But  this  treat- 
ment caused  no  malice  between  us ;  we 
remained  as  good  friends  as  ever. 

"  In  order  to  draw  these  roots  out  of  the 
ground,  he  employed  a  very  ingenious 
method,  which  atTorded  me  much  amuse- 
ment. He  laid  hold  of  the  herbage  with 
his  teeth,  stemmed  his  fore  feet  against  the 
ground,  and  drew  back  his  head,  which 
gradually  pulled  out  the  root.  But  if  this 
expedient,  for  which  he  employed  his  whole 
strength,  did  not  succeed,  he  laid  hold  of 
the  leaves  as  before,  as  close  to  the  ground 
as  possible,  and  then  threw  himself  heels 
over  head,  which  gave  such  a  concussion  to 
the  root,  that  it  never  failed  to  come  out." 

The  following  is  related  by  the  Boston 
Transcript,  December,  1S48.  "A  singular 
drama  was  latejy  witnessed  by  the  crew  of 
a  French  sloop-of-war,  recently  returned 
from  a  voyage  to  the  seas  of  India.  A 
dozen  monkeys  had  been  put  on  board, 
and  tied  on  deck,  where  they  delighted  the 
old  tars  from  morning  till  night  with  their 
frolics  and  gambols.  Some,  however,  dis- 
contented with  the  short  space  allotted  to 
them,  broke  loose  from  their  chains,  invaded 
th<»  captain's  cabin,  jumped  over  chairs  and 
table.-*,  spilled  the  ink  on  official  documents, 
and  behaved  in  such  an  inconsiderate  man- 
ner that  their  deatli  was  resolved  upon,  and 
the  warrant  signed  on  the  spot. 

"  The  order  for  throwing  the  poor  inno- 
cent victims  overboard  was  received  with 
general  sadness  on  the  forward  deck.  The 
old  sailors,  after  a  long  consultation,  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  a  raft  might  be  built. 


upon  which  the  poor  creatures  might,  at 
least,  find  one  chance  of  salvation.  All 
hands  were  soon  at  work,  and  the  raft 
completed  ;  a  small  mast  was  made  fast  to 
it,  and  a  sail  hoisted  in  the  direction  of  the 
current.  A  good  supply  of  biscuits  and 
crackers  and  a  cask  of  water  were  put  on 
board,  and  the  twelve  unfortunate  outlaws 
were  abandoned  to  their  unhappy  fate.  We 
have  been  told,  and  we  willingly  oelieve, 
that  the  old  sailors  were  moved  even  to 
tears  ;  and,  waving  their  hats,  remained  on 
deck,  watching  with  anxious  solicitude  the 
frail  embarkation,  until  it  was  out  of  sight 
and  disappeared  towards  the  land,  where 
they  hoped  it  might  go  ashore  on  some 
neighboring  coast." 

A  late  English  traveller  in  India  relates 
the  following.  "  I  was  strolling  through  a 
wood,  with  my  gun  on  my  shoulders,  my 
thoughts  all  centred  in  Europe,  when  I 
heard  a  curious  noise  in  a  tree  above  me. 
I  looked  up,  and  found  that  the  sounds  pro- 
ceeded from  a  white  monkey,  who  skipped 
from  branch  to  branch,  chattering  with 
delight  at  beholding  a  'fellow-creature,'  for 
so  he  decidedly  seemed  to  consider  me. 
For  a  few  moments  I  took  no  notice  of 
his  antics,  and  walked  quietly  along,  till 
suddenly  a  large  branch  fell  at  my  feet,  nar- 
rowly escaping  my  head.  I  again  paused, 
and  found  that  the  missile  had  been  dropped 
by  my  talkative  friend.  Without  consider- 
ation, I  instantly  turned  round  and  fired  at 
him.  The  report  had  scarcely  sounded, 
when  I  heard  the  most  piercing,  the  most  dis- 
tressing cry,  that  ever  reached  my  ears.  An 
agonized  shriek,  like  that  of  a  young  infant, 
burst  from  the  little  creature  that  I  had 
wounded.  It  was  within  thirty  paces  of  me. 
I  could  see  the  wretched  animal,  already 
stained  with  blood,  point  to  its  wound,  and 
again  hear  its  dreadful  moan. 

"  The  agony  of  a  hare  is  harrowing,  and 
[  have  seen  a  young  sportsman  turn  pale 
on  hearing  it.  The  present  cry  was,  how- 
ever, more  distressing.  I  turned  round,  and 
endeavored  to  hurry  away.  This,  however, 
I  found  no  easy  task  ;  for,  as  I  moved  for- 
ward, the  unhappy  creature  followed  me, 
springing  as  well  as  he  could  from  bough 
to  bough,  uttering  a  low,  wailing  moan, 
and  pointing  at  the  same  time  to  the  spot 
whence  the  blood  trickled.  Tlien,  regard- 
ing me  steadily  and  mournfully  in  the  face, 
it  seemed  to  reproach  me  with  my  wanton 
cruelty.  I  hastened  on,  but  still  it  pursued 
me.  Never  in  my  life  did  I  feel  so  much 
for  a  dumb  animal ;  never  did  I  so  keenly 
repent  an  act  of  uncalled-for  barbarity. 


m^/\/vt^\/\^^ 


THE    BANANA. 


227 


"  Detcrmired  not  to  allow  the  poor  mon- 
key thus  to  linger  in  torture,  and  at  once  to 
end  the  annoying  scene,  I  suddenly  came 
to  a  halt ;  and  lowering-  my  gun,  which 
was  only  single-barrelled,  I  was  about  to 
reload  it,  for  the  purpose  of  despatching  the 
maimed  creature,  when,  springing  from  a 
tree,  it  ran  up  to  within  a  dozen  paces  of 
me,  and  began  to  cry  so  pitcously,  and  roll 
itself  in  agony,  occasionally  picking  up 
earth,  with  which  it  attempted  to  stanch 
the  blood,  by  stuffing  it  into  the  wound, 
that,  in  spite  of  my  resolution,  when  I  lired, 
I  was  so  nervous,  I  almost  missed  my  aim, 
inflicting  another  wound,  which  broke  the 
animal's  leg,  but  nothing  more.  Again  its 
piercing  shriek  rang  in  my  ears.  Horrified 
beyond  endurance,  I  threw  down  my  gun, 
and  actually  fled. 

"  In  about  half  an  hour,  I  returned,  for 


the  purpose  of  gettmg  my  gun,  fully  ex- 
pecting that  the  poor  animal  had  left  tlie 
spot.  What,  then,  was  my  surprise,  to 
(ind  a  crowd  of  monkeys  surromiding  the 
wretched  suli'erer,  and  busily  employed  in 
tearing  open  its  wounds  !  A  shout  drove 
them  all  away,  except  the  dying  animal. 
I  advanced.  The  little  creature  was  rolling 
in  agonjr.  I  took  up  my  gun,  which  lay 
beside  him,  and  fancied  lie  cast  one  look 
of  supplication  on  me  —  one  prayer  to 
be  relieved  from  his  misery.  I  did  not 
hesitate  ;  with  one  blow  of  the  butt-end, 
I  dashed  out  his  brains.  Then,  turning 
round,  I  slowly  returned  to  my  quarters, 
more  profoundly  dispirited  than  I  had 
felt  for  many  months.  —  Take  my  advice, 
reader ;  if  you  must  live  in  India,  never 
shoot  a  monkey." 


THE   B 

The  banana  tree  is  n  kind  of  palm,  found 
in  hot  climates.  It  is  common  in  tropical 
countries,  and  we  frequently  see  the  fruit  in 
our  markets.  When  this  is  cut  in  slices, 
dried  in  the  sun,  and  pounded,  it  produces 
a  mealy  substance  that  answers  the  purpose 
of  bread.  The  banana  is  also  eaten  with- 
out cooking,  when  ripe,  and   is   esteemed 


ANANA. 

very  delicious".  The  Spaniards  always  cut 
the  fruit  lengthwise,  for  they  have  a  super- 
stitious  dread  of  cutting  it  across,  becatise 
tlie  pieces  then  have  a  resemblance  to  the 
cross  on  which  Christ  was  crucified. 

Tile  fruit  of  the  banana  tree  is  almost  as 
large  as  a  cucumber ;  the  leaves  are  five  or 
si.x  feet  long  and  a  foot  wide. 


NAPOLEON'S   LAST   FUNERAL. 


Of  all  the  great  and  remarkable  men  of 
modern  times,  Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  the 
most  wonderful.  He  was  a  son  of  a  lawyer 
of  Corsica,  an  island  in  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  belonging  to  Franco.  From  a  humble 
station  he  rose  to  be  the  Emperor  of  France, 
and  the  greatest  general  of  modern  times. 
He  hurled  kings  from  their  thrones,  and  put 
others  in  their  places.  Ho  dismembered 
empires,  and  created  new  ones.  He  made 
the  whole  earth  ring  with  his  mighty  deeds. 
But  one  thing  he  could  not  do  —  he  could 
not  conquer  himself.  His  ambition  led  him 
on  from  one  step  of  injustice  to  another,  till 
the  embattled  armies  of  Europe  appeared  in 
the  field  against  him.  He  was  defeated, 
dethroned,  and  taken  on  board  a  British 
ship  to  the  rocky  and  lonclv  island  of  St. 
Helena,  where  he  died  in  1S21. 

After  being  entombed  for  almost  twenty 
years,  the  King  of  the  Freneli,  Louis  Phil- 
ippe, sent  out  a  ship  to  bring  back  his  body  to 
France,  to  be  reentombed  in  the  capital  of  the 
empire  of  which  he  once  swayed  the  sceptre. 

The  body  of  the  emperor  was  found  in 
the  earth  at  St.  Helena,  where  it  had  been 
deposited  in  a  tomb  of  very  strong  and  com- 
pact masonry,  so  that  although  the  work- 
men began  at  noon,  it  was  ten  o'clock  at  niuht 
before  they  were  able  to  reach  the  body.  It 
was  enclosed  in  three  coffins,  two  of  mahogany 
and  one  of  lead,  all  of  which  were  found  in  a 
perfect  stale,  though  nearly  twenty  years  had 
elapsed  since  they  had  been  laid  in  the  earth. 

It  is  dilFicult  to  describe  with  what  an-x- 


iety,  with  what  emotions,  those  who  were 
present  waited  for  tlie  moment  which  was 
to  expose  to  them  all  that  death  had  left  of 
Napoleon.  Notwithstanding  the  sii.gviiai 
state  of  preservation  of  the  tomb  and  colfms, 
tliey  could  scarcely  hope  to  find  anything 
but  some  misshapen  remains  of  the  least 
perishable  parts  of  the  costume  to  evidence 
the  identity.  But  when,  by  the  hand  of 
Br.  Gudlard,  the  satin  sheet  over  the  body 
was  raised,  an  indescribable  feeling  of  sur- 
prise and  affection  was  expressed  by  the 
spectators,  most  of  whom  burst  into  tears. 
The  emperor  himself  was  before  their  eyes  ! 
The  features  of  his  face,  though  changed, 
were  perfectly  recognized- — the  hands  per- 
fectly beautiful —  his  well-known  costume 
had  suffered  but  little,  and  the  colors  were 
easily  distinguished  —  the  epaulets,  the  dec- 
orations, and  the  hat,  seemed  to  be  entirely 
preserved  from  decay  —  the  attitude  itself 
was  full  of  ease;  and  but  for  the  fragments 
of  the  satin  lining,  which  covered  as  with  a 
fine  gauze  several  parts  of  the  uniform,  fliey 
miglit  have  believed  that  they  saw  iiefore 
them  Napoleon  still  extended  on  a  bed  of  ] 
state.  General  Bertrand  and  M.  Marcliand,  i 
who  were  present  at  the  interment,  quickly 
pointed  out  the  different  articles  which  ea.n 
had  deposited  in  the  cofTm,  and  in  the  pre- 
cise position  which  they  had  previously  de- 
scribed. It  was  even  remarked  that  the 
left  hand,  which  General  Bertrand  had  taken 
to  kiss  for  the  last  time  before  the  coffin  was 
closed  up,  still  remained  slightly  raised. 


»;—-- 


NAPOLEON  S    LAST    FUNERAL. 


229 


The  body  was  now  jilaced  in  a  new  leaden 
coffin  or  sarcophagus,  sent  out  from  France 
for  the  purpose,  and  conveyed  with  appro- 
priate ceremonies  on  board  a  French  man- 
of-war,  which  immediately  sailed  for  Cher- 
bnurLi;.  Great  preparations  were  made  in 
France  for  its  reception.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  ship  at  CherbourEf,  a  sti^amhoat  was 
ready  to  convoy  it  up  the  Seine  to  Paris. 
A  great  ninnber  of  steamboats  and  vessels 
of  all  sorts  were  collected  together,  fnrminfj 
a  numerous  fleet,  under  convoy  of  which 
the  corpse'was  transported  up  the  river,  stop- 
ping' occasionally  at  the  cities  and  towns  on 
the  way,  to  allow  the  inhabitants  the  oppor- 
tunity of  gratifying  their  curiosity  and  dis- 
playing tlieir  enthusiasm,  by  paving  homage 
to  the  remains  of  the  great  soldier  and  chief- 
tain of  the  French  empire.  The  crowils 
that  assembled  all  alonff  the  banks  of  the 
river  were  immense.  The  military  turned 
nut  by  hundreds  and  thousands.  All  sorts 
of  pageantry,  exhibition,  and  pompons  show 
—  consisting  oC triumphal  arches,  pyramids, 
bridges,  columns,  and  other  fanciful  and 
imposing  devices  —  contributed  togiveeflect 
to  the  solemnities. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  December,  1840,  the 
procession  reached  St.  Germain,  a  place 
within  a  few  miles  of  Paris.  The  crowd 
of  spectators  which  had  tlironged  to  the  spot 
from  Paris  was  so  immense,  that  it  was  im- 
possil)lo  to  proceed  and  land  the  body  till 
tlie  middle  of  the  next  day.  Two  battalions 
of  troops  wore  stationed  on  the  banks  of  the 
river;  and  the  stream  was  covered  with 
vessels  decked  with  laurels  and  wreaths  of 
immortelles,  ■^i  bright,  unfading,  yellow  (low- 
er, very  much  in  use  among  the  French  on 
funeral  occasions. 

At  the  great  bridge  of  Neuilly,  three  or 
four  miles  front  Paris,  an  immense  rostral 
column  had  been  prepared,  surmounted  by 
a  ball  or  globe,  representing  the  world,  and 
six  feet  in  diameter.  This  was  crowned  bv 
a  h\ige  eagle  ;  but  owing  to  the  intense  cold 
of  the  weather,  the  design  was  not  wholly 
completed.  On  the  base  of  this  column  was 
the  following  inscription,  containing  the  last 
request  of  Napoleon  :  "/  u-ish  my  ashes  to 
repose  on  the  hanks  of  the  Seine."  A  wharf 
had  been  built  at  this  place  for  the  express 
purpose  of  landmg  the  cofTm,  and  here  the 
body  of  Napoleon  first  touched  the  soil  of 
France.  At  the  extremity  of  the  wharf  a 
Grecian  temple,  one  hundred  feet  in  height, 
was  erected;  and  at  tlic  end  of  the  bridge 
of  Neuilly  was  a  colossal  statue  of  the  Em- 
press .Joseph  ine. 

From  Paris  to  Neuillv  there  extends  a 


beautiful  broad  avenue,  ornamented  with 
rows  of  trees  and  handsome  buildings. 
Along  this  road  the  population  of  the  capital 
began  to  throng  in  immense  multitudes  be- 
fore davlicht  the  next  morning.  It  was 
compiited  that  five  hundred  thousand  per- 
sons crowded  into  this  avenue  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  landing  of  the  body.  The  troojis 
of  the  National  Guard  were  drawn  up  on 
the  bank  of  the  river;  pmyers  were  said 
over  the  corpse,  and  the  cofiin  was  borne  to 
the  land  by  twentv-four  sailors.  The  artil- 
lery fired  a  salute  of  twenty-one  rounds,  and 
the  multitudes  that  thronged  the  banks  of 
the  river  rent  the  air  with  tlicir  shouts.  The 
boilywas  then  placed  in  a  magnificent  cn^?- 
falque  or  funeral  car,  twenty-five  feet  in 
Icncth,  with  gilt  wheels,  and  decorated  with 
golden  eagles.  On  the  car  wa.s  a  pedestal 
eighteen  feet  longand  seven  feet  high,  richly 
ornamented  and  hung  with  gold  and  purple 
cloth.  On  this  pedestal  stood  fourteen  ear- 
iatkles  or  columnar  human  figures  of  colos- 
sal size,  supporting  with  their  heans  and 
hands  an  immense  golden  shield.  The 
cofiin  was  laid  on  this  shield.  On  the  cof- 
fin was  ])laccd  a  rich  cushion,  sustaining  the 
sceptre,  the  hand  of  justice,  and  the  imperial 
crown,  studded  with  jewels.  The  wliolc 
formed  a  structure  fifty  feet  in  height,  and 
was  drawn  by  sixteen  black  horses,  richly  ca- 
parisoned after  the  manner  of  the  mid  die  ages. 

The  procession  then  took  up  its  march  for 
Paris.  In  the  procession  was  the  war-horse 
of  Napoleon,  and  five  hundred  sailors  who 
acconijianied  the  corpse  from  St.  Hele?ia. 
The  whole  avenue  to  Paris  was  lined  with 
troops.  Round  the  great  triumphal  arch  at 
the  entrance  of  the  city,  were  lofty  masts 
bearing  tri-colored  pennants  surrounded  with 
black  crape,  and  exhibiting  each  the  name 
of  some  one  of  the  armies  of  the  Republic 
or  the  Empire,  as  "  The  Anny  of  the  Rhine" 
—  "  The  Army  of  Italy,"  &:c.  On  entering 
the  city,  the  crowd  was  so  immense  that  the 
procession  had  great  difficulty  in  forcing  its 
way  onward.  The  number  of  spectators 
was  estimated  at  800,000.  This  is  equal 
to  the  whole  population  of  Paris  ;  yet  when 
we  take  into  the  account  the  great  numbers 
that  resorted  to  the  capital  from  all  paris  of 
the  kingdom  to  witness  so  grand  and  inter- 
esting a  ceremony,  this  estimate  docs  not 
appear  verj'  improbable. 

The  p'lce  destined  for  tiie  reception  of 
Napoleon's  body  was  the  Hotel  dcs  lui-a- 
lides,  a  spacious  edifice  erected  by  Iiouis 
XIV.,  and  which  is  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  interesting  buildings  in  Paris.  It  i.<i 
beautifully    situated    on    the    river    Seine, 


\  230 


GAZA. 


with  a  spacious  esplanade  in  front.  In 
the  chapel  of  this  building;,  preparations 
had  been  made  for  the  funeral  service 
over  the  body.  The  wals  were  hung-  with 
black  draperies  bordered  with  silver,  and 
large  lustres  were  placed  between  the  pil- 
lars, contrasting  their  brilliant  lights  with 
the  dark  draperies  around  them.  The  pil- 
lars were  ornamented  with  gilded  trophies, 
with  the  names  of  Napoleon's  victories,  Ma- 
rengo, Austerlitz,  Wagram,  &c.  The  gal- 
leries above,  thronged  with  countless  multi- 
tudes of  spectators,  were  also  hung  with 
black,  with  silver  and  gold  emblems,  laurels, 
and  golden  letters  commemorating  the  prin- 
cipal acts  or"  the  emperor's  life.  Above 
were  hung  an  immense  number  of  standards, 
taken  from  the  enemy  in  different  battles. 
In  front  of  the  altar,  was  erected  a  tomb, 
standing  on  pillars  and  surmounted  by  an 
eagle.  This  structure  was  of  gilt  wood,  and 
only  temporary ;  it  will  soon  be  replaced  by 
one  of  marble. 

Here  were  assembled  the  king,  the  royal 
family,  and  the  chief  personages  of  the  court, 
the  Archbishop  of  Paris  and  other  dignita- 
ries of  the  church,  and  a  great  number  of 
generals  and  veterans  of  Napoleon's  wars. 
At  two  o'clock  the  procession  arrived,  and 
the  body  of  Napoleon  was  brought  into  the 
chapel.  This  was  the  most  impressive  part 
of  the  whole  ceremony.  The  steps  leading 
to  the  choir  were  lined  on  both  sides  by  the 


militarjr  and  the  veteran  invalids,  so  many 
of  whom  had  fought  under  the  deceased 
emperor.  The  whole  of  the  aisle  was  filled 
with  troops,  and  the  whole  body  of  the  clergy 
stood  in  religious  silence,  waiting  to  perform 
the  lastoffices  of  religion.  The  drums  rolled, 
the  cannons  roared,  and  the  muffled  drums 
announced  the  approach  of  the  body.  At 
the  sight  of  the  coffin,  surmounted  with  the 
imperial  crown  of  Napoleon,  the  whole  body 
of  spectators  apppeared  to  be  struck  by  a 
sudden  thrill.  Every  one  rose  up  and  bent 
forward,  but  not  a  word  was  uttered ;  a 
religious  silence  and  awe  pervaded  the  whole 
multitude  ! 

Mass  was  then  said  over  the  body  accord- 
ing to  the  forms  of  the  Roman  Catholic  reli- 
gion, after  which  Mozart's  celebrated  requi- 
em was  sung  bj'a  choir  of  musicians.  The 
coffin  was  then  spi'inkled  with  holy  water 
by  the  Archbishop,  and  the  ceremony  con- 
cluded. The  crowd  remained  long  in  the 
chapel,  to  satiate  their  curiosity  by  gazing 
on  the  splendid  decorations  of  the  place  and 
the  long  vista  of  funeral  pomp.  At  length 
the  military  succeeded  in  clearing  the  chapel 
of  the  throngs  of  spectators  ;  the  people  dis- 
persed ;  and  the  body  of  Napoleon  lay  once 
more  in  the  silence  of  the  tomb  I 

A  magnificent  sarcophagus  is  being 
erected  over  the  place  where  the  body  is 
deposited,  in  the  Hotel  des  Invalides,  and 
will  soon  be  completed,  (1S48.) 


GAZA. 


Tnis  city  is  often  mentioned  in  the  Bible, 
and  is  particularly  noted  for  the  feats  which 
Samson  performed  there,  in  carrying  off  its 
gates,  and  in  pulling  down  the  temple  of 
Dagon,  upon  which  occasion  he  lost  his  life. 


(See  Judges  chap,  xvi.)  It  is  situated  about 
forty-five  miles  south-west  of  Jerusalem,  and 
not  far  from  tlie  Mediterranean  Sea.  The 
high  road  from  Syria,  and  other  eastern 
countries,  to  Egypt,  passes  through  it :  it 


CITY    OF    ANCIENT    BABYLON. 


231 


has  therefore  been  often  taken  in  Ihe  wars 
that  have  been  waged  in  these  regions. 

When  Alexander,  the  Macedonian  con- 
queror, made  his  famous  expedition  against 
Cyrus,  he  besieged  Gaza,  which  was  in  his 
route.  It  made  an  obstinate  resistance  of 
five  months ;  but  it  was  at  last  taken  by 
storm,  its  brave  defenders  were  slaughtered 
at  their  posts  ;  their  wives  and  children  were 
sold  as  slaves  ;  and  the  city  was  rcpeopled 
with  inhabitants  drawn  from  the  surround- 
ing country. 

Tlie  crusaders  found  it  in  ruins,  but  they 


erected  a  castle  here,  and  intnisted  it  to  the 
Knights  Templars.  From  that  time,  it  be- 
gan to  revive;  it  soon  passed  mtotlic  hands 
of  the  Saracens,  and  then  to  the  Turks,  who 
still  hold  it.  Dr.  Kobinson,  a  very  learned 
American  minister,  has  lately  visited  the 
place.  He  says  there  are  now  fifteen  or 
sixteen  thousand  people  there,  which  makes 
it  a  larger  city  than  Jerusalem.  He  says 
the  city  is  built  upon  a  small  hill,  and  bears 
few  marks  of  its  former  greatness.  Its  walls 
have  entirely  disappeared,  and  most  of  the 
houses  are  miserable  mud  huts. 


CITY   OF   ANCIENT   BABYLON. 


Akong  the  most  wonderfid  things  handed 
down  to  us  by  history,  is  tlie  account  of  tlie 
ancient  city  of  Babylon,  which  is  so  often 
mentioned  in  the  Bible,  and  the  remains  of 
which  astonish  the  traveller  at  the  present 
day.  The  most  particular  description  we 
have  of  it  is  furnished  by  the  Greek  histo- 
rian, Herodotus,  who  visited  it  about  four 
himdri'd  and  fifty  years  before  Christ. 

He  says  that  it  was  situated  in  a  great 
plain,  the  river  Euphrates  running  through 
it  from  north  to  south. 

Its  form  was  square  ;  each  side  measured 
fifteen  miles,  and  the  whole  circuit  sixty 
miles.  It  was  surrounded  with  walls,  three 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high  and  eighty-seven 
feet  thick.  Upon  these  walls  were  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  towers.  Theentmnce  to  the 
city  was  by  one   hundred  gates  of  brass. 


Without  the  wall,  there  was  a  deep  ditch 
around  the  cit}-,  filled  with  water. 

Upon  the  tops  of  the  walls,  there  were 
buildings  on  each  side  containing  one  room 
each.  Between  these  there  was  space  to 
drive  a  chariot  with  horses.  The  walls 
were  built  of  bricks  cemented  together  by 
bitumen.  At  every  thirty  layers  of  bricks, 
there  was  a  layer  of  reeds,  to  give  the  fabric 
strength.  The  engraving  at  the  head  of 
this  article  is  intended  to  give  some  idea  of 
the  form  of  this  mighty  city,  as  described  by 
Herodotus. 

The  streets  in  the  city  were  straight,  the 
houses  being  four  or  five  stories  high.  The 
temple  of  Belus  was  of  amazing  magnUudc, 
being  nearly  as  large  as  the  great  pyramid 
of  Gizeh.  It  was  a  regular  square,  each 
side  measuring  si.x   hundred  feet.     It  con- 


232 


WALLED    CITIES. 


sisted  of  eight  towers,  one  above  another, 
and  was  of  immense  height.  Beside  this, 
there  was  a  magnificent  palace,  and  con- 
nected with  it  were  lianging  gardens  of 
great  extent. 

The  history  of  Babjdonia  goes  back  to 
a  period  of  high  antiquity.  Its  founders 
were  among  the  earliest  nations  that  were 
formed  upon  the  earth,  and  they  appear  to 
have  reached  a  certain  degree  of  science  and 
civilization,  nearly  two  thousand  years  be- 
fore Christ.  Nimrod  is  mentioned  in  the 
Bible  as  the  founder  of  this  empire,  of  which 
Babylon  was  the  capital.  Here  the  kings 
of  Assyria  held  their  court,  and  displayed  a 
magnificence,  the  accounts  of  which  strike 
us  with  wonder.  Here  many  of  the  arts 
were  carried  to  great  perfection,  particularly 
the  manufacture  of  cotton,  linen  and  silk. 

Babylon  reached  its  magnificence  through 
the  efibrts  of  several  succeeding  sovereigns. 
But  Semiramis,  the  wife  of  Ninus,  is  said 
to  have  been  its  founder.     In  the  year  53S 


B.  C.  it  was  taken  by  Cyrus,  King  of  Persia, 
who  made  it  his  winter  residence.  At  this 
place,  Alexander,  who  had  conquered  Per- 
sia, died,  323  B.  C. 

The  ruins  of  this  wonderful  city  are  to  be 
seen  about  forty-eight  miles  south  of  the 
present  city  of  Bagdat.  Its  prodigious  walls 
have  entirely  disappeared,  and  it  is  not  easy 
to  trace  even  the  outline  of  this  once  mighty 
metropolis.  The  remains  consist  of  heaps 
of  rubbish,  principally  bricks.  It  does  not 
appear  that  the  architecture  of  the  Babylo- 
nians had  reached  a  high  degree  of  refine- 
ment. Its  chief  characteristic  was  colossal 
dimensions.  The  remains  of  the  temple  of 
Belus  are  still  to  be  distinguished,  and  con- 
sist of  a  heap  of  ruins  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  in  height.  This  complete 
destruction  of  Babylon,  and  the  desolation 
which  presides  over  the  scene,  is  regarded 
as  a  terrific  fulfilment  of  the  denunciations 
uttered  against  it  by  the  prophets,  as  recorded 
in  the  Bible. 


WALLED   CITIES. 


In  ancient  times,  it  was  the  custom  to 
surround  cities  with  very  high  walls  of 
stone.  This  was  rendered  necessarj^,  by 
the  habit  that  then  prevailed  among  nations, 
of  making  war  upon  each  other.  We,  who 
live  so  peaceably,  can  hardly  conceive  of  the 
state  of  things  that  existed  in  former  ages. 
It  is  only  by  reading  history,  that  we  be- 
come informed  of  what  appears  to  have  been 
the  fact,  that  in  all  countries,  until  within  a 
late  period,  war  has  been  the  great  game  of 
nations. 

As  the  people  of  ancient  cities  were  con- 
stantly exposed  to  the  attack  of  enemies, 
the   only  way  to  obtain  security  was  to  en- 


circle themselves  with  high  and  strong  walls. 
Sometimes  these  were  of  vast  height  and 
thickness.  We  are  told  that  Thebes,  a  city 
of  Egypt  —  the  mighty  ruins  of  which  still 
astonish  the  traveller  who  passes  that  way 
—  had  a  hundred  gates.  It  is  said  that  the 
walls  of  Babylon  were  near  fifty  feet  high. 

Most  of  the  cities  of  Asia  are  still  encir- 
cled with  walls,  and  many  of  the  cities  of 
Europe  also.  London,  Edinburgh,  and  Dub- 
lin, have  none ;  Paris  had  only  a  low  wall 
till  lately  —  but  the  late  king,  Louis  Phil- 
ippe, caused  one  to  be  erected  of  greater 
strength.  Rome,  Vienna,  St.  Petersburgh, 
Berlin,  and  Amsterdam,  are  walled  cities. 


THE   BUCCANEERS. 


The  West  Indies  in  the  sixteenth  ccnturj' 
eavc  rise  to  a  singular  association  of  adven- 
turers, who,  from  an  obscure  origin,  gradu- 
ally acquired  great  power,  became  famous 
for  their  courage,  enterprise  and  crimes,  and 
were  for  a  long  period  the  terror  of  those 
regions.  These  were  the  Buccaneers,  or 
Brethren  of  the  Coast,  called  by  the  French 
'"Fli/jiisliers."  They  first  attract  our  notice 
in  the  island  of  St.  Domingo.  After  the 
failure  of  the  mines  in  that  i.sland,  it  was 
almost  utterly  neglected  by  the  Spaniards  ; 
tlie  greater  part  of  its  (Inurisliing  cities  were 
abandoned  by  tlie  inhabitants,  and  the  few 
who  remained  were  sunk  into  the  most  en- 
ervating indolence.  A  number  of  French 
wanderers,  who  had  been  driven  out  of  St. 
Christopher's  by  the  Spaniards,  took  refuge 
here,  and  subsisted  by  bunting  wild  cattle, 
interrnption   from   the 


They  met  with 


Spaniards,  and  their  numbers  were  aug- 
mented by  adventurers  from  all  quarters. 
They  derived  their  name  of  Buccaneers 
from  the  Caribs,  who  taught  the  settlers  in 
the  West  Indies  a  curious  method  of  pre- 
serving meat,  by  smoking  and  drying.  This 
meat  was  called  hmican,  and  constituted  the 
principal  food  of  these  adventurers. 

As  they  had  no  wives  nor  children,  they 
generally  lived  two  and  two  together  for 
nnitual  assistance  ;  and  when  one  died,  the 
survivor  inherited  the  property  of  his  com- 
panion. Without  government  or  laws,  they 
had  certain  rules  and  customs  adapted  to 
their  situation  ;  nor  do  they  seem  to  have 
had  any  great  reason  to  lament  the  want  of 
a  more  perfect  policy.  Difl'erences  seldom 
arose  among  them,  and  were  easily  adjusted. 
The  (iress  of  a  Buccaneer  consisted  of  u 
shirt  dipped  in  the  blood  of  an  animal  just 


30 


234 


THE    BUCCANEERS. 


slain  ;  a  pair  of  trowsers  ;  a  leather  girdle, 
from  whicli  hung:  o.  short  sabre  and  some 
Dutch  knives  ;  a  hat  without  a  rim,  except 
a  fragment  before,  to  pull  it  on  and  off;  and 
shoes  of  raw  hide,  without  stockings.  Each 
man  had  a  heavj'  musket,  and  commonly  a 
pack  of  twenty  or  thirty  dogs.  At  daybreak, 
they  usually  set  out  in  pursuit  of  wild  cat- 
tle, and  did  not  return  till  they  had  killed 
;  one  apiece.  The  hides  were  sold  to  the 
Dutch  and  others,  who  resorted  to  the  island 
for  this  trade,  as  soon  as  the  Buccaneers 
began  to  be  known.  The}''  possessed  ser- 
vants and  slaves,  consisting  of  those  unfor- 
tunate persons  who  were  decoyed  to  the 
West  Indies,  and  sold,  or  who  indented 
themselves  for  a  certain  number  of  years. 
These  men  were  treated  with  great  rigor. 
One  of  them  telling  his  master  that  God 
had  forbidden  the  practice  of  working  on 
Sunday,  bj'  saying,  "  Six  days  shalt  thou 
labor,  and  on  the  seventh  thou  shalt  rest;" 
the  Buccaneer  replied,  "And  /say  to  thee, 
'  six  days  shalt  thou  kill  cattle,  and  on  the 
seventh  shalt  thou  carry  their  hides  to  the 
shore.' " 

The  labor  of  each  week  was  the  same, 
till  they  had  furnished  the  stipulated  num- 
ber of  hides  ;  for  they  had  regular  contracts 
with  the  traders.  They  drank  nothing  but 
water ;  and  their  houcan  was  seasoned  with 
pimento  and  orange  juice.  After  a  time, 
they  began  to  make  inroads  upon  the  Span- 
ish  settlements,  and  furnish  themselves  with 
other  necessaries.  The  Spaniards,  too  in- 
dolent to  make  effectual  defence,  procured 
soldiers  from  the  neighboring  islands,  who 
fell  upon  the  scattered  parties  of  the  Bucca- 
neers, and  put  many  of  them  to  the  sword. 
Seeing  themselves  in  danger  of  being  totally 
exterminated,  they  adopted  a  new  organiza- 
tion ;  and  by  acting  in  concert,  they  laid 
waste  the  Spanish  settlements  with  fire  and 
sword.  The  Spaniards  saw  no  other  means 
of  getting  rid  of  these  ferocious  enemies  than 
the  destruction  of  all  the  wild  cattle  by  a 
general  chase.  This  had  the  desired  effect. 
The  Buccaneers  abandoned  St.  Domingo, 
and  took  refuge  in  the  small  island  of  Tor- 
tuga. 

They  now  found  themselves  absolute 
lords  of  an  island,  eight  leagues  long  and 
two  broad,  mountainous  and  woody.  The 
northern  coast  was  inaccessible  ;  the  south- 
ern liad  an  excellent  harbor.  So  advan- 
tageous a  situation  soon  brought  to  the  spot 
a  multitude  of  adventurers  and  desperadoes 
from  every  qiv  rter;  and  the  Buccaneers 
from  cattle-hunters  became  pirates.  It  was 
at  this  period  that  they  assumed  the  name 


of  the  Brethren  of  the  Coast.  They  made 
their  cruises  in  open  boats,  exposed  to  all 
the  inclemencies  of  the  weather,  and  cap- 
tured their  prizes  by  boarding.  They  at- 
tacked the  ships  of  every  nation,  but  the 
Spaniards  were  the  grand  object  of  their 
hostilities ;  they  imagined  that  the  cruel- 
ties exercised  by  them  upon  the  natives  of 
America  offered  a  sufficient  apology  for  any 
violence  that  could  be  committed  upon  thai 
nation.  Accommodating  their  conscience 
to  these  principles  of  religion  and  equity, 
they  never  embarked  upon  an  expedition 
without  publicly  offering  up  prayers  for  suc- 
cess ;  nor  did  they  ever  return  laden  with 
booty  without  solemnly  thanking  God  for 
their  good  fortune. 

In  dividing  their  booty,  they  first  provided 
a  compensation  for  such  as  were  maimed  in 
the  expedition.  If  any  one  had  lost  a  right 
arm,  he  received  six  hundred  dollars,  or  six 
slaves,  and  in  proportion  for  other  wounds. 
After  this,  the  remainder  was  divided  equal- 
ly. The  commander  could  claim  but  one 
share,  although,  when  he  had  acquitted 
himself  ably,  they  complimented  him  with 
several  shares.  The  spoil  being  divided, 
the  Buccaneers  abandoned  themselves  to  all 
kinds  of  rioting  and  licentiousness,  till  their 
wealth  was  expended,  when  they  went  to 
sea  again.  They  seldom  attacked  any  ex- 
cept the  homeward  bound  European  ships, 
as  these  always  carried  gold  and  silver. 
They  commonlv  pursued  the  Spanish  galle- 
ons and  flota  as  far  as  the  Bahama  channel, 
and  if  by  accident  a  ship  separated  from  the 
rest,  they  instantly  attacked  her,  and  she 
seldom  escaped.  Such  a  terror  did  their 
very  name  inspire,  that  the  Spaniards  gen- 
erally surrendered  the  moment  they  came 
to  close  quarters. 

The  Buccaneers  rapidly  increased  in 
numbers  and  strength.  They  sailed  in 
larger  vessels,  and  carried  on  their  enter- 
prises with  still  ffreatcr  audacit}'.  Miguel 
de  Basco  captured,  under  the  guns  of  Porto 
Belo,  a  Spanish  galleon  valued  at  a  million 
of  dollars.  Lawrence,  another  Buccaneer, 
in  a  small  vessel,  with  a  few  hands,  was 
pursued  and  overtaken  by  two  Spanish  ships, 
carrj'ing  one  hundred  and  twenty  guns  and 
seven  hundred  men,  which  he  repelled. 
Montbars,  a  French  gentleman,  was  induced 
to  join  the  Buccaneers  by  an  unconquerable 
antipathy  to  the  Spaniards,  which  he  had 
imbibed  in  his  youth  by  reading  the  history 
of  the  cruelties  which  they  had  practised 
upon  the  native  Americans.  This  antipathy 
rose  even  to  frenzy.  His  heated  imagina- 
tion, which  he  loved  to  indulge,  constantly   j 


THE    BUCCANEERS. 


235 


presented  to  him  innumerable  multitudes 
of  irinoctnt  people  swept  away  by  a  set  of 
ruthless  adventurers  nursed  among  the 
mountains  of  Castile.  These  unhappy  vic- 
tims seemed  to  call  upon  him  for  venp-eance  ; 
he  longed  to  imbrue  his  hands  in  Spanish 
blood  ;  and  no  sooner  had  war  broke  out 
between  France  and  Spain,  toward  the  mid- 
dle of  the  seventeenth  century,  than  he  em- 
barked for  America,  where  he  became  one 
of  the  most  formidable  of  the  Buccaneer 
commanders.  His  audacious  courage  was 
e'piallcd  only  by  the  pleasure  he  took  in 
avenging  the  slaughter  of  the  Indians  by 
shedding  torents  of  Spanish  blood.  IIu- 
manitv  in  him  became  the  source  of  the 
most  unfeeling  barbarity. 

Two  Buccaneers,  Lolonois  and  Basco, 
sailed  for  the  Spanish  Main,  with  eight  ves- 
sels and  six  hundred  and  sixty  men.  At  the 
entrance  of  the  Lake  of  INIaracaybo,  they 
attacked  and  captured  the  castle  which  de- 
fended the  strait.  Passing  up  the  lake, 
they  next  captured  the  city  of  Maracaybo, 
where  they  spent  a  fortnight  in  rioting  and 
debauchery.  The  inhabitants  had  carried 
their  most  precious  effects  to  Gibraltar,  at 
the  further  end  of  the  lake,  which  the  Buc- 
caneers might  have  taken,  had  they  pro- 
ceeded directly  thither.  But  by  delaying, 
they  gave  the  Spaniards  time  to  erect  forti- 
fications, and  they  defended  these  long 
enough  to  enable  the  inhabitants  to  trans- 
port their  wealth  to  another  ])lace  for  secu- 
rity. Exasperated  by  this  disappointment, 
the  Buccaneers  set  fire  to  Giliraltar,  and 
Maracaybo  would  have  shared  the  same 
fate,  had  it  not  been  ransomed.  Besides 
the  money  which  they  received  for  sparing 
the  city,  they  carried  off  all  the  crosses, 
pictures  and  liellsof  the  churches,  intending, 
as  they  said,  to  build  a  chapel  at  Torluga, 
and  consecrate  this  part  of  their  spoil  to 
sacred  purjioses. 

Henry  Morgan,  an  English  Buccaneer, 
sailed  on  an  expedition  against  Porto  Beln, 
in  1()()S.  He  captured  the  town  before  the 
Spaniards  could  take  any  measures  for  its 
defence.  The  citadel  held  out,  and  the 
chief  citizens  had  retired  into  it  with  their 
most  valuable  effects,  and  all  the  plate  of 
the  cliurches.  Morgan  practised  a  strata- 
gem to  reduce  the  fortress  without  any  loss. 
He  compelled  the  priests,  nuns  and  other 
women,  whom  he  liad  taken  prisoners,  to 
plant  the  scaling-ladders  against  the  walls. 
from  a  porsnasion  that  the  gallantry  and 
superstition  of  the  Spaniards  would  not  suf- 
fer tliein  to  fire  upon  the  objects  of  tiieir 
love  and  veneration.    But  the  governor  was 


a  sturdy  and  resolute  soldier,  and  ordered 
his  men  to  repulse  all  assailants.  Morgan, 
therefore,  found  himself  compelled  to  storm 
the  citadel.  The  garrison  made  an  obsti- 
nate defence,  and  great  numbers  of  them, 
fell,  sword  in  hand,  by  the  side  of  their 
commander ;  but  the  place  was  carried. 
The  Buccaneers  obtained  plunder  and  ran- 
som amounting  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  besides  a  vast  quantity  of 
valuable  merchandise. 

The  following  year,  Morgan  made  an  ex- 
pedition to  ]\Iaracaybo.  He  found  the  place 
deserted,  but  had  the  good  fortune  to  dis- 
cover the  wealth  of  the  citizens,  which  they 
had  secreted  in  the  neighboring  woods.  He 
then  proceeded  to  Gibraltar,  where  for  many 
weeks  ho  practised  the  most  cruel  tortures 
upon  the  people  to  extort  a  discovery  of 
their  treasures.  These,  however,  were  un- 
successful;  and  when  about  to  depart,  he 
found  himself  blockaded  b)-  three  Spanish 
men-of-war.  These  he  attacked,  burnt  two 
of  them  with  a  fire-ship,  and  defeated  the 
other.  The  next  year  he  undertook  an  ex- 
pedition on  a  still  greater  scale.  With  a 
fleet  of  thirty-seven  vessels  and  two  thou- 
sand men,  he  made  a  descent  upon  the  island 
of  St.  Catharine,  which  was  very  strongly 
fortified,  but  which  was  easily  taken,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  cowardice  of  the  governor, 
who  concerted  a  pretended  plan  of  defence 
to  save  his  reputation,  but  made  a  secret 
bargain  with  Morgan,  and  allowed  himself 
to  be  vanquished  without  bloodshed.  The 
Buccaneers  destroyed  the  fortifications,  and 
took  on  board  an  immense  quantity  of  war- 
like stores,  which  they  found  in  the  island. 
They  now  determined  to  attack  Panama,  on 
the  opposite  coast  of  the  isthmus  of  Darien, 
and,  with  this  view,  sailed  toward  tiie  river 
Chagrcs,  which  has  its  source  near  the 
Pacific. 

On  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  this  river, 
they  found  it  defended  by  a  strong  fort  built 
upon  a  steep  rock,  whose  base  was  washed 
by  the  sea.  It  was  garrisoned  by  a  band 
of  brave  soldiers,  under  a  commander  of 
courage  and  abilities.  They  made  a  stout 
ilefence,  and  the  Buccaneers  would  have 
been  repulsed  but  for  a  very  singular  acci- 
dent. Morgan,  despairing  of  success,  was 
about  to  give  orders  for  a  retreat,  when  an 
arrow  shot  by  an  Indian  lodged  in  the  eye 
of  one  of  his  men.  Exasperated  by  the 
anguish  of  his  wound,  he  drew  out  the  ar- 
row, wrapped  the  end  of  t  in  cotton,  put  it 
into  his  musUct,  and  discharged  it  into  the 
fort.  The  buildings  were  all  of  wood,  with 
thatched  roofs;  and  the  arrow,  ignited  by 


236 


THE    BUCCANEERS. 


the  discharo^e,  stnick  the  roof  of  a  house  and 
set  it  on  fire.  The  garrison  were  so  intent 
on  defending-  their  walls,  that  they  did  not 
perceive  the  flames  till  they  had  made  great 
progress.  A  sudden  panic  then  seized  them, 
as  they  saw  the  fire  approaching  the  powder 
magazine.  Terror  and  confusion  prevailed; 
every  man  consulted  his  own  safety,  with 
the  exception  of  fifteen  or  twenty,  who  con- 
tinued fighting  by  the  side  of  their  com- 
mander till  ho  fell,  covered  with  wounds. 
The  Buccaneers  having  renewed  the  attack 
with  the  utmost  vigor,  they  were  compelled 
to  surrender. 

The  marauders  pursued  their  voyage  up 
the  river  in  launches,  leaving  a  part  of  their 
men  on  board  the  fleet  which  remained  at 
anchor  below.  They  proceeded  as  far  as 
Cruces,  where  they  landed,  and  marched  for 
Panama.  They  defeated  the  Spaniards  in 
several  skirmishes,  and  captured  the  city, 
but  found  it  almost  deserted,  the  inhabitants 
having  fled  to  the  woods.  They  plundered 
Panama  at  their  leisure  ;  and  their  savage 
leader  fell  in  love  with  one  of  his  female 
captives.  As  neither  his  character  nor  per- 
son were  such  as  to  inspire  her  with  any 
favorable  sentiments  towards  him,  he  pleaded 
his  passion  in  vain.  He  caused  her  to  be 
thrown  into  a  dungeon,  and  ordered  that 
she  should  be  supplied  with  food  barely  suf- 
ficient to  sustain  life.  Hoping  to  conquer 
her  obstinacy  by  this  cruel  treatment,  he 
made  a  long  stay  in  Panama,  till  his  men 
began  to  murmur  at  being  kept  inactive  by 
such  a  caprice.  He  therefore  was  compelled 
to  depart,  and  agreed  with  the  Spaniards 
for  a  considerable  sum  to  evacuate  the  city 
without  committing  any  further  damage  ; 
but  after  the  money  was  paid,  Panama  was 
set  on  fire,  whether  by  accident  or  design, 
is  not  known.  The  Buccaneers  returned 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Chagres  with  an  enor- 
mous booty. 

In  16S3,  twelve  hundred  Buccaneers,  in 
si.x  ships,  under  the  command  of  Van  Horn, 
Grannnort,  Godfrey,  Jonque,  and  De  Grafl', 
attacked  Vera  Cruz.  Under  cover  of  a 
dark  night,  they  landed  at  a  distance, 
reached  the  town  without  being  discovered, 
and  obtained  complete  possession  of  it  by 
daybreak.  The  inhabitants  fled  to  the 
churches,  where  the  Buccaneers  confined 
them,  and  placed  barrels  of  gunpowder  at 
the  doors,  with  preparations  to  blow  them 
up  at  the  least  appearance  of  resistance. 
They  then  pillaged  the  city  undisturbed 
during  three  days;  after  which  they  oflered 
to  ransom  their  prisoners  for  two  millions  of 


dollars.  These  unfortunate  people,  who  had 
neither  eaten  nor  drank  for  tlie  whole  period, 
gladly  accepted  the  terms.  Half  the  money 
was  paid,  and  the  remainder  expected  from 
the  interior,  when  a  fleet  of  seventeen  ships 
npjieared  ofl'  the  harbor,  and  a  considerable 
body  of  troops  showed  themselves  on  a 
neighboring  eminence,  inarching  toward  the 
town.  The  Buccaneers  quietly  retreated  to 
their  vessels,  carrying  ofl"  fifteen  liundred 
slaves  as  an  indemnity  for  the  half  of  the 
ransom  which  they  had  lost,  and  compelling 
the  inhabitants  to  sign  a  bond  for  the  pay- 
ment of  it,  with  interest.  They  boldly 
sailed  through  the  Spanish  fleet,  which  let 
them  pass  without  firing  a  gun. 

The  following  year,  the  Buccaneers  made 
their  appearance  in  the  South  Sea,  where 
they  captured  and  pillaged  fifteen  or  twenty 
towns  along  the  coast.  The  Spaniards  never 
ventured  to  defend  themselves  unless  they 
greatly  outnumbered  them,  and  then  they 
were  commonly  routed.  They  were  so 
enervated  by  ease  and  luxurj*  that  they  had 
lost  all  military  spirit  and  skill,  and  had 
almost  forgotten  the  use  of  arms.  They 
were,  if  possible,  more  ignorant  and  cow- 
ardly than  the  Indians  whom  they  tramj)!ed 
upon.  This  pusillanimity  was  augmented 
by  the  terrors  which  the  name  of  the  Buc- 
caneers inspired.  The  monks  had  repre- 
sented them  as  devils, cannibals, and  beings 
destitute  of  the  human  form.  As  the  Span- 
iards always  fled  on  the  approach  of  the 
enemy,  they  knew  no  other  method  of  tak- 
ing revenge  than  by  burning  or  cutting  in 
pieces  the  bodies  of  the  Buccaneers  which 
had  been  killed.  These  corpses  they  dug 
up,  mangled,  and  exposed  to  mimic  tortures; 
an  exhibition  of  impotent  and  childish  rage 
which  only  stimulated  the  ferocity  of  their 
enemies.  The  towns  which  these  captured 
were  set  on  fire,  and  the  prisoners  were 
massacred  without  mercy,  unless  both  were 
ransomed  with  gold,  silver  or  precious  stones. 
Silver'was  often  so  common  as  to  be  de- 
spised, and  they  abandoned  heaps  of  it  in 
every  quarter. 

These  ravages  almost  totally  annihilated 
the  Spanish  commerce  in  America.  Hardly 
a  ship  ventured  to  sea,  and  all  communica- 
tion between  the  different  provinces  was  cut 
off.  Their  richest  and  most  populous  terri- 
tories were  laid  waste,  and  the  people  hardly 
dared  to  show  themselves  without  the  walls 
of  their  towns.  Cultivation  was  neglected, 
to  the  great  distress  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
the  Indians  saw  themselves  partially  re- 
venged on  their  tyrants,  whose  sufferings 


SKELETON    OF    A    BIRD. 


237 


were  drnwn  on  them  by  that  very  gold 
wliicli  had  stimulated  them  to  bloodshed 
and  oppression. 

The  last  remarkable  event  in  the  historj' 
of  (he  Buccaneers  is  the  capture  of  Car- 
tlia^-ena,  in  1697.  Twelve  hundred  of  them. 
UiuliT  Pnintis,  made  themselves  masters  of 
this  large,  opulent  and  well-fortificd  city, 
wliere  they  obtained  a  boot}'  of  eleven  mil- 
lions of  dollars.  Had  they  been  under  the 
direction  of  an  able  leader,  and  had  their 
object  been  conquest  instead  of  plunder, 
ihey  might  have  subjugated  nearly  all  the 
West  Indies,  and  erected  an  independent 
state.  Morgan  is  said  at  one  time  to  have 
entertained  such  a  design.  The  war  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  France,  which  fol- 


lowed the  accession  of  William  III.,  was  a 
severe  blow  to  the  Buccaneers,  who  wero 
composed  chiefly  of  the  subjects  of  these 
two  powers.  They  turned  their  arms 
against  each  other,  and  never  confederated 
afterwards.  The  treaty  of  Ryswick,  and 
the  accession  of  a  French  prince  to  the 
throne  of  Spain,  cninpicted  their  dispersion. 
JIany  of  them  turned  planters,  or  returned 
to  their  original  occupation  of  sailors  on 
board  merchant  ships.  Others,  who  had 
fast-sailing  vessels,  escaped  into  remote  seas, 
and  practised  ]iiracy  there.  For  nearly  two 
centuries,  the  Buccaneers  had  been  a  people 
wiiolly  distinct  in  history;  they  at  last  dis- 
appeared, and  left  not  a  trace  of  their  exist- 
ence behind. 


SKELETON   OF   A   BIRD. 


The  frame-work  of  a  bird  is  one  of  the 
most  curious  and  interesting  things  in  na- 
ture ;  and  if  we  examine  it  carefully,  we 
cannot  but  admire  the  ingenuity  and  skill 
of  its  great  Creator.  What  mechanic,  save 
the  Author  of  nature,  could  have  executed 
a  piece  of  mechanism  so  complicated,  so 
delicate,  and  that  yet  works  so  admirably? 
Think  of  the  rapid  motion  of  a  bird  in  its 
flight;  the  quick  vibrations  of  the  wings  ; 
the  sudden  bendings  of  the  neck  and  tail  ; 
and  consider  that  all  these  are  efTected  by 
muscles,  which  operate  like  the  ropes  of  a 
ship.  How  slow  and  difTicult  are  the  evolu- 
tions of  a  ship,  which  is  one  of  the  wonders 


of  human  art ;  how  swift  are  the  evolutions 
of  a  bird,  which,  however,  is  only  one  among 
the  thousand  wonders  of  nature  ! 

Another  curious  thing  about  the  skeleton 
of  a  bird  is  this  —  all  the  bones  are  hollow 
and  very  thin,  yet  they  are  vcn,'  strong. 
Now,  wh}'  are  they  so  thin  and  light  ?  Be- 
cause the  bird  is  to  fly  in  the  air,  and  the.'e- 
fore  it  is  necessary  that  his  body  should  be 
as  light  as  possible.  How  wonderfully  the 
Creator  seems  to  have  foreseen  all  things, 
and  to  have  contrived  them  in  the  best  pos- 
siltle  way  to  answer  the  purposes  that  he 
had  in  view ! 


%*^» 


238 


MAKTIN    LUTHER. 


'  bread 


MARTIN   LUTHER. 

Tins  famous  man  was  born  at  Eisleben, 
then  in  Saxony,  but  now  within  the  limits 
of  Prussia.  His  father,  Hans,  or  John  Lu- 
ther, was  a  native  of  Mora,  near  Eisenach  ; 
he  was  originally  a  woodcutter,  and  in  very 
humble  circumstances.  His  wife  often  car- 
ried the  wood  to  market  on  her  back.  On 
the  occasion  of  a  fair  at  the  latter  place,  the 
parents  both  went  thither,  and  on  the  night 
of  their  arrival,  November  10,  14S3,  the 
mother  gave  birth  to  a  son.  This  occurred 
on  the  eve  of  St.  Jlarfin's  day,  and  hence 
the  infant  was  called  Martin.  Six  months 
after  this  event,  the  parents  went  to  live  at 
Mansfeld,  ten  miles  from  Eisleben,  where 
the  father  pursued  the  business  of  a  miner, 
with  groat  success. 

Young  Luther  was  brought  up  in  the 
strict  habits  and  under  the  severe  discipline 
of  the  age.  His  father  was  accustomed  io 
inflict  on  him  cruel  chastisements,  and  his 
mother,  for  a  mere  trifle,  whipped  him  till 
the  blood  came.  Such  was  the  general 
system  of  family  government  iit  th;it  day. 
When  sufTiciently  advanced,  Martin  Luther 
was  sent  to  Eisenach,  where  he  had  access 
to  an  institution  which  taught  the  learning 
of  the  time.  But  he  had  no  friends,  and 
was  obliged  to  procure  his  own  bread.  For 
thi.-!  purpose,  he  used  to  go  about  the  streets, 
with  some  of  his  companions  as  poor  as 
himself,  singmg  at  the  doors  of  such  as 
would  listen.  He  had  a  fine  talent  for 
music,  and  though  he  often  chanted  the 
favorite  songs  and  ballads  of  the  day,  he 
also  sometimes  sung  his  own  compositions. 


This    he   was  accustomed  to  call 
music." 

In  one  of  his  excursions,  he  came  to  the 
house  of  a  respectable  man,  named  Conrad 
Cotta.  Before  it  rose  some  lofty  trees.  In 
the  shadow  of  these,  young  Martin  threw 
limself  down,  and  his  heart  being  burdened 
uith  sadness,  he  poured  forth  his  feelings 
ill  a  strain  of  plaintive  melody.  The  wife 
of  Conrad,  attracted  by  the  melancholy 
tones,  came  to  the  door,  and  invited  the 
youth  to  enter.  She  then  placed  before 
iiim  the  fare  her  humble  house  afforded. 
The  boy'.s  gratitude,  ardently  expressed, 
touched  her  heart,  and  she  invited  him  to 
come  again.  Thus  an  acquaintance  began, 
and  Luther  was,  after  a  short  time,  invited 
to  talce  up  his  residence  at  the  house,  which 
he  did  ;  and  thus,  relieved  from  the  evils  of 
poverty,  he  was  able  to  prosecute  his  stud- 
ies. Long  after,  when  his  fame  filled  all 
Europe,  these  kind  and  efficient  friends  had 
the  pleasure  to  reflect  that  the  great  Re- 
former was  the  hungry  ballad-singer,  whom 
they  had  comforted  and  cherished  in  the 
days  of  poverty. 

Having  spent  five  years  at  Eisenach,  Lu- 
ther was  sent,  in  1.501,  to  the  university  of 
Erfurth,  then  a  respectable  seminarj',  but 
since  suppressed.  His  father  wished  him 
to  study  law,  but  he  had  little  inclination 
for  this,  and  devoted  himself  to  general 
literature  and  music,  which  latter  he  con- 
tinued to  cultivate  through  life.  At  the 
university,  he  showed  the  jovial,  careless 
disposition,  which  generally  marks,  the 
German  student.  He  was,  however,  much 
struck,  when  one  day  searching  for  an  old 
book  in  the  library,  to  meet  with  a  copy  of 
the  Bible.  He  had  before  thought  that  all 
tlie  sacred  writings  were  contained  in  the 
portions  which  were  read  in  the  churches. 
This  discovery  doubtless  gave  occasion  to 
much  reflection. 

In  1505,  an  event  occurred,  which 
changed  the  current  of  Luther's  thoughts, 
and  gave  direction  to  his  future  life.  He 
was  a  lover  of  nature,  and  one  day  indulg- 
ing his  taste  in  this  respect,  he  was  ram- 
bling through  the  fields  with  a  friend.  A 
storm  was  gathering  over  their  heads,  but 
they  continued  the  conversation,  which  had 
relation  to  some  serious  subject.  In  the 
mind  of  Luther,  the  pealing  thunder  was 
the  type  of  the  future  judgment.  He  turned 
to  speak  to  his  companion,  when,  at  the 
very  instant,  the  latter  was  struck  dead  by 
a  flash  of  lightning  !  Luther  stood  a  mo- 
ment in  fear  and  awe  ;  he  then  knelt  by 
the  side  of  his  companion,  and  lifting  his 


MARTIN    LUTHER. 


239 


eyes  to  heaven,  he  made  a  solemn  vow  to 
devote  his  future  life  to  the  service  of  God. 
Educated  in  the  Catholic  faith,  this  was 
equivalent  to  a  vow  that  he  would  enter  a 
monaster}-,  and  hecome  a  moidc,  which  he 
did  in  1505,  in  spite  of  his  father's  remon- 
strances. 

It  was  in  the  Ausrustine  convent  of  Er- 
furtli  that  Luther  had  now  taken  his  vows. 
With  the  ardor  and  sincerity  of  his  charac- 
ter, he  devoted  himself  to  religious  contem- 
plation ;  but  he  did  not,  in  the  retirement 
of  the  cloister,  find  the  peace  he  soui^ht  and 
anticipated.  He  was  haunted  by  tempta- 
tions, and  distressed  by  scruples  and  doubts. 
He  discovered  what  had  not  before  been 
sun;gested  to  his  mind,  that,  in  the  absence 
of  substantial  enemies  found  in  the  world, 
the  mind  may  people  the  solitary  cell  with 
demons,  which  have  the  power  as  eflectually 
to  stab  our  peace. 

In  the  Oi/nvent  Luther  at  last  found  a 
friend,  who  imderstood  liis  character,  and 
ministered  to  his  spiritual  wants.  This 
was  Staupnitz,  the  provincial  of  the  order, 
or  ecclesiastical  sjovernor  of  tlie  Augustine 
convents  in  the  district  of  Erfurth.  He  was 
an  intelligent,  honest,  and  kindhearted  man, 
and  by  advice,  instruction,  and  encourage- 
ment, cleared  the  mind  and  lightened  the 
heart  of  the  distracted  votary. 

The  talents  of  Lutlier  were  soon  appre- 
ciated, and  in  1508,  at  the  instance  of 
Staupnitz,  lie  was  appointed  a  professor  of 
philosophy  in  the  university  of  Wittenberg. 
He  here  delivered  lectures,  which  were 
well  attended,  and  which  were  marked  by  a 
freedom  of  thought  and  manner  unusual  at 
that  day.  Li  1510,  he  was  sent  to  Italy, 
on  business  connected  with  the  order,  which 
laid  the  foundation  of  a  gfeat  change  in  his 
views. 

Luther  was  a  sincere  votary  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  With  the  simjilicity  of 
an  honest  mind,  he  supposed  that  he  should 
find  religion  in  its  utmost  purity  at  Home, 
and  that  the  pojie,  the  head  of  "tlie  church, 
would  be  a  tit  representative  of  the  Holy 
Apostle,  of  whom  he  claimed  to  be  the  suc- 
cessor. How  was  he  doomed  to  be  disap- 
pointed in  these  views  ! 

On  his  arrival  at  the  city  of  Milan,  he 
was  received  into  one  of  the  convents  as  a 
guest.  Here  he  found  his  brethren,  instead 
of  devoting  themselves  to  the  austerities  of 
religion,  as  was  the  case  at  Wittenberg, 
addicted  to  every  species  of  luxury.  In  the 
seclusion  of  their  cloisters,  they  sat  down 
to  sumptuous  tables,  loaded  with  luscious 
viands,  delicious  fruits,  and  choice  wines. 


Sheltered  from  the  observation  of  the  world, 
they  cast  aside  the  forms  and  ceremonies 
of  their  order,  and  gave  themselves  up  to 
license  and  indulgence.  Fasts  were  neg- 
lected—  penances  despised.  Luther  looked 
on  with  horror,  and  at  last,  unable  to  re- 
strain his  emotions,  broke  forth  in  terms  of 
reprobation  of  these  debaucheries. 

The  monks,  being  alarmed,  lest  they 
should  be  exposed,  caused  jioison  to  be 
administered  to  Luther;  —  the  dose  was 
slight,  and  they  intended  to  repeat  it ;  but, 
finding  himself  unwell  in  the  night,  he 
arose  and  set  forward  upon  his  journey. 
He  thus  unconsciously  bafiied  his  enemies, 
thnugli  his  lieallh  sulfered  for  a  long  time 
from  the  effects  of  the  poison  he  had  taken. 

Pursuing  his  way  chiefly  on  foot,  Luther 
at  last  arrived  at  Rome.  When  he  reached 
the  city,  liis  heart  burning  with  religious 
veneration,  he  knelt  down,  lifted  his  hands 
to  heaven,  and  exclaimed,  "  I  salute  thee, 
Holy  Home,  sanctified  by  the  blood  of  the 
martyrs  ! "  With  an  eagerness  that  noth- 
ing could  repress,  he  now  ran  from  place  to 
place,  all  seeming  in  his  pious  imagination 
to  be  consecrated  ground. 

The  pope  at  that  time  was  Julius  II.  He 
was  a  man  little  calculaled  to  satisfy  the 
views  of  Luther.  He  had  arisen  from  an 
humble  condition  to  the  loftiest  pitch  of 
earthly  power.  Nothing  could  be  more 
directly  opposed  to  the  meek  spirit  of 
Christianity  than  his  whole  soul  and  char- 
acter. He  was  a  subtle  politician,  a  bold 
and  ambitious  statesman,  an  impetuous 
and  determined  warrior.  How  was  Luther 
shocked,  when  he  expected  to  hear  of  the 
pious  virtues  of  his  Holiness,  to  find  him 
only  spoken  of  for  his  gigantic  ambition, 
his  worldly  policy,  his  achievements  in  the 
ficlil,  as  commander  of  his  own  forces,  his 
magnificent  schemes  of  earthly  aggrandize- 
ment, alike  respecting  himself  and  the  pa- 
pal see  !  One  of  his  schemes  of  ambition 
was  to  erect  a  church  at  Rome,  surpassing 
all  others  in  magnificence.  Accordingly,  in 
1.506,  four  years  before  Luther's  arrival, 
the  corner-stone  of  St.  Peter's  was  laid.  . 
In  a  few  months,  pushed  on  by  the  zeal  of  : 
the  pontifl",  the  walls  v.'ere  towering  over 
the  other  churches  of  Rome  ;  but  this  pre- 
cipitation caused  the  enormous  masses  to 
crack,  and  thus  the  progress  of  the  vast 
enterprise  was  retarded.  It  was  not  till 
long  after  that  this  edifice  was  finished. 
The  expense  was  enormous,  and  it  will 
hereafter  be  seen  that  this  had  a  direct 
connection  with  the  reformation  of  which 
Luther  was  the  great  instrument. 


240 


MARTIN    LUTIIEK. 


i  During  his  short  stay  at  Eome,  Luther 
beheld  tlie  pope  in  a  reliijious  procession. 
He  was  raised  on  a  platform,  and  carried 
on  the  shoulders  of  priests,  who  deemed  it  a 
favor  thus  to  bear  the  sacred  representative 
of  God  on  earth  !  His  head  was  bowed 
upon  his  breast,  in  token  of  humility,  but 
he  was  attired  in  the  most  gorgeous  robes. 
His  crown,  glittering  with  jewels,  was  borne 
on  a  cushion,  by  the  highest  dignitaries. 
Then  followed  others,  with  fans  of  peacock 
and  ostrich  plumes,  which  they  waved 
around  the  person  of  the  pontiff,  to  guard  it 
from  every  unhallowed  mote.  Then  came 
the  retinue  of  cardinals  and  bishops,  with 
crosses,  and  relics,  and  incense,  and  music, 
and  lighted  tapers,  and  revered  trophies, 
with  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  that 
human  ingenuity,  seeking  to  capture  the 
imagination,  could  invent.  The  mighty 
pageant  swept  by,  "  and  this,"  said  Luther, 
"  was  all  I  saw  of  religion  in  Eome." 

He  stayed  but  a  fortnight  in  that  city. 
He  was  disheartened  and  disgusted  with 
what  he  saw.  Rome  was  liUed  with  vice 
of  every  horrid  form,  and  every  degree  of 
enormity.  He  found,  too,  that  the  pope 
and  his  cardinals  were  mere  men  of  the 
world,  that  tlie  priests  were  generally  vo- 
luptuaries, and  many  of  them  open  infidels. 
Admitted  as  he  was  to  intimacy  with  many 
of  them,  he  found  that  they  often  made  a 
jest  and  mockery  of  the  most  holy  rites, 
and  even  while  performing  the  offices  of 
the  sacrament,  in  a  sort  of  by-play,  turned 
them  into  ridicule,  and  sneered  at  the  de- 
luded people,  who  looked  with  reverence 
upon  these  ceremonies.  He  hastened  back 
to  Germany,  his  heart  distressed,  his  mind 

■  bewildered,  his  faith  shaken.  It  was  this 
going  to  Rome,  however,  that  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  his  subsequent  career. 

Having  returned  to  Wittenberg,  Luther 
devoted  himself  to  his  professorship,  seek- 
ing peace  of  mind  in  a  vigorous  discharge 
of  its  duties.     Staupnitz,  who  saw  his  great 

1;  powers,  urged  hi-ii  to  become  a  doctor  of 
divinity.  Luther  consented,  and  Frederick, 
Elector  of  Sa.xony,  and  called  the  Wise, 
being  proud  of  him,  as  a  native  of  his  do- 
minion, and  an  ornament  of  the  university, 
paid  the  expenses  of  his  inauguration. 

Julius  II.  died  February  13,  1513,  and 
the  Cardinal  Jean  de  Medicis,  under  the 
name  of  Leo  X.,  became  the  pope.  In 
1517,  he  authorized  the  sale  of  indulgences 
in  Germany,  as  Julius  II.  had  done  in 
France,  Poland,  &c.  The  avowed  object 
was  to  raise  money  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  church  of  St.  Peter's  at  Eome,  and 


to  sustain  the  Christian  League  against  the 
Turk's.  Very  little,  however,  of  the  vast 
sums  of  monej'  obtained,  was  devoted  to  the 
objects  for  which  it  was  avowedly  raised. 

The  practice  of  granting  indulgences 
had  existed  for  centuries  before  the  time  of 
Luther.  The  Romish  Church,  assuming 
to  embody  the  power  of  Christ,  claimed 
the  privilege  of  remitting  the  penalty  and 
averting  the  punishment,  here  and  here- 
after, of  any  sin  committed,  provided  it 
was  confessed  and  repented  of.  A  penance 
was  often  imposed,  as  the  condition  of  such 
remission  and  forgiveness.  This  penance 
frequently  was  commuted  for  a  sum  of 
money,  given  to  the  church.  This  money, 
in  the  light  of  penance,  became  one  of  the 
means  and  instruments  by  which  sin  was 
to  be  pardoned.  From  this  position,  the 
next  step,  the  sale  of  indulgences,  was 
obvious  and  ea.sy.  The  popes  and  priests 
wanted  money,  and  holding  the  consciences 
of  men  in  their  grasp,  they  easily  laid  them 
under  contribution. 

Leo's  chief  agent  in  the  sale  of  indulgen- 
ces was  a  Dominican  monk,  bv  the  name 
of  Tetzel.  He  was  a  man  of  high  rank  and 
station  in  the  church,  and  possessed  all  the 
address,  cunning,  and  eflrontery  necessarv 
to  success  in  such  a  business.  Clothed 
with  the  full  power  of  the  pope,  and  encom- 
passed by  all  the  insignia  of  the  church, 
his  manner  was  lofty  and  his  aspect  unpos- 
ing.  He  was  paid  eighty  florins,  or  forty 
dollars  a  month,  besides  all  his  expenses. 
He  was  allowed  a  carriage  and  three  horses. 
His  perquisites,  however,  far  exceeded  his 
regular  pay.  His  success  was  so  great, 
that  at  the  town  of  Freyberg,  he  sold  indul- 
gences to  the  amount  of  two  thousand  florins 
in  two  days  ! 

To  show  the  efTronterj'  of  the  man,  thus 
employed  by  the  pope,  we  may  state  that 
he  was  guilty  of  the  most  abominable 
profligac)',  and  though  a  priest,  sworn  to 
celibacy,  carried  about  with  him  two  of  his 
own  children  !  These  things,  however,  did 
not  prevent  the  success  of  his  traffic.  When 
he  came  to  a  place,  he  went  into  the  church 
and  set  up  a  cross,  with  the  pope's  arms 
suspended  upon  it.  He  then  ascended  the 
pulpit,  and  addressed  the  multitude  who 
gathered  to  hear  him. 

He  declared  that  indulgences  "  are  the 
most  precious  and  sublime  gifts  of  God  ! " 
and  that  "  this  cross  has  as  much  efficacy 
as  the  cross  of  Christ !"  "  Draw  near,  and 
I  will  give  you  letters,  duly  sealed,  by 
which  even  the  sins  you  shall  hereafter 
devise  and  commit  shall  all   be  forgiven 


»»» 


MARTIN    LUTHER. 


211   i 


you!"  "  I  would  not  exchang-e  ni}^  privi 
lei^es  for  those  of  St.  Peter,  in  heaven  ;  for 
I  have  saved  more  souLs  with  my  indulgen- 
ces, than  he  with  his  sermons  !"  "There 
is  no  sin  so  great  that  the  indulgence  can- 
not remit  it  I "  —  "  only  pay  largely,  and  the 
greatest  crime  shall  be  forgiven  !"  "  Even 
repentance  is  not  indispensable  I" 

Having  thus  set  forth  the  tempting  quali- 
ties of  his  merchandise,  he  would  appeal  to 
the  feelings  of  his  auditors ;  he  would  draw 
terrible  pictures  of  the  torments  of  purga- 
tory, to  which  thev  were  all  e.xposed  ;  and 
bright  ones  of  the  bliss  of  heaven,  which 
they  could  so  easily  purchase.  He  painted 
the  torments  of  those  already  in  the  fires 
of  hell,  and  appealed  to  friends  around,  to 
l<now  if  they  would  not  buy  an  indulgence 
for  them —  for  they  could  even  reach  such 
as  had  already  entered  into  judgment ! 
"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  the  very  moment  tiiat 
the  money  clinks  against  the  bottom  of  the 
chest,  the  soul  escapes  from  purgatory,  and 
flies  free  to  heaven  ! " 

Thus  every  art  and  device  was  adopted, 
to  cheat  the  people  into  the  purchase  of 
those  impious,  corrupting,  and  fraudulent 
papers.  At  the  present  day,  it  would  be  a 
matter  of  course  that  such  practices  would 
be  punished  by  confinement  in  the  slate's 
prison  ;  but  at  that  period,  under  the  high 
sanction  of  the  church,  the  fraud  was  not 
detected  by  the  mass,  and  multitudes  read- 
ily availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to 
appease  their  consciences  for  past  crimes, 
and  to  fortify  themselves  in  impunity  for 
future  iniquity.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to 
conceive  of  the  state  of  darkness  into  which 
the  minds  of  men  had  sunk  at  this  period. 
Was  it  not  necessary  that  reformation 
should  be  wrought  in  that  church,  wliich 
had  brought  mankind  to  this  condition  ? 

The  people  flocked  in  crowds  to  Tetzel 
and  his  coadjutors.  Jlen  and  women,  the 
young  and  the  old,  the  poor,  and  even  beg- 
gars, came  —  and  with  money,  too,  —  for 
such  was  the  eagerness  to  possess  the  prof- 
fered blessings,  that  all  would  in  some  way 
obtain  the  means.  Close  by  the  cross,  and 
in  the  church,  the  seller  had  a  counter, 
where  he  received  his  money  and  delivered 
the  indulgences.  Confession  was  adminis- 
tered to  the  purchaser,  but  this  was  a  mere 
form  it  was  not  insisted  that  penitence 
nuisl  be  a  condition  of  pardon.  Kings, 
queens,  princes,  archbishops,  and  bishops, 
were  to  pay  twenty-live  ducats ;  abbots, 
counts,  barons,  ice.,  ten  ducats.  Thus  the 
prices  were  graduated  to  the  condition  of 
the  purchaser ;  and  indeed  special  bargains 


were  made,  suited  to  the  ability  of  the 
applicant,  and  the  nature  of  the  sins  he 
wished  to  expatiate.* 

Although  the  mass  of  the  people  believed 
in  the  efficacy  of  indulgences,  and  the  pro- 
priety of  their  sale,  there  were  many  who 
condemned  the  whole  traflic  as  a  cheat. 
Among  these  was  a  gentleman  of  Saxony, 
wlm  heard  Tetzel  at  Leipsic,  and  was  nrich 
shocked  at  the  imposture.  He  went  to  tne 
church,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  authorized 
lo  pardon  the  sin  of  intention  —  or  such  as 
he  intended  to  commit.  Tetzel  replied  in 
the  aflimiative,  and,  after  some  chafling, 
the  gentleman  paid  thirty  crowns  for  an  in- 
dulgence, by  which  he  was  to  be  forgiven 
for  beating  one  against  whom  he  had  a 
grudge. 

Soon  after  this,  Tetzel  set  out  from  Leip- 
sic, and  this  Saxon  gentleman,  overtaking 
him  in  the  forest  of  Jutterbock,  gave  him  a 
severe  drubbing,  and  carried  off  the  box  in 
which  he  Jiad  his  treasures.  Tetzel  raised 
a  great  clamor  for  this  act  of  violence,  and 
brought  an  action  before  the  judges  of  the 
district  against  the  perpetrator.  The  latter, 
however,  pleaded  the  indulgence,  and  was 
fully  acquitted. 

Luther,  at  this  time,  wtis  professor  of 
theology  at  Wittenberg,  and  he  soon  had 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  eflccts  of  Tct- 
zcl's  operations.  Upon  some  persons  under 
his  spiritual  charge,  he  enjoined  penance  ; 
but  they  refused  to  submit  to  this,  declar- 
ing that  they  had  been  released  from  every 
penalty  by  Tetzel.  Luther  having  denied 
them  absolution,  because  they  would  not 
submit  to  the  prescribed  penance,  some  of 
them  went  to  Tetzel,  and  made  complaints 

*  Tlie  following  is  a  copy  of  nn  indulgence  in  ll:e 
ccnninon  tnnn. 

"Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  on  llicc,  N. 
N.,  and  alisolve  llice,  by  the  nicrils  of  his  most  holy 
sutVcrings  !  And  I,  in  viruie  of  the  apostolic  power 
commiucd  lo  nie,  absolve  ihce  from  all  ecclesiasUcal 
censures,  judgnrenls,  and  pennhics,  that  thou  niaycst 
have  merited  ;  and,  further,  from  all  excesses,  sins, 
and  crimes,  that  ihou  mayest  have  conrmiUed,  how- 
ever great  anil  enormons  they  may  he,  and  of  whatever 
kind,  —  even  though  they  should  he  reserved  loom- holy 
father  the  Tope,  and  to  the  Apostolic  See.  I  cllhce  all 
the  stains  of  weakness,  and  all  traces  of  the  shame  that 
thou  mayest  liavc  drawn  upon  thyself  liy  such  actions. 
I  remit  the  pains  that  thou  wouhtst  have  had  to  endure 
iti  )inrgalory.  I  receive  thee  again  to  the  sacraments 
of  the  eluirc-fi.  1  hereby  reincor}ioraIe  thee  in  the  c^  ni- 
inunion  of  the  saints,  and  restore  thee  lo  the  innocence 
and  liurily  of  thy  baptism  ;  so  that,  at  the  moment  of 
death,  the  gate  of  the  ]>lace  of  tonnent  shall  be  sim' 
against  thee,  nnr.  the  gate  of  the  paradise  of  joy  shall 
he  opened  unto  thee.  And,  if  thou  shotddst  live  long, 
this  grace  continueth  unehangealilc,  till  the  time  of 
thy  end. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son  ftnd  of  Ibe 
Holy  Spirit.     Amen. 

"'rhe  brother,  ."ohn  Tetzel,  Commissary,  h«tb 
signed  this  with  his  own  hand." 


»-- 


31 


242 


MARTIN    LUTHER. 


of  Luther.  tJpon  this,  the  former  threat- 
ened with  punishment,  here  and  hereafter, 
all  those  who  should  deny  the  efficiency  of 
his  indulgences. 

When  Luther  was  fully  informed  of  the 
operations  of  Tetzel  and  his  associates, 
he  drew  up  certain  themes,  or  propositions, 
setting  forth  his  own  views  of  the  powers 
of  the  church,  and  denouncing  the  avarice, 
impudence,  and  licentiousness  of  the  priests 
who  went  about  selling  indulgences  and  ex- 
torting money,  under  the  pretence  of  mak- 
ing collections  for  the  church. 

Thouo-h  there  was  nothing  in  these 
themes  but  what  many  Catholics  had 
maintained,  they  assailed,  in  some  points, 
especially,  the  favorite  doctrine  of  infalli- 
bility, the  accepted  creed  of  that  day.  He, 
however,  boldly  published  them,  challenged 
reply,  and  defended  them  in  his  own  pulpit. 
Multitudes  gathered  to  hear  him,  and  his 
opinions  wei-e  rapidly  spread  over  Europe. 

Tetzel  and  his  associates  were  greatly  en- 
raged ;  they  formally  burnt  Luther's  theses, 
and  then  proceeded  to  answer  them,  chiefly 
by  assuming  the  supreme  authority  and  in- 
fallibility of  the  pope.  This  injured  their 
cause,  and  their  reply  to  Luther  was  pub- 
licly burnt  by  the  students  of  Wittenberg. 
Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  storm  which 
shook  Europe  to  its  foundation,  and  finally 
stripped  the  pope  of  his  spiritual  supremacy. 
Yet,  when  Leo  heard  of  the  dispute  at  Wit- 
tenberg, he  only  said,  "It  is  a  quarrel  be- 
tween monks  ;  —  but  brother  Luther  seems 
to  be  a  man  of  parts  ! " 

Luther's  fame  was  rapidly  extended,  but 
as  yet  he  had  no  idea  of  separating  from 
the  Church  of  Rome.  In  1-518,  he  wrote 
a  submissive  letter  to  the  pope,  in  which 
he  says,  "  I  throw  myself  prostrate  at  your 
feet,  most  holy  father  :  call  or  recall  me, 
condemn  or  approve,  as  you  please  :  I  shall 
acknowledge  your  voice  as  the  voice  of 
Christ,  who  presides  and  speaks  in  your 
person." 

But  the  pope,  who  had  once  thought  so 
lightly  of  Luther's  influence,  was  ere  long 
seriously  alarmed,  and  at  last  summoned 
him  to  appear  at  Rome,  to  be  examined, 
within  sixty  days.  The  danger  to  Luther 
in  doing  tnis  was  obvious,  and  his  friend, 
the  Elector  of  Saxony,  obtained  permission 
to  have  his  examination  take  place  at  Augs- 
burg. Here  Cardinal  Cajetan,  or  Caietano, 
was  commanded  to  examine  him.  Thither 
Luther  went,  accompanied  by  his  friend 
Staupnitz.  The  cardinal  required  a  re- 
cantation of  what  he  had  written  ;  but  this 
Luther  refused.     Warned  of  dann-er  that 


threatened  him,  he  .eft  Augsburg,  and 
returned  to  Wittenberg.  The  pope  now 
issued  a  bull,  declaring  that  he,  as  Christ's 
vicar  on  earth,  had  power  to  deliver  from  all 
punishment  due  for  sin,  to  those  who  repent- 
ed and  were  in  a  state  of  grace,  whether 
alive  or  dead.  Luther  now  appealed  from 
the  pope  to  a  general  council  of  the  church. 

Pope  Leo  now  commissioned  a  prelate, 
named  Milnitz,  to  endeavor  to  bring  Luther 
to  a  recantation.  This  dignitary  was  a 
man  of  talent  and  skill,  and  in  an  interview 
with  Luther,  he  greatly  conciliated  the 
feelings  of  the  latter.  Milnitz  condemned 
the  abuse  of  the  sale  of  indulgences,  threw 
the  blame  upon  Tetzel  and  his  associates, 
and  finally  induced  Luther  to  write  another 
submissive  letter  to  the  pope,  acknowledg- 
ing that  he  had  carried  bis  zeal  too  far, 
and  promising  to  observe  silence  upon  the 
matter  in  debate,  if  his  adversaries  would 
adhere  to  the  same  line  of  conduct.  This 
letter  has  subjected  Luther  to  great  scan- 
dal, as  a  retraction  of  his  principles  ;  but  it 
must  be  regarded  only  as  evidence  of  the 
profound  reverence  with  which  he  regarded 
the  institution  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  in 
whose  faith  he  had  been  educated,  and  the 
difficulty  with  which  his  mind  burst  asun- 
der the  fetters  which  it  had  thrown  around 
him.  The  pope  himself,  at  this  period, 
wrote  a  kind  letter  to  Luther,  and  it  is 
probable  that  the  breach  might  have  been 
healed,  had  not  Luther's  enemies  again 
opened  the  controversy. 

Eckius,  of  Ingoldstadt,  challenged  Carol- 
stadt,  one  of  Luther's  disciples,  to  an  open 
discussion  at  Leipsic.  Luther  went  thith- 
er himself,  agreeing  to  take  no  part  in 
the  disputation.  The  debate  attracted  the 
great  and  the  learned  from  a  vast  distance. 
.Among  the  listeners  was  the  celebrated 
Melancthon,  who  was  determined  by  what 
he  here  heard  to  devote  himself  to  the 
cause  of  reform. 

Eckius  was  a  man  of  brilliant  eloquence, 
and  seemed  to  have  the  advantage  of  his 
antagonist,  after  a  dispute  of  six  days.  It 
was  then  agreed,  by  Eckius'  desire,  that 
Luther  himself  should  enter  the  lists.  The 
debate  was  continued  for  several  days,  and 
different  accounts  were  given  of  the  result ; 
but  Hoffman,  the  rector  of  the  university 
of  Leipsic,  who  had  been  appointed  judge 
of  the  disputation,  considered  it  to  be  so 
equally  balanced,  that  he  refused  to  pro- 
nounce a  decision. 

Luther  went  on  to  write  several  works, 
mostly  questioning  the  lofty  assumptions 
of  the  Church  of  Rome.     He  exposed  the 


MARTIN    LUTHER. 


243 


fatuity  of  penance,  and  pilgrimage  ;  the  im- 
piety of  worshipping  saints  ;  and  the  abuses 
of  the  confessional ;  he  condemned  the  celi- 
bacy of  priests,  and  denounced  monastic 
vows.  Leo  now  assembled  a  congregation 
of  cardinals,  before  whom  Luther's  works 
W(!re  laid  for  adjudication.  By  their  advice, 
a  bull  was  drawn  up,  in  which  forty-one 
propositions,  taken  from  his  books,  were 
denounced  as  heretical  ;  his  writings  were 
condemned  to  be  publicly  burnt,  and  he 
himself  w.^s  summoned  to  appear  at  Rome, 
and  retract  his  writings  on  pain  of  excom- 
munication. Liither  again  appealed  to  a 
general  council  of  the  church  ;  and  publicly 
separated  himself  from  the  communion  of 
the  Church  of  Rome,  by  burning  the  pope's 
bull  on  a  pile  of  wood,  without  the  walls 
of  Wittenberg,  in  presence  of  a  vast  multi- 
tude of  people.  This  occurred  December 
10,  1.520.  Soon  after,  the  pope  thundered 
against  him  his  bull  of  excommunication. 

The  situation  of  the  great  reformer  was 
now  one  to  put  his  moral  courage  to  the 
severest  test.  Staupnitz,  his  early  friend, 
had  deserted  him,  and  made  peace  with  the 
church  ;  Lutlier  had  written  to  Erasmus, 
of  Rotterdam,  who  had  written  in  behalf  of 
reformation  in  tlic  church,  but  that  timid 
and  irresolute  scholar  made  him  no  answer. 
Even  Spalatinus,  once  his  ardent  friend, 
was  now  seized  with  fear.  Eckius,  who 
had  also  been  his  friend,  was,  as  we  have 
seen,  in  open  opposition  to  him.  At  the 
same  time  society  was  violently  torn  with 
the  questions  which  Luther  had  started. 
While  some  declared  in  his  f:\vor,  the  ma- 
jority, including  a  vast  preponderance  of 
the  rich  and  powerful,  continued,  even  in 
Germany,  to  oppose  him.  By  the  rigid 
Catholics  he  was  looked  upon  with  horror. 
No  terms  too  harsh  could  be  found  to  heap 
upon  his  name,  no  scandal  so  vile  could  be 
invented,  that  it  did  not  find  believers.  He 
was  withal  denounced  by  the  papal  bull  of 
excommunication,  that  formidable  and  fear- 
ful curse,  which  few  minds  in  that  age  had 
the  iron  hardihood  to  withstand.  He  was 
accused  in  the  view  of  millions,  who  would 
have  deemed  it  a  service  worthy  of  heaven 
to  have  taken  the  life  of  one  regarded  as  a 
disciple  of  the  devil!  The  "arch-fiend," 
was  a  common  title,  bestowed  upon  him  by 
his  enemies.  Yet,  amid  these  perils,  Lu- 
ther stood  as  undaunted  as  the  oak  before 
the  tenpcst ;  and,  though  the  lightning  fell 
and  the  thunder  burst  upon  and  around 
him,  he  met  it  all  unscathed. 

Luther  had,  indeed,  one  powerful  and 
steadfast  friend,  —  Frederick,   the    Elector 


of  Saxony.  The  pope  had  endeavored  to 
persuade  him  to  give  up  the  dreaded  and 
hated  priest,  but  in  vain.  He  now  sought 
to  accomplish  his  object  by  other  means. 
Maximilian,  the  Emperor  of  Geniiany,  was 
dead,  and  Charles  V.,  King  of  Spain,  in 
1518,  had  been  elected  in  his  place.  liCO 
applied  to  him  to  make  an  example  of  Lu- 
ther, as  an  obdurate  heretic.  Frederick 
interposed,  and  persuaded  Charles  to  cause 
him  to  be  tried  by  a  diet  of  the  empire,  at 
Worms.  Having  obtained  the  emperor's 
safe-conduct,  Luther  set  forward  upon  his 
journey  to  that  place,  for  his  trial. 

His  friends  trembled  for  the  issue  ;  every 
heart  seemed  burthened  save  his  own. 
Melancthon,  now  his  intimate  friend,  at- 
tended him.  Luther,  in  the  pulpit,  seemed 
to  breathe  only  of  religion.  In  society,  he 
was  frank,  cheerful,  and  engaging.  He 
cultivated  every  innocent  thing  that  could 
make  life  more  agreeable.  He  went  on 
his  way  to  Worms,  which  many  expected 
would  prove  his  grave,  with  perfect  equa- 
nimity, saying,  "  If  it  is  God's  will  that  I 
die,  I  am  prepared  ;  yet  I  believe  that  my 
time  has  not  yet  come." 

He  arrived  at  Worms  on  the  sixteenth 
of  April,  1521.  On  entering  the  to\\ii,  he 
began  singing  the  hymn,  —  "  Our  God  is  a 
strong  citadel,"  —  and  this  became  the  in- 
spiring song  of  the  Reformation.  Numbers 
of  Luther's  friends,  who  were  with  him, 
alarmed  as  they  approached  the  city  of 
Worms,  deserted  him  ;  but  his  cheerfulness 
continued  unchanged. 

Worms  was  at  that  moment  the  point  to 
which  the  eyes  of  all  Europe  were  turned. 
Thither  multitudes  had  gathered,  impelled 
by  an  intense  desire  to  see  the  result  of  the 
trial.  The  questions  at  issue  had  evidently 
entered  deeply  into  the  hearts  of  men  ; 
and  now  the  person  who  had  caused  this 
mighty  movement  was  there.  And  what 
was  he?  A  simple  monk,  —  a  man  with- 
out station,  oflice,  rank,  or  badge  ;  but  truth 
and  courage  had  given  him  a  power  which 
made  potentates  tremble.  They  were  as 
the  Philistines,  and  he  as  Samson,  with 
his  arms  around  the  pillars  of  the  temple. 
With  what  a  feeling  of  interest  did  the 
concourse  of  people  look  on  Martin  Luther 
that  day  ! 

He  was  conducted,  the  day  after  his 
arrival,  to  the  diet,  by  the  marshal  of  the 
empire.  There  were  the  cardinals  and 
princes  in  their  badges  of  office  and  insignia 
of  rank.  It  was  an  august  assembly,  in 
which  Charles  V.,  Emperor  of  Germany 
and  King  of  Spain,  presided.    Luther  came 


244 


PLARTIN    LUTHER. 


in,  wearincT  a  simple  black  gown,  with  a 
belt  around  his  waist.  He  moved  with 
a  modest  but  tranquil  step.  Melancthon, 
Spalatinus,  and  other  friends,  were  at  his 
side.  Luther  was  now  asked  if  he  ac- 
knowledged himself  to  he  the  author  of 
certain  books  hearing;  his  name.  When 
they  were  enumerated,  he  said  he  would 
not  deny  them.  "  Are  you  ready  to  retract 
what  has  been  condemned  in  these  books  ? " 
was  now  asked.  He  requested  time  for 
reply;  —  a  day  was  given  him.  The  ene- 
mies of  Luther  nov/  triumphed,  and  his 
friends  feared  for  him.  It  was  apprehended 
that  he  would  shrink  from  the  fearful  ordeal. 
When  he  went  to  the  diet,  he  was  cheered 
by  thousands  of  voices ;  as  he  returned,  the 
enthusiasm  had  passed  away. 

The  next  day,  Luther  again  appeared 
before  the  diet,  and  being  asked  if  he  meant 
to  retract  his  writings,  he  replied  mildly, 
yet  firmly,  in  Latin,  that  he  did  not.  He 
besought  the  assembly  to  hear  with  candor 
and  judge  him  with  fairness.  He  appealed 
to  the  youthful  emperor,  and  mildly  warned 
him  against  rash  judgments. 

When  one  of  the  assembly  demanded  of 
him  a  direct  answer  to  the  question  whether 
he  would  recant  or  not,  —  he  replied  that 
he  would  retract  nothing,  unless  it  could  be 
shown  to  be  inconsistent  with  the  Bible. 
To  the  Scriptures  he  appealed,  as  the  word 
of  God,  and  when  that  sustained  him, 
he  would  yield  nothing.  "  To  act  against 
my  conscience,"  said  he,  "  is  neither  safe 
nor  honest.  Here  I  stand,  —  I  cannot  do 
otherwise,  —  may  God  help  me.  Amen  !" 
The  latter  words  were  pronounced  in  his 
native  German,  with  a  deep  and  affecting 
emphasis. 

Although  the  assembly,  as  Catholics, 
disapproved  of  Luther's  views,  his  noble 
bearing  excited  their  respect  and  wonder. 
The  Archbishop  of  Treves,  touched  with  the 
sublimity  of  his  conduct,  paid  him  a  visit, 
and  sought  to  win  him  back  to  the  church. 
This  was,  of  course,  in  vain.  Luther's 
friends  were  now  filled  with  enthusiastic 
admiration,  and  his  enemies  could  not 
withhold  their  respect.  The  decision  of 
the  diet  was,  of  course,  against  him,  and 
the  emperor  ordered  him  forthwith  to  leave 
Worms.     He  left  it  on  the  26tli  of  April. 

An  edict  was  now  issued  by  the  emperor, 
to  go  into  efifect  as  soon  as  his  safe-conduct 
to  Luther  should  expire.  In  this  he  was 
denounced  as  the  "  devil  in  the  shape  of  a 
man  and  the  dress  of  a  monk."  "  All  the 
subjects  of  the  empire,"  continued  the  bull, 
"  are  required  to  seize  upon  him,  and  de- 


liver him  up  to  justice."  It  may  well  be 
believed  that  dismay  now  seized  upon  the 
friends  of  Luther.  What  was  their  horror, 
soon  after,  to  hear  that  as  he  was  travelling 
with  a  single  attendant,  towards  his  house, 
he  was  beset  in  the  fore?t  of  Thuringia, 
dragged  from  his  carriage,  hy  several  men 
in  masks,  and  hurried  away.  His  com- 
panion had  escaped  to  tell  the  tale.  Con- 
sternation reigned  throughout  Germany, 
and  in  the  town  of  Wittenberg  sorrow  and 
wailing  was  in  almost  every  dwelling. 

But  it  was  not  long  before  a  new  work 
from  Luther's  pen  was  announced,  and  it 
was  of  a  date  subsequent  to  his  alleged 
murder.  Melancthon  also  received  a  letter 
from  him.  "  Give  yourself  no  uneasiness 
for  me,"  said  he  ;  "  both  you  and  your  wife 
may  rest  assured  of  my  welfare.  I  am  not 
only  supplied  with  all  the  necessaries  of  life, 
bitt,if  I  chose,!  could  command  the  luxuries; 
but  I  trust  God  will  preserve  me  from  such 
snares.  I  wish  not  to  receive  the  reward 
of  my  labors  in  this  world,  but  in  the  world 
to  come." 

The  explanation  of  the  mystery  was  this. 
The  elector,  foreseeing  that,  in  consequence 
of  the  emperor's  proclamation,  Luther's  life 
would  be  in  danger,  had  caused  him  to  be 
waylaid,  and  carried  in  safety  to  the  old 
castle  of  Wartburg,  near  Eisenach  ;  while 
a  stoiy  of  his  murder  was  propagated  by 
his  fugitive  attendant.  Luther,  being  sup- 
plied with  every  convenience,  devoted  him- 
self to  study,  yet  was  required  by  the 
elector  hy  no  means  to  permit  his  retreat 
to  be  known.  He  was  situated  in  an  old 
castle,  built  upon  a  lofty  eminence  which 
commanded  a  delightful  prospect.  Freed 
from  care  and  anxiety,  his  mind  seemed  to 
soar  aloft,  like  the  birds  around  his  dwell- 
ing. His  letters  written  at  this  period  are 
full  of  poetic  fancjr,  and  show  that  his  mind 
sympathized  with  the  lovely  scenes  around 
him. 

His  confinement  lasted  for  ten  months. 
During  this  brief  period,  he  translated  the 
New  Testament  into  German,  besides  writ- 
ing treatises  against  auricular  confession, 
monastic  vows,  clerical  celibacy,  prayers 
for  the  dead,  &c.  His  works  spread  with 
amazing  rapidity,  and  produced  a  wonderful 
effect,  particularly  in  Saxony.  Hundreds 
of  monks  quitted  their  convents,  and  mar- 
ried ;  and  the  Austrian  friars  of  Wittenberg 
abolished  mass.  The  excitement  soon  ran 
into  excess,  and  Carolstadt,  a  disciple  of 
Luther,  demolished  the  images  in  a  church 
at  Wittenberg,  and  proposed  to  banish  all 
books  from  the  university  except  the  Bible. 


MARTIN    LUTHER. 


215 


He  even  affected  to  obey  to  the  letter  the 
sentence  pronounced  on  Adam,  and  went 
to  work  a  portion  of  each  day  in  the  field?. 
The  mild  and  polished  iNIelancthon  can^iit 
the  infection,  and  labored  in  a  balccr's  shop. 

Iinthcr,  in  his  retirement,  heard  of  these 
follies,  which  were  calculated  to  ruin  his 
cause,  and,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  imme- 
diately departed  for  Wittenbercr.  He  now 
preached  openly  his  doctrines,  with  amazinn- 
power  and  effect ;  and  succeeded  in  quell- 
inn^  the  violence  of  his  fanatical  followers. 
These  sermons  are  palterns  of  moderation, 
wisdom,  and  popular  eloquence  ;  they  show 
a  marl(cd  contrast  to  the  violence  and 
scurrility  which  soil  his  writinpfs,  directed 
aijainst  the  malifjnity  and  duplicity  with 
which  he  had  chiefly  to  contend. 

Luther  was  now  the  acknowledged  head 
of  the  reformation  ;  he  continued,  by  prcacli- 
incf  and  writing,  to  aid  the  great  cause  of 
Protei<tantism.  His  productions  were  stain- 
ed with  coarse  invective  ;  but  this  was  the 
taste  of  file  age,  and  belongs  equally  to  his 
opponents.  In  1024,  he  tlirew  off  his  mo- 
nastic dress,  and  coniiemned  monastic  insti- 
tutions. Convents,  both  of  men  and  women, 
were  now  rapidly  suppressed,  and  the  refor- 
mation, in  some  cases,  ran  into  fanaticism. 
A  sect,  c.llcd  Anabaptists,  ran  into  t!io 
wildest  extremes  at  Monster.  They  made 
war  upon  property  and  law,  and  in  their 
madness  piactised  the  grossest  vices  and 
crimes,  tmder  the  sanction  of  religion.  Lu- 
ther was  sotfdy  grieved  at  these  things,  and 
did  all  in  his  power  to  correct  them,  though 
not  with  couijiletc  success. 

In  l-"32"),  he  married  Catherine  de  Bom, 
a  young  nun,  who  had  left  her  convent  a 
year  before,  and  resided  with  Melanctlion. 
He  was  hap|iy  in  this  marriage,  and  though 
at  the  age  of  forty-two,  seems  to  have  en- 
tered into  it  almost  with  the  affections  of 
youth.  In  1.531,  he  completed  his  great 
work,  the  German  version  of  the  Bible, 
which  is  much  admired  for  its  elegance, 
force,  and  precision,  and  has  rendered  the 
Scripturi.-s  really  popular  in  Germany. 

The  remaining  years  of  his  life  were 
passed  in  comparative  quiet.  In  LOIG, 
being  at  Klslelien,  ho  fell  sick,  on  the  sev- 
ent(^entii  of  February,  and  seemed  at  once 
to  bo  aware  of  his  approaching  end.  He 
grew  worse  in  the  evening,  and  died  in  the 
midst  of  nis  friends,  expressing  a  firm  con- 
viction of  the  truth  of  that  faith  which  he 
had  tiinght.  His  body  was  carried  to  Wit- 
tenlierg,  and  b\iried  with  great  lionors. 

Lullier's  works  arc  voluminous,  and  great 
favorites  in  Germany.    In  conqiany,  he  was 


always  lively,  and  abounded  in  txillies  of 
wit  and  good-humor.  He  gave  advice  and 
assistance  wherever  it  was  needed ;  ho 
interested  himself  for  every  indigent  person  s 
who  applied  to  him,  and  devoted  himself,  ■ 
with  his  whole  soul,  to  the  pleasures  of  so- 
ciety. Rough  and  stormy  as  are  his  con- 
troversial writings,  he  was  no  stranger  to 
the  elegant  arts,  llis  sovil  was  filled  with 
music,  and  he  often  solaced  himself  by  sing- 
ing, and  playing  upon  the  flute  and  lute. 

Nor  is  Luther  to  bo  regarded  only  in 
the  light  of  a  religions  reformer.  He  not 
only  burst  the  bonds  of  relic'ious  tyranny 
throughout  Christendom,  but  he  created  in 
Germany  that  impulse  towards  spirit\ial 
philosopliy,  that  thirst  for  knowledge,  that 
logical  exercise  of  the  mind,  which  have 
made  the  Germans  the  most  intellectual 
people  in  Europe.  He  was  the  friend  of 
education,  of  mental  freedom,  of  religious 
light,  of  civil  liberty.  He  rescued  the  Bible 
from  the  exclusive  grasp  of  the  Church  of 
Home  ;  by  a  gigantic  effort,  he  translated  it 
into  his  native  tongue.  He  not  only  made 
it  acceptable  to  forty  millions,  who  spoke 
llis  native  language,  but  ho  made  it  the 
common  property  of  the  people  of  all  Eu- 
rope. He  was  no  courtly  flatterer,  but 
the  friend  of  the  poor  and  the  humble  ;  he 
was  as  ready  to  condemn  cupidity  and  ex- 
travagance among  his  followers,  as  among 
those  who  adhered  to  the  Church  of  Rome. 

The  life  which  Luther  led  was  calculated 
to  develop  the  sterner  parts  of  his  character, 
and  we  must  admit  that  his  writings  display 
many  gross  and  abusive  passages  ;  yet  he 
possessed  many  gentle  and  attractive  quali- 
ties. His  love  of  music  amounted  to  a 
passion  ;  "  Old  Hundred,"  a  tune  which 
has  guided  and  elevated  the  devotions  of 
millions,  was  his  composition  ;  and  some  of 
our  sweetest  hymns  were  written  by  him. 
His  familiar  letters  are  full  of  gentle  affec- 
tion. Even  when  Tetzel,  his  especial  ene- 
my, was  deserted  by  those  who  had  Uo-ed 
him,  and  now,  in  poverty  and  desolation, 
was  upon  his  death-bed,  Luther  was  at  his 
side,  pouring  into  his  harassed  soul  the  oil 
of  consolation.  One  of  his  last  acts  was 
that  of  reconciliation,  in  a  noble  but  dis- 
tracted house.  When  we  look  through  the 
steel  mail  of  the  controversialist  and  the  re- 
former, and  observe  traits  of  character  bke 
these,  we  cannot  but  lift  our  thoughts  w.lh 
thanks  to  Heaven,  that  human  nature  — 
witli  all  its  drawbacks — when  elevated  by 
religion,  has  such  capacities  as  these. 

To  estimate  Luther's  character,  and  the 
work  ho   accomplished,  we  must   bear   in 


246 


FREDERICK    THE    GREAT. 


mind  the  circumstances  under  which  he 
acted.  He  was  educated  a  Catholic,  in  a 
countrj'  where  the  dominion  of  the  Romish 
Church  was  complete,  as  well  over  the 
goveni.nient  as  the  people.  All  around 
him,  father,  mother,  friends,  society,  were 
livin<T  in  abject  submission  to  the  establish- 
ed creed.  Doubts  were  held  as  the  sugges- 
tions of  the  devil ;  freedom  of  thought  was 
infidelity ;  denial  of  any  received  dogma 
was  heresy,  and  worthy  the  judgments  of 
the  Inquisition  —  of  punishment  here  and 
hereafter.  These  were  the  orthodox  no- 
tions of  the  age,  and  Luther  was  a  priest 
of  that  church  which  bound  the  civilized 
world  to  such  a  system. 

What  a  fearful  struggle  in  his  own  mind, 
with  his  own  habits  of  thought,  his  associ- 
ations and  convictions,  did  it  involve,  for 
the  reformer  first  to  doubt,  and  then  to 
repudiate,  the  faith  that  thus  enthralled 
him  !  What  courage  of  soul,  to  meet  the 
fears  that  spring  up  in  the  bosom  ;  what 
energy  of  mind,  to  rend  asunder  the  chains 
that  fetter  the  reason,  in  such  a  condition  I 
And  when  he  had  triumphed  over  internal 
difficulties,  what  a  work  was  still  before 
him  I  The  pope,  by  the  invisible  cords  of 
spiritual  despotism,  held  all  Europe  in  sub- 
jection. Every  monarch  was,  more  or  less, 
his  slave  ;  every  prison,  like  some  fearful 
monster,  was  ready  to  open  its  jaws  at 
his  command,  and  close  them  upon  whom- 
soever he  might  designate ;  the  jealous 
Inquisition,  with  all-seeing  eyes,  all-hearing 
ears,  spread  out  its  net  on  every  hand.  All 
the  united  powers  and  prejudices  of  society 
—  public  opinion,  laws,  institutions,  armies, 
prisons,  chains,  fire,  the  rack  —  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  church,  and  it  was  against  this 
that  one  man  was  called  to  contend.  It 
was  as  if  a  single  knight,  and  he  without 
arms,  were  called  to  attack  the  lordly  castle, 
whose  massive  walls  and  towering  battle- 
ments might  look  down  with  disdain  upon 
the  assailant. 

And  yet  Liither  triumphed  !  We  cannot 
doubt  that  he  was  sustained  by  a  deep 
conviction  of  the  rectitude  of  his  cause  ;  that 
a  sense  of  duty  raised  him  above  the  con- 
siderations of  personal  interest  and  safety  ; 
that  he  acted  as  if  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  in  the  hope  of  a  heavenly,  not  an 
earthly,  recompense.  We  must  not  only 
admit  that  his  abilities  were  great ;  his 
qualities  rare  and  well  adapted  to  his  work; 
that  he  was  a  man  of  peculiar  singleness 
and  sincerity  of  aim  ;  and  that  he  was  en- 
dowed with  the  richest  graces  of  religion ; 
but  we  must  admit  something  more  —  that 


truth  is  mighty ;  that  the  abuses  of  the 
Church  of  Kome  had  risen  to  such  a  pitch, 
as  to  furnish  the  very  elements  of  revolj- 
tion ;  and  finally,  that  the  good  providence 
of  God  shaped  events  to  their  great  issues 
in  behalf  of  liberty  and  light.  Can  any  one 
explain  the  revolution  achieved  by  Luther 
on  any  grounds  short  of  these  ? 


FREDERICK  THE  GREAT. 

Frederick  II.,  King  of  Prussia,  who  ac- 
quired the  title  of  the  Gi-eat,  was  born  on 
the  24th  of  January,  1712.  He  was  reared 
in  the  school  of  adversity ;  his  father,  Fred- 
erick William,  being  a  brutal  tyrant,  even 
in  his  own  family.  To  escape  from  this 
domestic  tyranny,  which  was  almost  insup- 
portable, he  planned  a  clandestine  flight 
from  Prussia,  with  a  confident  by  the  name 
of  De  Katt.  His  father  discovered  this 
before  it  could  be  carried  into  efTect.  The 
consequence  was,  that  Frederick  was  ar- 
rested, along  with  his  friend,  and  both  were 
instantly  tried  before  an  obedient  court- 
martial,  which  condemned  them  to  death  ! 
This  sentence  would  have  been  carried 
into  effect  against  the  prince,  but  for  the 
interposition  of  Charles  VI.,  of  Austria, 
to  whose  earnest  entreaties  Frederick  Wil- 
liam at  length  yielded,  with  the  prophetic 
remark,  that  "  Austria  would  one  day  dis- 
cover what  a  serpent  she  had  nourished  in 
her  bosom." 

The  prince,  however,  sufTered  a  long  and 
severe  imprisonment,  in  the  fort  of  Custrin, 
where,  as  if  to  aggravate  his  punishment, 


FREDERICK    THE    GREAT. 


24-: 


the  unfortunate  De  Katt  was  beheaded  on 
a  scaffold,  raised  before  his  apartn-ent,  to 
the  level  of  the  window,  from  whicn  he  was 
poinpelled  to  witness  this  cruel  ana  affect- 
ing spectacle.  His  subsequent  treatment 
in  prison  was  as  harsh  and  severe  as  that 
of  the  meanest  felon,  and  a  considerable 
time  elapsed  before  he  found  the  means  of 
softening  its  rigor. 

This  was  at  length  managed  through  the 
instrumentality  of  a  Baron  Wrcch,  whose 
family  lived  in  the  neighborhood,  and  who, 
at  considerable  risk  as  well  as  e.\pense,  fur- 
nished him  widi  books,  music,  and  other 
comforts.  By  degrees,  he  so  gained  upon 
his  gaoler,  that  he  was  permitted,  under 
cover  of  the  night,  to  visit  at  the  baron's 
residence  ;  and,  as  tlie  young  Wrechs  were 
sprightly,  and  accomplished,  as  well  as 
anxious  to  serve  him,  they  got  up  little 
concerts  for  his  amusement.  In  (his  way, 
for  upwards  of  a  year,  his  imprisonment 
was  greatly  ameliorated. 

The  old  king  at  last  relented,  and  Fred- 
erick obtained  his  liberty  ;  but  it  was  only 
on  tlie  special  condition  that  he  married 
Elizabeth  Christina,  a  princess  of  the 
house  of  Brunswick.  This  forced  marriage 
proved  utterly  abortive  of  the  object  intend- 
ed by  the  tyrannical  old  match-maker,  for 
Frederick  never  lived  with  the  princess, 
although,  through  life,  he  treated  her  with 
the  greatest  respect.  She  was  a  woman 
of  meritorious  conduct,  but  quite  destitute 
of  personal  attractions. 

Frederick's  marriage  took  place  in  1732, 
and  from  that  time  till  the  death  of  his 
father,  in  1740,  he  resided  at  Rheinsberg,  a 
village  some  leagues  from  Berlin.  During 
this  interval  of  eight  years  he  devoted  him- 
self chiefly  to  literary  pursuits,  and  wrote 
his  Anti-Machiavel,  and  Reflections  on  the 
Cliaracter  of  Charles  XII.  The  social  circle 
with  which  he  was  connected,  at  this  time, 
consisted  mostly  of  learned  and  ingenious 
Frenchmen,  and  probably  that  circumstance 
contributed  to  imbue  him  with  the  strong 
predilection  whicli  he  ever  afterwards  dis- 
played in  favor  of  everything  French. 

His  accession  to  the  throne,  in  1740, 
brought  at  once  into  action  the  whole  ener- 
gies of  his  character.  He  himself  entered 
personally  upon  all  the  duties  usually  com- 
mitted by  kings  to  tlicir  ministers  ;  and,  in 
order  to  accomplish  the  multiplicity  of  busi- 
ness which  thus  devolved  upon  him,  he  laid 
down  strict  rules  for  the  appropriation  of 
h:s  time,  to  which  he  ever  afterwards  scru- 
pulously adhered.  He  rose  regularly  at 
four  in  the  morning,  occupying  but  a  few 


min  ifes  with  his  dress,  of  which,  liowever, 
he  was  careless,  even  to  slovenliness  ;  and 
this  practice  he  continued  till  a  late  period 
of  his  life. 

The  details  of  a  peaceful  administration 
were,  however,  found  quite  inadequate  to 
the  activity  of  his  mind.  Accordingly,  in 
the  first  year  of  his  reign,  he  resolved  on 
war  ;  but,  unfortunately  for  his  character, 
it  was  a  war  of  aggression  —  a  war,  too, 
against  a  female,  and  the  heir  of  the  very 
house  which  had  saved  him  from  the  scaf- 
fold. He  resolved  to  wrest  Silesia  from 
Maria  Theresa,  of  Austria,  and  in  less  than 
two  years  he  accomplished  this  object,  the 
pro\ince  being  ceded  to  him  by  the  treaty 
of  Breslau,  in  1742.  It  has  ever  since 
continued  to  form  a  part  of  the  Prussian 
dominions. 

The  acquisition  of  Silesia,  and  the  grasp- 
ing policy  of  Frederick,  seem  to  havee.vcited 
the  jealousy  of  other  European  powers,  as 
well  as  the  settled  enmity  of  Austria  ;  for  a 
new  war  broke  out  in  1742,  in  which,  after  a 
great  deal  of  bloodshed,  Prussia  was  again 
victorious,  and  had  the  possession  of  Silesia 
confirmed  to  her  by  a  new  treaty. 

In  the  succeeding  ten  years,  Frederick 
sedulously  cultivated  the  arts  of  peace,  and 
by  adhering  strictly  to  the  systematic  ap- 
portionment of  his  time,  he  was  enabled  to 
e.xercise  a  personal  superintendence  over 
every  department  of  government,  without 
abridging  either  his  pleasures  or  amuse- 
ments, and  without  the  slightest  abandon- 
ment of  his  literary  pursuits.  He  carried 
on  an  extensive  correspondence  with  \'ol- 
taire,  and  several  of  the  most  distinguished 
literati  of  Europe.  He  wrote  the  Hi.story 
of  his  ojcn  Times,  and  Memoirs  of  the  House 
of  Brandcnhurg  ;  and  he  ri  established  the 
Academy  of  Sciences  of  Berlin.  It  was  in 
the  interval  of  peace,  too,  that  lie  invited 
Voltaire,  and  other  literary  characters,  to 
reside  at  his  capital.  The  visit  of  that  ex- 
traordinary man,  and  its  result,  are  well 
known.  The  quarrel  between  him  and 
Frederick,  and  the  terms  on  which  they 
parted,  were  little  creditable  to  cither  ;  and, 
besides,  they  very  clearly  proved  to  the  world 
that,  in  the  business  of  common  life,  phi- 
losophers are  not  superior  to  ordinary  men. 

The  most  important  portion,  however, 
of  all  Frederick's  labors,  during  these  ten 
years  of  peace,  was  his  civil  administration. 
It  comprehended  various  useful  reforms, 
and  the  introduction  of  numerous  im- 
provements, for  the  benefit  of  the  people. 
He  was  zealous  in  the  cause  of  education, 
■nnd    in   the  establishment  of  schools  and 


248 


FREDERICK    THE    GREAT. 


professorships.  He  also  caused  the  laws  to 
be  revised,  and  a  new  code  to  be_  prepared, 
wliich,  after  much  labor,  was  efliicted,  and 
it  stiil  goes  under  his  name.  This  code 
abolished  torture,  and  recognized  universal 
toleration  in  relig-ion.  Perhaps  the  general 
cliaractcr  of  the  jurisprudence  he  establish- 
ed may  be  best  gathered  from  his  celebrated 
instruction  to  the  judges  :  —  "  If  a  suit  arise 
between  me  and  one  of  my  subjects,  and 
the  case  is  a  doubtful  one,  always  decide 
against  me." 

In  the  midst  of  all  his  improvements, 
Frederick  was  again  roused  to  war.  He 
had  been  advised  that  Austria,  Russia,  and 
Saxony  had  entered  into  a  treaty,  for  the 
conquest  and  partition  of  his  territories. 
He  demanded  an  explanation  from  the 
conrt  of  Vienna,  which  being  unsatisfac- 
ory,  he  immediately  struck  the  first  blow,  by 
marching  an  army  into  Saxony,  and  taking 
possession  of  it  almost  unopposed.  Thus 
commenced  the  celebrated  "  seven  years' 
war,"  the  result  of  which,  after  numerous 
battles,  and  an  incredible  waste  of  human 
life  and  treasure,  was  a  treaty  which  again 
confirmed  Prussia  in  the  possession  of 
Silesia,  and  established  the  reputation  of 
Frederick  as  the  greatest  military  genius 
of  the  age. 

The  next  ten  years  were  spent  in  efforts 
to  repair  the  devastation  and  misery  which 
Prussia  had  suffered  by  the  war.  Among 
other  ameliorations,  may  be  mentioned  his 
emancipation  of  the  peasantry  from  heredi- 
tary servitude,  which  he  began  by  giving 
up  his  own  signorial  rights  over  the  serfs 
on  the  crown  domains.  A  good  deal  of  his 
time  was  also  devoted  to  literary  pursuits, 
as  it  was  during  this  period  that  he  wrote 
his  "  Histor ij  of  tlie  Sevc/i  Years'  War." 

In  177:2,  he  became  a  party  to  the  parti- 
tion of  Poland,  and  shared  largely  in  the 
spoil,  as  well  as  in  the  disgrace,  of  that 
infamous  political  robbery.  In  177S,  he 
was  again  in  hostility  with  Austria,  re 
spccting  the  succession  to  Bavaria,  which 
that  power,  at  the  death  of  the  Elector 
without  issue,  proposed,  on  some  anti- 
quated, feudal  grounds,  to  re-annex  to  her 
own  dominions.  This  war  was  of  short 
duration,  Frederick  being  successful  in 
settling  the  question  by  treaty.  In  17S5, 
he  had  another  dispute  w-ith  Austria,  in 
whicli  he  appeared  as  the  defender  of  the 
Germanic  Confederation,  and  the  rights  of 
its  several  princes.  Here  he  was  also  suc- 
cessful, the  Emperor  Joseph  yielding  the 
question  at  issue,  without  having  recourse 
to  arms. 


Frederick  was  now  getting  old,  and  his 
constitution  had  begun  to  decay.  He  also 
suffered  occasionally  from  gout,  the  neces- 
sary consequence  of  rich  diet  and  high- 
seasoned  cookery,  to  which  he  was  all  his 
life  exceedingly  partial.  He  had,  moreover, 
a  voracious  appetite,  and  he  constantly  in- 
dulged it  to  repletion.  This  brought  on  a 
complication  of  disorders,  under  which  he 
suffered  severely,  though  he  never  once 
uttered  a  complaint,  but  continued  his  pub- 
lic services  with  as  much  zeal  and  anxiety 
as  when  in  perfect  health.  He  continued 
to  do  so  up  to  August,  1786,  when  a  con- 
firmed dropsy  having  supervened,  he  fell 
into  a  lethargy  on  the  sixteenth  of  that 
month,  and  expired  during  the  night. 

An  impartial  reviewer  of  the  reign  of 
Frederick  will  discard  all  that  is  attractive 
or  dazzling  in  his  character,  either  from  his 
talents  as  an  accomplished  warrior,  or  his 
wit  as  a  man  of  letters.  He  will  consider 
him  simply  as  a  ruler  of  a  nation,  and  a 
member  of  the  great  European  community. 
In  that  view,  it  is  impossible  to  deny  that 
his  administration  of  affairs  was  singularly 
marked  by  promptitude  and  energy.  Wher- 
ever active  exertions  were  required,  or  cculd 
ensure  success,  he  generally  prevailed ; 
and,  to  use  the  words  of  an  elegant  writer, 
"  as  he  was  in  all  things  a  master  of  those 
inferior  abilities  which  are  denominated 
address,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  he  was 
uniforndy  fortunate  in  the  cabinets  of  his 
neighbors."  His  reign,  how-ever,  with  all  its 
glory,  and  all  its  success,  both  in  diplomacy 
and  war,  was  a  memorable  proof  that  the 
happiness  of  the  people  is  of  little  conse- 
quence, even  to  an  enlightened  despot, 
when  balanced  either  against  his  cupidity 
or  his  ambition.  It  was  these  qualities 
alone  that  embroiled  Frederick  with  his 
neighbors  ;  and  we  have  only  to  turn  to  his 
own  works  for  a  melancholy  confession  of 
the  disastrous  consequences  which  were 
thus  entailed  upon  his  subjects. 

"  The  state  of  Prussia,"  says  he,  in  his 
History  of  his  own  Times,  "can  only  be 
compared  to  that  of  a  man  riddled  with 
wounds,  weakened  by  the  loss  of  blood,  and 
ready  to  sink  under  the  weight  of  his  mis- 
fortunes. The  nobility  were  exhausted,  the 
commons  'ruined,  numerous  villages  were 
burned,  and  many  towns  were  nearly  de- 
populated. Civil  order  was  lost  in  a  total 
anarchy ;  in  fact,  the  desolation  was  univer- 
sal." In  this  candid  exposure  of  the  con- 
sequences of  his  own  policy,  Frederick  has 
given  the  true  character  of  his  reign.  Such 
were  the  results  of  a  successful  career  of 


FREDERICK    THE    GREAT 


249 


conquest ;  one  which  is  often  regarded  as 
the  most  brilliant  in  the  annals  of  mankind 
—  one  which  conferred  the  title  of  "the 
Great "  on  the  chief  actor  ;  and  one  which 
has  been  the  almost  unbounded  theme  of 
eulogy.  He  increased  his  kingdom  by 
twenty  thousand  square  miles  ;  left  seventy 
millions  of  Prussian  dollars  in  the  treasury, 
and  an  army  of  two  hundred  thousand 
men  ;  yet,  while  the  government  was  thus 
enriched  and  strengthened,  wc  see,  by  the 
monarch's  own  confession,  how  the  people 
had  sutTered. 

There  is  abundant  evidence  that  Freder- 
ick was  a  man  of  wit  and  learning ;  and  we 
know  that  he  possessed  the  most  unbound- 
ed influence  over  his  soldiery.  Before  the 
battle  of  Kostorth,  which  led  to  the  most 
celebrated  of  all  the  King  of  Prussia's  victo- 
ries, Frederick  addressed  his  little  army, 
not  amounting  to  more  than  twenty-five 
thousand  men,  in  nearly  the  following 
words  :  "  My  brave  soldiers,  —  the  hour  is 
coming,  in  wdiich  all  that  is,  and  all  that 
ought  to  bo,  dear  to  us,  depends  upon  the 
swords  that  are  now  drawn  for  the  battle. 
Time  permits  me  to  say  but  little,  nor  is 
there  occasion  to  say  much.  You  know- 
that  there  is  no  labor,  no  hunger,  no  cold, 
no  watching,  no  danger,  that  I  have  not 
shared  with  you,  hitherto ;  and  you  now 
see  me  ready  to  lay  down  my  life  with  you 
and  for  you.  All  I  ask  is  tlie  same  pledge 
of  fidelity  and  aflection  that  I  give.  Acquit 
yourselves  like  men,  and  put  your  confi- 
dence in  God." 

The  elTect  of  this  speech  was  indescriba- 
ble. The  soldiers  answered  it  by  a  uni- 
versal shout,  and  their  looks  and  demeanor 
became  animated  to  a  sort  of  heroic  frenzy. 
Frederick  led  on  his  troops  in  person, 
exposed  to  the  hottest  of  the  fires.  The 
enemy,  for  a  few  moments,  made  a  gallant 
resistance  ;  but,  overwhelmed  by  the  iiead- 
long  intrepidity  of  the  Prussians,  they  at 
length  gave  way  in  every  part,  and  fled  in 
the  utmost  disorder.  Night  alone  saved 
from  destruction  the  scattered  remains  of 
an  army  which,  in  the  morning,  was  double 
the  number  of  its  conquerors. 

There  arc  some  anecdotes  which  exhibit 
the  conqueror  in  a  still  more  pleasing  light. 
He  was  fond  of  children,  and  the  young 
princes,  his  nephews,  had  always  access  to 
him.  One  day,  while  he  was  writing  in 
his  cabinet,  where  the  eldest  of  them  was 
playing  with  a  ball,  it  happened  to  fall  on 
the  table  ;  the  king  threw  it  on  the  floor, 
and  wrote  on.  Presently  after,  the  ball 
ag;iin  fell  on  the  table  ;   he  threw  it  away 


once  more,  and  cast  a  serious  look  on  the 
child,  who  promised  to  be  more  careful, 
and  continued  his  play.  At  last,  the  ball 
unfortunately-  fell  on  the  very  paper  on 
wdiich  the  king  was  writing,  who,  being  a 
little  out  of  humor,  put  the  ball  in  his 
poclcet.  The  little  prince  humbly  begged 
pardon,  and  entreated  to  have  his  ball 
again,  which  was  refused.  He  continued 
some  time  praying  for  it  in  a  very  piteous 
manner,  but  all  in  vain.  At  last,  grown 
tired  of  asking,  he  placed  himself  before  his 
majesty,  put  his  little  hand  to  his  side,  and 
said,  with  a  menacing  look  and  tone,  "  Do 
you  choose,  sire,  to  restore  the  ball,  or  not  ?" 
The  king  smiled,  took  the  ball  from  his 
pocket,  and  sjave  it  to  the  prince,  with  these 
words  :  "  Thou  art  a  brave  fellow  ;  Silesia 
will  never  be  retaken  while  thou  art  alive." 

A  Prussian  ecclesiastic,  named  IMylius, 
found  among  his  father's  papers  a  promis- 
sory note  to  a  considerable  amount,  which 
the  king,  as  prince,  had  given  him.  He  im- 
mediately sent  it  to  the  king,  with  the  fol- 
lowing letter:  "  Sire, — Among  my  fatiier's 
papers  I  have  found  the  enclosed  note.  I 
cannot  tell  whether  it  has  been  through  neg- 
ligence, or  any  other  means,  that  it  has  not 
been  cancelled.  I  therefore  leave  the  matter 
to  the  disposal  of  your  majesty."  The  king 
sent  for  JMylius,  and  said  he  well  remem- 
bered receiving  the  money  from  his  father, 
and  that  if  there  was  any  error,  he  would 
be  the  loser  himself.  He  immediately  paid 
the  money,  with  interest. 

During  his  last  illness,  Frederick  endured 
many  restless  nights,  which  he  endeavored 
to  soothe  by  conversing  with  the  servant 
who  chanced  to  sit  up  with  liim.  On  one 
of  these  occasions,  ho  inquired  of  an  honest 
young  Pomeranian  from  whence  he  came. 
"  From  a  little  village  in  Pomerania." 
"  Arc  your  parents  living  ? "  "  An  aged 
mother."  "How  does  she  maintain  her- 
self?" "  By  spinning."  "  How  much  does 
she  gain  daily  by  it  ?  "  "Sixpence."  "But 
she  cannot  live  well  on  that."  "  In  Pome- 
rania  it  is  cheap  living."  "  Did  you  never 
send  her  anything?"  "0,  yes;  I  have 
sent  her,  at  difierent  times,  a  few  dollars." 
"  That  was  bravely  done  ;  you  are  a  good 
boy.  You  have  a  deal  of  trouble  with  me. 
Have  patience.  I  shall  endeavor  to  lay 
something  by  for  you,  if  you  beliave  well." 
The  monarch  kejit  his  word  :  for,  a  few 
nights  after,  the  Pomeranian  being  again 
in  attendance,  received  several  pieces  of 
gold,  and  heard,  to  his  great  joy  and  sur- 
prise, that  one  hundred  rix  dollars  had 
been  settled  on  his  mother  durinn-  her  lite. 


ARNOLD'S  MARCH  TO  QUEBEC. 


While  the  American  army  were  block- 
ading Boston,  in  the  autumn  of  1775,  a 
scheme  was  projected  by  congress  for  the 
invnsion  of  Canada.  Favorable  accounts 
had  been  received  from  that  country,  and  it 
was  believed  that  neither  the  Canadians  nor 
the  Indians  would  take  up  arms  against  the 
Americans.  The  scheme  was  approved  by 
Washing-ton,  and  it  was  decided  that  a 
strong  force  should  advance  upon  Quebec 
by  the  way  of  Lake  Champlain,  while  an- 
other body  should  be  detached  from  the 
army  at  Cambridge,  and  march  upon  the 
same  point  through  tlie  wilderness  of  JMaine, 
by  the  way  of  the  river  Kennebec.  Gen- 
erals Montgomery  and  Schuyler  were  en- 
trusted with  the  command  of  the  former, 
and  Colonel  Arnold  with  that  of  the  latter 
division  of  the  invadmg  army. 

Arnold's  undertaking  was  deemed  haz- 
ardous, but  it  was  beset  with  far  greater 
perils  than  any  one  imagined.  There  were 
few  settlements  in  Maine  at  any  great  dis- 


tance from  the  sea-coast,  and  the  district  to 
be  traversed  was  a  desolate  wilderness,  of 
which  hardly  anything  was  known ;  but 
Arnold,  who  was  courageous,  of  a  sanguine 
temper,  and  little  accustomed  to  prudential 
calculations  when  a  new  and  attractive  en- 
terprise presented  itself  to  his  ambition, 
readily  accepted  the  command  of  the  expe- 
dition. His  force  consisted  of  ten  compa- 
nies of  New  Etigland  infantry,  and  three 
companies  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania 
riflemen.  They  amounted  in  all  to  eleven 
hundred  men.  The  field  officers,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  commander,  were  Colonels 
Greene  and  Enos,  and  Majors  Bigelow  and 
IMeigs.  The  riflemen  were  commanded  by 
Captam  Daniel  Blorgan,  afterwards  .so  cele- 
brated as  a  partisan  officer.  The  famous 
Aaron  Burr  served  in  this  expedition  as  a 
lieutenant. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  1775,  the 
detachment  marched  from  Cambridge  for 
Newburj-port,  where,  six  days  after,  they 


--» 


ARNOLDS  MARCH  TO  QUEBEC. 


251 


embarked  in  fen  transports  for  the  Kenne- 
bec. Two  days'  voj'age  brought  them  to 
the  mouth  of  this  river,  and  they  ascended 
it  as  far  as  Gardiner.  A  company  of  boat- 
builders  had  previously  been  despatched  to 
that  place  from  Cambridge,  to  construct 
batteaux  ;  and  they  labored  with  such  indus- 
tn,^  that  in  fourteen  days  from  the  time  the 
first  orders  for  the  drafting  of  the  troops 
were  issued  at  Cambridge,  the  whole  body 
were  embarked  on  the  Kennebec  in  two 
hundred  boats,  completely  equipped  and 
provisioned.  They  sailed  up  the  river  and 
rendezvoused  at  Fort  Western,  opposite  the 
site  of  the  present  town  of  Augusta. 

Hitherto  they  had  proceeded  without  any 
adequate  conception  of  the  difilculties  that 
lay  before  them  ;  but  tlie  perils  of  the  un- 
dertaking soon  began  to  appear.  The  cold 
season  was  approaching,  and  the  winters  of 
Maine  are  uncommonly  severe.  Eleven 
hundred  men,  with  their  amis,  ammunition 
and  provisions,  were  to  find  their  way 
through  an  unknown  region,  wild,  rugged, 
and  without  inhabitants.  There  were  craggy 
mountains  to  traverse,  how  lofty  and  steep 
no  one  knew.  Nothing  like  a  road  existed 
in  the  wilderness,  llapids  and  cataracts 
obstructed  the  navigation  of  the  rivers,  and 
they  were  not  only  compelled  to  force  their 
batteaux  against  swift  currents,  but  were 
exposed  to  the  labor  of  constantly  unlading 
them,  and  transporting  them  and  their  car- 
goes round  the  waterfalls.  More  than  two 
hundred  miles  were  to  be  travelled  through 
all  these  dilhculties,  before  they  reach  the 
French  settlements  on  the  frontiers  of  Can- 
ada. Arnold  had  but  slight  knowledge  of 
the  country  to  direct  his  movements.  Colo- 
nel jMontresor,  a  British  oflicer,  had  passed 
over  this  route  fifteen  years  before,  and  an 
imjierfect  copy  of  his  journal  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  tiie  American  leader,  who  relied 
chieflv  upon  it  for  his  guidance.  Some  In- 
dians had  furnished  additional  information  ; 
and  Arnold  secretly  despatched  two  persons 
forward  as  an  exploring  part}'.  These  men, 
on  reaching  the  head  waters  of  Dead  river, 
met  an  old  Norridgewock  Indian,  the  last 
of  his  tribe,  who  had  his  wigwam  in  that 
neighborhood.  The  crafty  savage,  being 
probably  in  the  interest  of  the  British,  con- 
trived to  terrify  them  with  bugbear  stories, 
and  they  dared  not  advance  any  further, 
but  wrote  back  to  Arnold,  who  received 
their  conimimication  at  Fort  AVestern. 

From  this  ))ost,  the  army  proceeded  up 
the  river  in  four  divisions,  keeping  a  day's 
march  between  them,  tliat  they  might  not 
interfere  'vith  each  otiicr  in  passing  rapids 


and  cataracts.  Morgan,  with  his  riflemen, 
led  the  van,  and  Enos  brought  up  the  rear. 
As  they  advanced,  the  rapidity  of  the  stream 
increased,  and  the  bed  and  shores  grew  still 
more  rocky.  On  the  first  of  October  the 
forward  party  reached  Norridgewock.  Here, 
a  little  below  the  falls  of  the  river,  formerly 
stood  the  Indian  village  where  the  celebrated 
missionary,  Kasle,  lived  twentv-six  years, 
and  built  a  chapel.  The  ruins  of  the  latter 
were  still  visible,  as  Arnold's  troops  passed 
the  spot.  Their  curiosity  was  also  interested 
by  another  object ;  this  was  a  child  fourteen 
months  old,  the  first  white  person  ever  born 
in  that  place.  At  the  Norridgewock  falls, 
it  was  necessarj'  to  unlade  the  batteaux,  and 
transport  them,  with  all  their  effects,  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  by  land,  over  a  rou<::h  and 
rocky  country.  On  examining  their  provis- 
ions, they  were  now  found  to  be  much 
damaged,  particularly  the  bread.  The  boats, 
from  the  hurry  in  which  thev  had  been  con- 
structed, proved  leaky,  and  had  constantly 
suffered  from  accidents  in  ascending  the 
rapids.  It  cost  the  little  army  seven  days' 
labor  to  repair  their  injured  craft,  and  get 
them  round  the  falls.  Passing  more  of 
these  obstructions,  they  reached  tlie  Great 
Carrying  Place  at  the  head  of  the  Kennebec. 
The  Aitignes  which  they  had  encountered 
were  extreme,  having  been  obliged  to  wade 
in  the  river  for  half  the  distance,  dragging 
the  boats  against  the  swift  current.  Much 
sickness  prevailed  among  them,  reducing 
their  effective  force  to  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  men. 

The  expedition  had  now  reached  the  ex- 
treme point  of  navigation  on  the  main  stream 
of  the  Kennebec.  From  this  spot,  the  Great 
Carrying  Place  extended  fifteen  miles  to 
Dead  river,  one  of  the  head  streams  of  the 
Kennebec.  They  had  yet  fifteen  days'  pro- 
vision remaining,  and  Arnold  was  confident 
of  reaching  the  Chaudiere,  which  falls  into 
the  St.  Lawrence,  in  eight  or  ten  days.  It 
was  necessary  to  transport  the  boats,  provis- 
ions and  baggage,  on  men's  shoulders  the 
greater  part  of  the  distance,  as  the  Carrying 
Place  had  only  three  small  ponds  to  relieve 
them  of  the  labor  through  its  whole  extent. 
A  steep  and  rugged  ascent  of  three  miles 
caused  them  a  march  of  painful  toil  to  the 
first  pond,  where  they  again  embarked. 
Beyond  this,  their  course  was  impeded  by 
craggy  ravines  and  morasses;  but  by  un- 
wearied efforts  they  made  their  way  through 
every  impediment,  and,  after  six  days'  inces- 
sant labor,  they  reached  Dead  river  on  the 
Kith  of  October.  The  ponds  were  stocked 
with  abundance  of  fine  salmon  trout,  which 


If- 
{ 


ARNOLD  S    JLAPtCH    TO    QUEBEC. 


afforded  a  most  welcome  supply  of  food 
after  this  laborious  ninrch.  Two  block- 
houses wore  built  at  different  points  on  this 
route,  as  depositories  for  the  sick,  and  for  a 
stock  of  provisions  which  had  been  ordered 
from  Norridgewock. 

Before  they  reached  Dead  river,  Arnold 
sent  forward  one  of  his  men  with  two  In- 
dians. The  latter  carried  letters  to  General 
Schuyler,  and  some  persons  in  Quebec,  who 
were  supposed  to  be  well  affected  toward 
the  Americans.  The  other  individual  was 
directed  to  explore  the  French  settlements 
on  the  Chaudiere,  ascertain  the  feeling  of 
the  inhabitants,  and  return  with  such  intel- 
ligence as  he  could  obtain.  It  appears  that 
Arnold  had  not  sufficient  proof  of  the  fidel- 
ity of  the  Indians  to  warrant  his  entrusting 
them  with  so  important  a  mission,  for  they 
betrayed  their  trust,  and  carried  the  letters  to 
the  lieutenant-governor  of  Canada.  The  ex- 
pedition now  advanced  up  the  gentle  stream 
of  the  Dead  river,  which,  however,  was  inter- 
rupted in  several  places  by  falls  of  short 
descent.  The  meandering  course  of  the 
river  made  their  progress  a  very  slow  one. 
Near  a  bold  and  lofty  mountain,  capped  with 
snow,  the  army  halted  for  rest,  two  or  three 
days.  A  tradition  has  prevailed  that  Major 
Bigelow  ascended  to  the  top  of  this  moun- 
tain, in  the  hope  of  discovering  the  hills  of 
Canada  and  the  spires  of  Quebec  ;  and  from 
this  circumstance  it  has  obtained  the  name 
of  Mount  Bigelow. 

The  provisions  now  began  to  fall  short, 
and  a  detaclirnent  of  ninety  men  were  sent 
back  to  hasten  the  march  of  the  rear  divis- 
ion, which  was  better  supplied  than  the 
rest.  Arnold  and  Morgan  pushed  forward 
with  the  first  and  second.  Heavy  rains  fell, 
and  for  three  days  every  man  and  all  the 
baggage  were  drenched  with  water.  Violent 
floods,  pouring  down  the  ravines  of  this 
mounlainous  region,  exposed  them  to  con- 
stant danger.  One  night,  having  encamped 
on  shore  at  a  late  hour,  they  were  suddenly 
roused  by  a  mountain  torrent,  which  burst 
upon  them  with  such  fury  that  they  had 
barely  time  to  escape,  before  the  spot  on 
which  they  had  lain  was  completely  over- 
flowed. These  incessant  rains  caused  the 
river  to  swell,  and  in  nine  hours  the  water 
rose  eight  feet.  The  rapidity  of  the  current 
was  increased,  and  the  stream,  expanding, 
flooded  the  low  grounds  along  the  banks  of 
the  river,  and  entangled  the  batteaux  among 
the  driftwood,  bushes,  and  other  obstruc- 
tions. Seven  of  them  were  overset,  and 
all  their  cargoes  lost.  By  this  disaster  their 
slender  stock  of  provisions  became  further 


reduced,  and  a  council  of  war  being  called, 
it  was  decided  to  send  back  all  the  sick  and 
debilitated.  Orders  were  therefore  de- 
spatched to  Greene  and  Enos,  who  were 
yet  in  the  rear,  to  push  forward  with  as 
many  of  their  men  as  they  could  supply  with 
fifteen  days' provision,  and  send  the  remain- 
der back  to  Norridgewock.  Enos  disobej'ed 
this  order,  and,  instead  of  continuing  his 
march,  abandoned  the  entei^prise,  and  re- 
treated with  his  whole  division  of  three 
companies  to  the  sea-coast,  from  whence  he 
returned  to  the  army  at  Cambridge. 

The  other  division  continued  tb.eir  toil- 
some course  up  Dead  river,  ignovant  that 
they  were  abandoned  by  their  comrades. 
So  many  difficulties  were  encountered,  that 
they  made  but  twenty-one  miles'  progress 
in  three  days.  Arnold  led  the  van  with 
sixty  men,  designing  to  make  a  forced  murc'n 
to  the  Chaudiere,  and  send  back  provisions 
to  the  main  body.  The  fatigues  and  suffer- 
ings of  the  soldiers  augmented  daily ;  the 
cold  increased;  the  rain  changed  to  snow; 
the  rivers  ajid  ponds  froze,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  drag  the  batteaux  through  the  ice. 
At  length,  on  the  27th  of  Octo'oer,  the  ad- 
vanced party  reached  the  highlands  which 
separate  the  head  streams  of  IManie  from 
those  of  Canada,  having  passed  seventeen 
falls  on  Dead  river,  and  made  their  way 
through  an  immense  number  of  ponds  and 
morasses,  choked  with  logs  and  other  obstruc- 
tions. They  were  now  near  Lake  JMegantic, 
the  source  of  tlie  Chaudiere ;  a  sheet  of  water 
thirteen  miles  long,  and  three  or  four  broad, 
and  surrounded  by  lofty  mountains.  They 
encamped  on  its  eastern  shore,  where  thej' for- 
tunately discovered  a  large  Indian  wigwam, 
which  afforded  them  comfortable  quarters. 

At  this  spot  they  found  Lieutenants  Steel 
and  Church,  who  had  been  forward  to  ex- 
plore the  country,  and  clear  paths  at  the 
portages.  Arnold  was  gratified  to  find  also 
in  their  company  Jakins,  the  individual  who 
had  been  sent  into  Canada  with  the  Indians. 
He  had  explored  the  French  settlements, 
and  brought  a  very  favorable  account  of  the 
people,  stating  them  to  be  friendly  to  the 
Americans,  and  rejoiced  at  the  approach  of 
the  army.  Arnold  now  detached  Captain 
Hanchet  with  fifty-four  men,  to  march  by 
land  along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  him- 
self, with  sixteen  others,  embarked  in  five 
batteaux  and  a  birch  canoe,  to  gain  the  set- 
tlements as  speedily  as  possible.  In  three 
hours  they  reached  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  lake,  and  entered  the  Chaudiere, 
which  dashed  its  turbulent  waters  over  a 
rocky  bottom,    boiling   and   foaming  with 


ARNOLD  S    MAKCII    TO    QUEBEC. 


2o3 


great  fuTy.  The  batteaux  were  swept  down 
the  stream  with  fearful  rapidity;  and  thc\- 
had  no  pilot.  They  shortly  fell  among; 
rapids;  three  of  their  batteaux  were  upset 
and  dashed  to  pieces  against  the  rocl^s,  with 
the  total  loss  of  their  carg-ocs.  Six  men 
were  for  some  time  in  imminent  danger  of 
drowning;  but,  after  struggling  a  long  time 
in  the  water,  they  succeeded  in  saving  their 
lives.  This  disaster,  however,  saved  the 
party  from  destruction.  For  no  sooner  had 
the  men  dried  their  clothes  and  reembarkcd 
than  one  of  them,  who  had  wallced  forward, 
cried  out,  "A  fall  ahead!"  But  for  this 
discovery,  the  whole  party  must  have 
been  hurried  to  instant  death.  This  provi- 
dential escape  taught  them  caution;  but 
their  whole  course  down  this  dangerous 
stream  was  marked  with  every  species  of 
peril.  Rapids  and  falls  were  continually 
occurring.  The  canoe  ran  upon  the  rocks 
and  was  lost.  At  a  portage  of  above  half  a 
mile,  they  were  fortunate  enough  to  find 
two  Penobscot  Indians,  who  assisted  them 
in  passing  round.  After  escaping  a  mul- 
titude of  dangers,  they  arrived,  on  the  30th 
of  October,  at  Scrligan,  the  first  French  set- 
tlement on  theCiiaudiere,  sevcntymiles  from 
Lake  Mcgantic,  b}'  the  course  of  the  stream. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  main  body  were 
advancing  with  all  possible  speed  under  the 
excessive  fatigues  and  privations  to  which 
thev  were  exposed.  Their  sufi'erings  were 
now  augmented  to  an  alarming  degree. 
Incessant  toil,  amid  cold,  rain,  snow  and  ice, 
had  almost  exhausted  tlieir  strength  ;  their 
provisions  gave  out,  and  famine  stared  them 
in  the  face.  The  few  dog<  in  the  army 
were  killed,  and  alTorded  the  hungry  soldiers 
the  last  meal  apparently  within  their  reach. 
Then  the  hides  of  the  dogs  were  devoured. 
After  this,  tlieir  moose-skin  moccasins,  car- 
tridge-boxes, breeches,  shoes,  and  other  arti- 
cles of  leather,  were  boiled,  and  eaten,  to 
save  them  from  absolute  starvation.  Amid 
such  incredible  stilferings,  they  crossed  the 
highlands,  and  proceeded  down  the  Chau- 
dierc  ;  but,  exhausted  liy  famine,  they  were 
unable  to  prevent  the  total  destruction  of 
their  batteaux  in  the  rapids  of  that  river. 
At  last,  on  the  third  of  November,  at  the 
very  point  of  starvation,  they  were  trans- 
ported with  joy  at  the  sight  of  a  party  of 
their  own  men,  who  liad  been  sent  back  by 
Arnold  with  a  supply  of  pro»isions.  The 
next  day,  they  arrived  at  a  Frer.ch  house, 
where  they  were  hospitably  received.  This 
was  the  first  dwelling  they  had  seen  for 
thirty-one  days.  In  this  unparalleled  march 
thev  traversed  a  distance  of  more  than  three 


hundred  miles  througha  wilderness,  against 
rapids  and  falls,  through  tangled  woods, 
swamps,  and  morasses,  and  over  craggy 
hills  and  mountains.  All  their  powder,  e.\- 
cept  what  they  carried  about  them  in  car- 
tridges and  horns,  was  lost. 

The  whole  army,  emerging  in  detached 
parties  from  the  forests,  was  thus  assembled 
in  Canada,  and  appear  quickly  to  have  for- 
gotten their  losses  and  snfierings,  in  thcii 
ardor  to  prosecute  the  great  enterprise  which 
they  had  undertaken.  The  Canadians  re- 
ceived them  in  the  most  friendly  manner; 
they  supplied  them  liberally  with  provisions, 
and  seemed  to  wish  them  success  in  their 
undertaking.  The  sudden  appeararrce  of 
such  a  body  of  men,  issuing  in  this  unex- 
pected manner  from  the  bosom  of  an  almost 
impassable  wilderness,  struck  them  with 
surprise  and  astonishment.  The  exploit 
served  to  realize  the  tales  of  romance  ;  and 
the  old  Canadians,  who  dwell  in  the  remote 
and  sequestered  valley  of  the  Chaudiere, 
recount  to  their  children  at  this  day  the 
marvellous  tale  of  the  "descent  of  the  Bos- 
tonians,"  as  the  great  event  that  has  marked 
the  historj-  of  that  region. 

The  heroic  courage,  firmness  and  resolu- 
tion of  this  famous  band,  were  not  rewarded 
with  a  proportionate  degree  of  final  success. 
Ten  days  after  their  arrival  at  Sertigan, 
Arnold  reached  Point  Levy,  on  the  St. 
Lawrence,  opposite  Quebec,  and  the  whole 
army  rendezvoused  at  that  place  on  the  13lh 
of  November.  The  approach  of  the  Amer- 
icans had  already  become  known  in  Quebec ; 
yet  so  great  was  the  panic  occasioned  in 
that  city  at  the  sight  of  Arnold's  troops, 
that  an  immediate  coup  de  main  would 
doubtless  have  carried  the  place.  The 
British,  however,  had  secured  all  the  boats 
on  the  river,  and  the  Americans,  although 
in  sight  of  the  grand  object  of  their  expedi- 
tion, were  unable  to  strike  the  important 
blow.  After  some  delay,  thirty  or  forty 
birch  canoes  were  collected,  and  Arnold 
prepared  for  an  attack.  But  during  this 
space,  the  British  had  time  to  recover  from 
their  surprise ;  Quebec  was  put  in  a  state 
of  defence ;  the  exaggerations  respecting 
the  force  of  the  Americans  were  exposed, 
and  Arnold  had  the  mortification  to  discover 
that  his  men  had  now  not  above  five  car- 
tridges of  powder  apiece.  After  sunirfioninc; 
the  city  in  vain  to  surrender,  he  marched 
eight  leagues  up  the  river,  to  await  the  arri- 
val of  General  Montgomery  from  Montreal. 
The  unfortunate  events  which  followed 
form  a  mournful  page  ia  the  history  of  our 
revolutionary  struggle. 


TOUSSAINT  L'OUVERTURE. 


The  beautiful  West  India  island  which 
now  bears  the  name  of  Hayti  was  called 
Hispaniola  by  Columbus,  and  afterwards 
acquired  the  name  of  St.  Domingo.  In  the 
ncliness  and  variety  of  its  productions,  and 
its  local  beauties,  it  surpassed  every  island 
in  the  western  hemisphere.  Its  plains  and 
valleys  presented  the  most  inviting  scenes 
of  rich  and  perpetual  verdure.  The  extreme 
sahibrity  of  the  climate,  and  the  abundance 
of  its  delicious  fruits,  rendered  it  one  of  the 
most  delightful  abodes  in  the  world.  Di- 
vided between  France  and  Spain,  it  was  a 
source  of  great  revenue  to  both  of  those 
powers,  from  the  flourishing  commerce  car- 
ried on  in  the  exportation  of  the  numerous 
products  of  its  luxuriant  and  well-cultivated 
soil.  The  French  division,  although  com- 
prising less  than  a  third  part  of  the  island, 
was  considered  the  most  valuable  spot  of  its 
dimensions  in  the  western  world.  The  ex- 
ports to  France  of  sugar,  coffee,  cotton, 
indigo,  cocoa,  and  other  articles,  exceeded 
thirty  millions  of  dollars  annually. 

When  the  French  revolution  broke  out, 


the  planters  of  St.  Domingo  did  not  look  on 
in  silence;  and  the  National  Assembly,  ir. 
requiring  a  more  equal  representation  of  the 
people,  tacitly  acknowledged  that  the  colo- 
nies ought  to  have  a  voice  in  the  legislature. 
The  colonists,  perceiving  this,  determined 
to  seize  the  advantages  which  it  offered. 
They  selected  their  deputies,  formed  their 
colonial  assemblies,  and  proceeded  to  estab- 
lish a  new  constitution  for  the  internal  gov- 
ernment of  the  island.  This  constitution, 
when  published,  sufficiently  showed  that 
nothing  short  of  their  independence  of  the 
mother  country  was  the  object  at  which 
they  remotely  aimed.  Among  the  motives 
which  led  them  to  form  this  resolution,  was 
the  decree  of  the  National  Assembly,  which 
declared  that  "  all  men  are  born  free  and 
equal  as  to  their  rights."  This  declaration 
they  interpreted  as  tacitly  recommending 
the  emancipation  of  their  slaves.  The  island 
was  soon  distracted  by  commotions ;  the 
royalists  and  revolu' '  -nists  were  arrayed 
against  each  other  it.  the  heat  of  faction  ; 
violent  measures  were  pursued  by  both  par- 


TOUSSAINT   LOUVERTURE. 


255 


ties,  and  t'ne  utmost  fennent  prevailed 
throughom  tne  colony,  in  which  all  classes, 
the  slaves  not  excepted,  took  an  active  in- 
terest. 

A  society  had  been  formed  in  France, 
called  the  Amis  dcs  Noirs,  composed  partly 
of  men  who  afterwards  became  leaders  in 
the  revolution,  and  partly  of  mulattoes,  res- 
ident in  Paris.  Their  avowed  object  was 
to  procure  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves ; 
but  their  measures  for  its  accomplishment 
were  violent  and  injudicious.  They  de- 
manded immediate  emancipation;  forgfet- 
ting,  in  the  heat  of  their  zeal,  that  the 
negroes  were  unfit  at  that  period  to  value 
and  improve  the  advantages  of  freedom. 
They  were  equally  rash  in  the  methods  by 
wliich  they  made  their  designs  known  to 
the  slaves.  Inflammatory  addresses  were 
dispersed  among  them,  and  various  other 
arts  were  practised  to  induce  them. to  rise 
against  their  masters.  The  colonists,  at  the 
same  time,  acted  with  equal  indiscretion. 
They  took  no  measures  to  quiet  the  mur- 
murs of  their  slaves,  and  would  listen  to 
none  of  their  demands,  however  reasonable. 
The  slaves,  finding  that,  notwithstanding 
the  decrees  of  the  National  Assembly,  their 
privileges  were  still  withheld,  determined 
to  secure  them  by  force  of  arms.  Accom- 
modation soon  became  impossible ;  the 
French  would  offer  no  terms,  and  shut  their 
eyes  to  the  tremendous  dangers  tliat  were 
impending  over  them.  The  slaves  rose  in 
insurrection,  and  St.  Domingo  became  the 
scene  of  as  fearful  ravages  as  the  world  has 
ever  witnessed.  Conflagration,  pillage,  and 
massacre  spread  over  the  island,  and  the 
mind  recoils  in  horror  froni  the  details  of 
this  fearful  period. 

ToussaintL'Ouverture,  who  distinguished 
himself  early  in  this  war,  and  subsequently 
became  the  leader  of  tlie  blacks,  was  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  characters  of  modern 
times,  and  exhibited  proofs  of  genius  and 
elevation  of  character  which  give  him  a 
high  rank  in  the  annals  of  great  men.  He 
was  bora  a  slave,  of  African  parents,  at 
Breda,  near  Cape  Francois,  in  1743.  After 
he  became  the  chief  man  in  the  island,  one 
of  his  flatterers  compiled  a  genealogy,  declar- 
ing his  descent  from  an  African  king.  We 
do  not  know  this  to  be  false,  but,  although 
Toussaint  was  willing  to  have  it  believed, 
it  is,  probably,  without  foundation.  In  his 
youth,  he  was  employed  as  a  cattle-driver 
on  the  estate  of  the  Count  de  Noe,  to  whom 
he  belonged ;  he  was  taught  reading  and 
writing  by  another  negro.  In  due  time,  he 
rose  to  the  dignity  of  coachman  to  the  man- 


ager of  the  estate  ;  and  when  the  revolution 
broke  out,  he  held  the  office  of  overseer 
and  possessed  the  confidence  of  his  owner. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  stniggle, 
many  of  the  slaves  adhered  to  the  cause  of 
their  masters.  Toussaint  was  one  of  these. 
From  the  beginning  of  the  massacres  of 
1791,  to  the  appearance  of  the  pnclamation 
of  the  4th  of  February,  1794,  which  declared 
all  slaves  free,  he  continued  loval,  and  made 
himself  conspicuous  bv  his  zeal  lor  the  Cath- 
olic religion  and  royalty.  At  first  he  bore 
the  title  of  "Physician  of  the  Koyal  Armies," 
though  we  are  not  told  what  linowledge  of 
medicine  he  possessed.  He  then  became 
aide-de-camp  to  the  negro  leader,  Jean  Fran- 
(jois.  His  influence  with  the  negroes  in- 
creased, and  the  Spanish  president,  Garcia, 
honored  him  with  his  full  confidence.  When 
the  negroes  rejected  the  first  overtures  of 
the  French  commissioners,  Toussaint  as- 
signed as  a  reason,  that  they  had  always 
been  governed  by  a  king ;  could  be  governed 
only  by  a  king ;  and  having  lost  the  King 
of  France,  had  betaken  themselves  to  tlie 
protection  of  the  King  of  Spain.  But  the  < 
proclamation  of  the  French,  emancipating  > 
the  slaves,  opened  new  views  to  iiim,  and  « 
he  negotiated  with  their  general  for  a  return  j 
to  his  old  associates.  Being  promised  a  | 
commission  of  biigadier-general,  he  went 
over  to  the  French.  His  al«ndonment  of 
the  Spaniards  caused  thcsurrender  of  many 
of  their  most  important  posts. 

Laveaux,  the  French  governor,  treated 
Toussaint,  at  first,  with  reserve  and  cool- 
ness, which  compelled  him  to  withdraw  into 
retirement.  He  was  now  past  his  fiftieth 
year,  and  looked  upon  his  days  of  activity 
and  his  public  career  as  ended.  But  in 
1795,  he  was  suddenly  called  forth  by  a 
conspiracy  of  the  mulattoes,  who  arrested 
and  imprisoned  the  governor  at  Cape  Fran- 
(jois.  Toussaint  raised  an  army  of  negroes, 
and  being  supported  by  the  partisans  of  the 
French,  found  himself  at  the  head  of  ten 
thousand  men.  With  this  force,  he  marched 
to  the  capital  and  set  the  governor  at  liberty. 
Laveaux,  in  his  gratitude  for  this  deed, 
proclaimed  his  deliverer  the  protector  of  the 
whites,  the  avenger  of  the  constituted  au- 
thorities, and  the  "  black  Spartacus,"  who, 
according  to  the  prediction  of  the  Abbe 
Raynal,  was  destined  to  arise  and  avenge 
his  race.  Toussaint's  importance  now  ra)>- 
idly  augmented.  He  was  made  a  general 
of  division,  and  his  influence  was  so  pre- 
dominant, that  he  was,  in  fact,  the  supreme 
arbiter  of  the  fortunes  of  the  colon)'.  He 
reduced  the  whole  north  of  the  island,  with 


256 


TOUSSAINT    L  OUVEKTUKE. 


a  trifling  excejition,  to  the  dominion  of  tlie 
French,  and  was  the:  first  that  succeeded  in 
esmblishing  discipline  among  the  armed 
negroes. 

He  was  now  commander-in-chief  of  the 
armies  of  St.  Domingo.  The  island  ap- 
peared to  be  firmly  reestablished  under  the 
French  government,  but  the  distrust  of  their 
commissioner,  Hedouville,  caused  a  renewal 
of  the  troubles.  He  attempted  to  thwart  all 
the  plans  ofToussamt  for  the  welfare  of  the 
colony.  The  latter  persuaded  the  negroes 
to  return  to  their  agricultural  labors,  and 
thought  it  advisable  that  they  should 
work  five  years  for  their  former  masters, 
reserving  one  fourth  of  their  earnings,  be- 
fore they  assumed  the  full  extent  of  their 
freedom.  At  length,  Hedouville,  who  had 
become  odious  to  the  inhabitants,  from  his 
supposed  hostility  to  the  interest  of  the  col- 
ony, was  dismaj'ed  by  an  insurrection  at 
Cape  Francjois,  and  fled,  with  all  his  adhe- 
rents, comprising  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred 
men,  to  France.  A  strong  animosity  had 
subsisted  from  the  beginning  between  the 
blacks  and  the  mulattocs.  The  departure 
of  the  commissioner  caused  this  feud  to 
break  out  again  in  all  its  violence.  Rigaud, 
the  mulatto  chief,  led  his  ferocious  partisans 
on  to  rapine  and  massacre.  Toussaint  used 
his  utmost  e.xertions  to  check  the  sanguina- 
rj'  deeds  of  his  own  men;  and  he  carried 
on  the  war  with  such  success,  that  he  cap- 
tured all  the  strong-holds  of  the  mulattoes 
except  Aux  Cayes,  where  he  besieged  Ei- 
gaud,  in  1799,  and  finally  compelled  him  to 
abandon  the  island. 

In  the  mean  time,  Bonaparte  had  become 
First  Consul  of  France,  and  one  of  his  first 
measures  was  to  send  a  deputation  to  St. 
Domingo,  who  informed  Toussaint  that  he 
was  confirmed  in  his  authority.  This  chief 
was  now  at  the  summit  of  his  prosperitjr. 
Early  in  ISO!,  he  subdued  the  whole  Span- 
ish portion  of  the  island,  and  planned  a 
scheme  of  a  colonial  constitution,  in  which 
he  was  appointed  governor  for  life,  with 
power  to  name  his  successor  and  appoint  all 
the  officers  under  the  government.  He  ex- 
ercised this  authority  to  the  full  extent.  He 
quelled  an  insurrection  of  tlie  negroes,  and 
did  not  hesitate  to  punish  with  death  his 
own  nephew,  who  had  placed  himself  at  the 
head  of  it.  Under  his  strict  but  equitable 
sway,  the  agriculture  and  commerce  of  St. 
Domingo  were  soon  in  a  flourishing  state. 
Slavery  was  abolished,  and  the  blacks  were 
placed  on  an  equality  with  the  whites. 
Many  of  the  plantations  remained  in  the 
hands  of  the  original  proprietors.     The  ne- 


groes gave  ever}'  proof  of  mdustry,  subordi-  | 
nation  and  content.  They  diligently  culti-  J 
vated  the  plantations,  and  received  the 
wages  of  their  labor.  They  submitted 
cheerfully  to  all  those  regulations  which  it 
was  thought  necessary  to  establish,  and, 
living  in  possession  of  their  freedom,  seemed 
perfectly  happy. 

Toussaint,  whose  ability,  integrity,  and 
mildness  had  established  this  favorable  or- 
der of  things,  assumed  a  good  deal  ot  state, 
and  affected  to  cast  a  shade  of  mystery 
around  the  circumstances  of  his  early  life. 
He  took  pride  in  proclaiming  himself  the 
negro  deliverer  foretold  by  Eaynal.  He 
observed  great  simplicity  in  respect  to  his 
own  person,  but  surrounded  himself  with  a 
brilliant  staff.  His  popularity  was  un- 
bounded, and  he  appears  to  have  been  as 
solicitous  for  the  maintenance  of  the  French 
interest  as  for  any  part  of  his  scheme  of  gov- 
ernment. The  colony  had  seldom  been  nibre 
productive,  or  the  revenue  which  it  afibrded 
to  the  mother  country  more  abundant.  The 
island  seemed  to  enjoy  a  fair  prospect  of 
advancing  in  prosperity ;  the  inhabitants 
were  improving  in  the  arts  of  peace  and 
civilization ;  the  produce  of  the  soil  was 
j'ielding  increased  wealth  both  to  the  pro- 
prietors and  the  cultivators ;  and  the  dis- 
tinctions of  color,  and  the  prejudices  founded 
on  them,  might  at  last  have  been  forgotten, 
had  not  the  restless  ambition  of  the  ruler  of 
France,  and  the  foolish  discontent  of  the  ex- 
colonists,  disturbed  the  tranquillity  of  the 
island,  and  suddenly  brought  back  the  trou- 
bles which  bad  been  so  Iiappily  quieted. 

The  conduct  of  Bonaparte  towards  Tous- 
saint had  now  become  such  as  to  cause  seri- 
ous anxiety  in  the  mind  of  the  latter.  He 
had  sent  two  of  his  children  to  France  to 
receive  their  education,  but  the  First  Consul 
preserved  an  ominous  silence  towards  all 
his  overtures  for  friendship.  After  the 
treaty  of  Amiens,  Bonaparte  issued  a  proc- 
lamation, announcing  that  slavery  was  to 
continue  in  JMartinique  and  Cayenne,  and 
that  St.  Domingo  was  to  be  "  restored  to 
order.''  This  caused  a  well-grounded  alarm, 
and  Toussaint  met  it  by  a  counter  procla- 
mation, on  the  18th  of  December,  ISOl,  in 
which  he  professed  obedience  to  the  French 
republic,  but  at  the  same  time  appealed  to 
the  soldiery  in  language  which  left  no  doubt 
of  his  determination  to  take  up  arms  in  case 
any  attempt  should  be  made  to  take  away 
the  civil  right  as  recognized  by  the  existing 
governments.  The  policy  of  Napoleon  ap- 
pears to  be  thus  explained.  Wanting  em- 
ployment for  his  armies  during  the  truce 


TOUSSAINT    LOUVEKTURE. 


257 


of  Annens,  and  instigated  b}'  the  fugitive 
colonists  who  had  been  expelled  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  revolution,  and  who  were 
anxiously  longing-  for  their  lost  possessions, 
he  determined  on  subjugating  the  island  by 
force,  retstablishing  slavery,  and  reinstating 
the  ex-colonists  in  their  original  possessions. 
He  despatched  a  fleet  of  fifty-four  sail,  with 
an  army  of  twenty-five  thousand  men,  under 
his  brother-in-law,  General  Leclerc,  to  effect 
this  purpose. 

The  expedition  reached  St.  Domingo  in 
January,  1S02.  Toussnint  was  filled  with 
apprehensions  at  the  sight  of  this  fin'inidable 
force,  and  his  followers  were  intimidated 
and  divided.  Leclerc  brought  witli  him  a 
proclamation  of  the  First  Consul,  couched 
in  his  usual  ambiguous  style,  and  intended, 
no  doubt,  to  deceive  the  colored  population, 
bv  seeming  to  confirn\  their  rights  as  free- 
men, while  the  real  object  of  the  expedition 
was  to  reduce  tliem  to  slavery.  Tliis  proc- 
lamation was  received  among  the  wavering 
as  one  of  perfect  sincerity,  and  tlieir  appre- 
hensions were  quieted.  Many  of  them,  in 
consequence,  went  over  to  the  French.  But 
Toussaint  was  not  to  be  deceived.  His  two 
sons  had  been  brought  out  by  Leclerc,  to  be 
held  as  hostages  in  his  hands,  and  as  such 
to  check  any  opposition  which  their  father 
might  bo  disposed  to  make  to  the  measures 
of  the  French.  Leclerc  attempted  to  inveigle 
him  by  means  of  an  interview  with  his  sons, 
in  the  course  of  which  eveiy  appeal  was 
made  to  his  paternal  feelings  to  induce  him 
to  submit  to  the  invaders;  but  Toussaint 
resisted  this  attempt  with  the  stern  inflexibil- 
ity of  a  Roman.  "Take  back  my  children," 
said  he ;  "  since  it  must  be  so,  I  will  be 
faithful  to  my  brethren  and  my  God." 

War  now  commenced  between  the  French 
and  the  natives,  who,  under  the  conduct  of 
Toussaint,  Christophe  and  Dessalines,  car- 
ried on  their  enterprises  with  various  suc- 
cess. Leclerc,  in  February,  ISO'2,  pro- 
claimed Toussaint  an  outlaw,  and  the  blacks 
sustained  serious  reverses.  Toussaint,  how- 
ever, continued  to  defend  himself,  and  laid 
the  country  waste  around  him,  to  obstruct 
the  approach  of  the  enemy.  At  last,  the 
defection  of  Christojihe  and  Dessalines 
obliged  him  to  listen  to  terms,  and  his  sen- 
tence of  outlawry  was  reversed.  But,  on 
placing  himself  in  the  power  of  the  French, 
he  was  treacherously  arrested  and  sent  to 
France,  where  he  was  at  first  lodged  in  the 
prison  of  the  Temple  at  Paris,  and  after- 
wards in  the  castle  of  Joux,  near  Bcsan^on, 
where  he  was  subjected  to  a  rigorous  con- 
finement, which,  as  was   probably  foreseen 


and  intended,  speedily  terminated  his  exis- 
tence. He  died  on  tlie  27th  of  April,  ]SU3. 
His  family  were  confined  at  Brienne  en 
Agcn,  where  one  of  his  sons  died  ;  and  the 
survivors  were  not  set  at  liberty  till  the  res- 
toration of  the  Bourbons. 

The  perfidy  and  cruelty  exercised  toward 
Toussaint  L'Onverture  was  one  of  the 
Mackest  deeds  of  Napoleon's  reign.  He  did 
not  fail  to  reflect  upon  it  during  his  impris- 
onment at  St.  Helena.  "  I  have  to  j-eproach 
mj'self,"  said  he,  "for  the  expedition  to  Sf. 
DominjTo.  It  was  a  great  fault  to  try  to 
subject  the  island  by  force.  I  ought  to  have 
been  content  with  the  intermediate  govern- 
ment of  Toussaint.  Peace  was  not  then 
sufficiently  e-tablished  witli  England  ;  and 
the  territorial  wealth  to  which  I  looked  in 
trying  to  subject  it,  would  only  have  en- 
riched our  enemies.  It  was  undertaken 
against  my  opinion,  in  conformity  to  the 
wishes  of  the  council  of  state,  who  were  car- 
ried away  by  the  cries  of  the  colonists." 

Toussaint,  from  the  united  testimony  of 
his  friends  and  enemies,  deserves  to  be 
classed  among  great  men.  Hi.s  plans  were 
devised  with  great  skill,  and  produced  the 
happiest  results.  His  agricultural  improve- 
ments excited  the  surprise  and  astonislmient 
of  all  those  who  had  an  opportunity  to  ob- 
serve them.  He  sought  to  replenish  th; 
wasted  population  bj*  every  possible  means. 
He  held  out  to  those  who  had  emigrated 
during  the  contest  every  encouragement  to 
return,  pledt;ing  himself  to  remstate  them 
in  their  property,  and  assuring  them  that 
their  agricultural  undertakings  should  re- 
ceive all  the  support  which  it  was  possible 
for  him  to  aflord.  This  had  a  most  bene- 
ficial effect,  and  many  returned,  and  brouiTht 
with  them  the  slaves  who  had  accompanied 
them  in  their  flight,  but  who,  of  course, 
became  free  on  their  arrival.  His  reserved 
and  yet  energetic  character  commanded  the 
rcs])ect  of  the  negroes,  enabled  him  to  re- 
strain them  from  excesses,  and  keep  them 
steady  to  l-lor;  he  thus  restored  confidence 
to  the  whites.  He  had  strong  devotional 
feelings,  and  a  nice  sense  of  domestic  moral- 
ity. Under  theoe  influences,  he  made  con- 
stant efforts  to  suppress  licentiousness  of 
manners,  by  promoting  marriage  throughout 
the  colony.  He  was  aware  of  the  evil  effects 
of  the  system  of  polygamy  which  prevailed 
among  his  brethren,  and  his  endeavors  to 
abolish  it  resulted  not  only  in  an  improved 
state  of  morals,  but  in  an  increased  popula- 
tion. Toussaint  was  sometimes  harsh  in 
his  judgments,  and  rigid  in  exacting  obedi- 
ence to  his  authority  ;  but  he  was   always 


Xi 


258 


EL    DORADO. 


grateful,  and  never  left  an  oWi'rration  unre- 
quited. If  there  was  one  trait  in  his  char- 
acter more  conspicuous  than  the  rest,  it  was 
his  unsullied  integrity.  That  he  never  vio- 
lated his  fiiith,  was  a  proverbial  expression 
ill  the  mouths  of  the  white  inhabitants  of 
the  island,  and  of  the  English  officers  who 
were  employed  in  hostilities  against  him. 
Upon  a  fair  view  of  his  life,  if  we  consider 
the  nature  of  his  early  training,  his  defective 
educatioi:,  and  the  oppressive  influences 
which  surrounded  him,  we  cannot  but  look 
with  admiration  upon  his  career.  Possess- 
ing force  and  elevation  of  character  which 
triumphed  over  all  obstacles,  he  became  an 
able  general,  a  wise  statesman,  a  sound 
patriot,  a  great  and  good  man,  an  honor  not 
merely  to  "  the  African  race,"  but  to  human 
nature. 


EL   DORADO. 

The  first  conquerors  of  the  Spanish  Main, 
as  they  penetrated  into  the  interior,  received 
information  from  the  various  Indian  tribes, 
which  wrought  strongly  upon  their  excited 
imagination  and  avaricious  feelings.  They 
were  assured  that  by  marching  a  considera- 
ble distance  to  the  south,  they  would  come 
to  a  region  on  the  shores  of  a  broad  lake, 
inhabited  by  Indians  of  a  peculiar  character, 
known  by  the  name  cf  Omegas.  These 
people  were  represented  as  highly  civilized, 
living  under  regular  laws,  principally  in  a 
large  city,  the  houses  of  which  were  covered 
with  silver.  According  to  the  accounts,  the 
magistrates  and  ministers  of  religion  wore 
habits  of  massy  gold.  All  their  furniture 
was  of  gold  and  silver.  The  nation,  equally 
populous  and  warlike,  kept  on  foot  armies 
so  formidable  as  to  render  them  the  terror 


of  the  surrounding  tribes.  In  every  part  of 
Venezuela  and  Caraccas,  to  which  the  Span- 
iards directed  their  steps,  they  received  sim- 
ilar accounts,  and  from  Indians  too  far  yep- 
arafed  by  distance  to  have  combined  in  the 
invention  of  the  tale.  It  did  not  appear 
that  superstition  had  any  share  in  these 
traditions,  for  no  supernatur.il  virtue  or 
power  was  attributed  to  the  Omegas. 

These  accounts  were  confirmed  by  infor- 
mation from  other  quarters.  In  Peru,  Pi- 
zarro  and  his  followers  received  intelligence 
of  the  existence  of  a  nation,  called  the  Oma- 
guas,  on  the  borders  of  a  lake  to  the  north- 
east of  that  country.  The  representations 
agreed  with  those  of  Venezuela,  respecting 
the  riches  of  these  people,  their  power  and 
policy.  It  was  said  that  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Incas,  a  younger  brother  of  Ata- 
hualpa  had  fled  from  Peru,  carrying  with 
him  the  greater  part  of  the  royal  treasures, 
and  founded  a  greater  empire  in  the  north 
than  that  of  which  he  had  been  deprived. 
Sometimes  this  emperor  was  called  the 
Great  Paytiti,  sometimes  the  Great  Moxo, 
sometimes  the  Enim,  or  Great  Paru.  It  is 
undeniable  that  Manco  Inca,  the  brother  of 
Atahualpa,  made  his  escape  to  the  regions 
east  of  the  Cordilleras;  the  remainder  of 
his  histor\'  is  not  clearly  known. 

An  Indian  at  Lim.a  affirmed  that  he  had 
been  in  the  capital  of  this  country,  the  city 
of  Manoa,  of  which  he  gave  a  minute  de- 
scription. Three  thousand  worlcmen  were 
employed  in  the  street  of  the  silversmiths. 
The  columns  of  the  emperor's  palace  were 
of  porpliyry  and  alabaster;  the  galleries  of 
el'ony  and  cedar ;  the  throne  was  of  ivory, 
and  the  ascent  to  it  by  steps  of  gold.  The 
pahice  stood  on  a  small  island  in  the  lake. 
It  was  built  of  white  stone.  At  the  entrance 
were  two  towers,  and  between  tliem  was  a 
column  twenty-five  feet  in  height;  on  the 
top  of  this  was  a  large  silver  moon  ;  and 
two  pjimas,  or  American  lions,  were  fastened 
to  the  base  with  chains  of  gold.  Beyond 
the  place  occupied  by  these  was  a  quadran- 
gle planted  with  trees,  and  watered  by  a 
silver  fountain,  which  spouted  through  four 
golden  pipes.  The  gate  of  the  palace  was 
of  copper.  Witi;in,  a  golden  sun  was  placed 
on  an  altar  of  silver,  and  four  lamps  were 
kept  burning  before  it,  day  and  night. 

This  territory  obtained  the  name  of  El 
Dorado,  which  means  "  the  gilded,"  and  is 
variously  derived.  According  to  some  ac- 
counts, it  refers  to  the  costume  of  the  em- 
peror, who  was  anointed  every  morning  -.vith 
a  certain  precious  and  fragrant  gum,  after 
i  which  gold-dust  was  blown  upon  him  through 


EL    DORADO. 


259 


i 


: 


a  tube,  till  he  was  encrusted  with  gold.  This 
the  barbarian  thought  a  more  magnificent 
and  costly  attire  than  could  be  aflbrded  by 
any  other  potentate  in  the  world.  Accord- 
ing to  others,  it  was  the  chief  priest  who 
was  gilded.  All  these  stovics  found  a  ready 
belief  in  the  minds  of  the  Spaniards,  fash- 
ioned to  credulity  by  the  wonders  of  the 
New  World,  and  the  obscurity  in  which 
nmch  of  it  long  remained  involved.  They 
who  could  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  foun- 
tain whose  waters  had  the  virtue  to  restore 
to  youth  and  beauty  the  old  and  decrepit, 
could  have  no  difficulty  in  giving  their  faith 
to  the  golden  marvels  of  El  Dorado,  a  region 
which  differed  from  the  known  part  of  the 
continent  only  in  enjoying  a  superiority  in 
wealth.  The  accounts  of  Peru  itself  had 
been  equally  incredible  before  being  verified 
by  the  conquest 

No  geographical  fiction  ever  occasioned 
so  vast  an  expenditure  of  human  life.  The 
attempts  to  discover  this  powerful  region 
cost  the  Spaniards  more  men  and  treasure 
than  all  their  substantial  conquests  in  the 
New  World.  A  history  of  the  expeditions 
in  search  of  El  Dorado  would  form  a  most 
singularly  curious  and  interesting  volume. 
There  is  nothing  in  romance  to  surpass  the 
wonderful  dangers, privations  and  suflcrings, 
endured  by  the  adventurers  in  these  under- 
takings. Yet  neither  the  disasters,  nor 
even  the  almost  total  destruction  of  many 
of  the  bands,  prevented  others  from  follow- 
ing them.  New  adventurers  were  found  to 
follow  in  quick  succession;  although  the 
former  had  returned  discomfited  and  disap- 
pointed, the  last  always  flattered  themselves 
with  tiie  hope  that  the  discovery  of  El  Do- 
rado would  be  accomplished  by  them.  The 
mania  continued  for  ages,  and  was  consid- 
ered by  some  of  the  Spanish  religionists  as 
a  device  of  the  devil  to  lure  mankind  to 
their  destruction. 

Among  these  daring  spirits  was  Philij) 
Von  Hutten,  whose  expedition  is  so  much 
the  more  worthy  of  notice,  as  it  was  very 
nearly  successful,  and  actually  substantiates 
a  pait,  at  least,  of  the  story  of  El  Dorado. 
As  this  singular  and  interesting  portion  of 
American  history  is  probably  not  familiar  to 
most  of  our  readers,  we  shall  dwell  with 
some  minuteness  upon  its  details,  particu- 
larly as  they  furnish  materials  the  least 
equivocal  which  can  be  found,  respecting 
the  explanation  of  the  great  mystery.  Von 
Hutten  was  one  of  those  German  adventur- 
ers who  formed  the  first  expedition  of  the 
Welsers  to  Venezuela,  in  1.528.  Less  sav- 
age than  his  companions,  he  did   not  yield 


to  them  in  ambition  and  intrepiditv.  From 
the  time  of  his  arrival  in  America,  to  bis 
death,  a  period  of  fifteen  years,  he  seemed 
scarcely  to  have  enjoyed  a  single  instant  of 
repose.  Always  on  the  march,  fighting  the 
Indians,  living  on  wild  fruit,  exposed  to  all 
the  extremes  of  an  insalubrious  climate,  his 
life  was  a  tissue  of  dangers  and  suflcrings. 
In  the  co\irse  of  his  expeditions  into  the 
country  in  1.511,  chance  led  him  to  a  ])lacc 
where  he  learned  that  Quesada,  one  of  the 
conquerors  of  Santa  Fe  de  Bogota,  had  just 
passed  with  a  body  of  infantry  and  cavalry, 
in  quest  of  El  Dorado.  The  news  was  true. 
Quesada  marched  a  long  distance,  suflcred 
much, and  discovered  nothing.  Von  Hutten 
determined  to  follow  in  his  track,  in  order 
to  obtain  at  least  a  part  of  the  riches  of  El 
Dorado,  should  he  arrive  too  late  to  share 
in  the  contpiest. 

After  many  days  of  incredible  fatigue,  he 
reached  the  province  of  Papamena.  He 
found  there  an  Indian  equally  distinguished 
by  his  rank  and  siqierior  understanding. 
Von  Hutten  told  him  of  his  design.     The 

'Indian  answered,  with  every  appearance  of 
good  faith,  that  by  continuing  his  march  in 
that  direction,  he  would  only  find  uninhab- 
ited countries  and  deserts,  where  his  men 
would  starve  to  death.  Rut  if  he  wished, 
the  Indian  added,  he  would  conduct  him  in 
person  to  a  region  abounding  in  gold  and 
silver ;  this  country  was  to  the  east,  on  the 
Guayuava,  near  the  Lake  of  Parinia.  The 
Indian  even  showed  him  some  apples  of 
gold  which  his  brother  had  lately  brought 
from  thence.  Von  Hutten  saw  fit  to  dis- 
credit this  account,  and  pursued  the  route 
followed  by  Quesada,  taking  the  Indian 
with  him  as  a  guide.  But  after  a  march 
of  eight  days,  amid  all  sorts  of  dilficulties 
and  obstructions,  the  Indian,  seeing  that 
nothing  could  change  the  resolution  of  the 
Christians,  took  the  opportunity  of  a  dark 
night  to  escape.  His  flight,  together  with 
the  badness  of  the  roads,  ex.-ited  murmurs 
against  the  leader  of  the  banj,  who,  how- 
ever, continued  obstinately  bent  on  pushing 
forward.  All  the  soldiers  complained  of 
him  for  not  following  the  advice  of  the  In- 
dian. He  alone  remained  immovable  in 
his  resolution. 

A  few  days  after,  they  discovered  a  moun- 
tain resembling  that  at  the  foot  of  which  E. 
Dorado  was  said  to  be  situated  ;  but,  on  ex- 
ploring it,  their  hopes  were  disappointed. 
The  army,  now  reduced  by  intense  fatigue 
and  suffering,  were  obliged  to  pass  the  rainy 
season  here,  and  endured  the  most  cruel 

I  effects  of  hunger.     Ants  and  reptiles  were 


;    260 


EL    DORADO. 


tlieir  only  food.  Many  of  the  men  swelled 
up  and  died  in  the  most  excruciatmg  ago- 
nies ;  others  lost  their  hair,  their  eyebrows, 
eye-lashes  and  nails.  As  soon  as  the  favor- 
able season  returned,  Von  Hutten  began  his 
retreat  to  Coro,  then  the  capital  of  Vene- 
zuela. On  his  march,  he  was  obstructed 
by  inundations,  and  halted,  till  the  waters 
sluuld  subside,  at  a  village  called  Nuestra 
Senora  de  Fragoa.  While  his  men  were 
reposing  themselves,  and  thought  only  of 
the  pleasure  of  returning  home,  their  com- 
mander, irritated  at  his  disappointment,  fixed 
his  mind  upon  new  endeavors  to  retrieve 
his  fortunes.  From  the  Indians  of  the 
neighborhood  he  learnt  that  there  was  a 
region  in  a  certain  quarter,  richer  by  far 
than  any  that  had  yet  been  discovered.  The 
inhabitants,  called  the  Omegas,  were  repre- 
sented as  a  warlike  and  ferocious  race. 
Other  Indians  called  them  Itaguas,  but  they 
all  agreed  as  to  the  topographical  situation 
of  the  country. 

Fired  anew  with  brilliant  hopes.  Von  Hut- 
ten  determined  to  march  immediately  for 
the  Omegas.  His  army  was  now  reduced 
to  forty  men ;  but  as  soon  as  the  plains  were 
clear  of  water,  he  moved  forward.  The 
Indians  offered  to  conduct  him  safely  to  the 
tanks  of  the  Guayuava,  and  they  kept  their 
wora.  He  marched  to  the  river  by  roads 
tolerably  commodious,  and  there  acquired 
fresh  information.  The  natives  told  him 
that  the  city  of  Macatoa,  through  which  he 
must  necessarily  pass,  was  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river;  this  he  could  not  cross  with- 
out a  canoe.  One  of  these  Indians  appeared 
to  him  so  sincere,  that  he  commissioned  him 
to  go  and  apprize  the  inhabitants  that  he 
was  there  with  forty  men,  on  his  way  to 
more  distant  provinces ;  and  that  he  re- 
quested a  passage  and  the  friendship  of  the 
natives,  to  whom  he  offered  his  own.  The 
Indian  fulfilled  this  commission,  and  returned 
the  next  morning  with  the  son  of  the  ca- 
cique, who  was  sent  by  his  father  to  offer  his 
friendship  and  hospitality  to  the  strangers. 
Von  Hutten,  with  his  men,  proceeded  to 
Macatoa,  and  was  received  in  the  kindest 
manner. 

The  cacique,  being  told  of  their  design, 
informed  them  that  the  country  of  the  Ome- 
gas was  in  fact  full  of  gold  and  silver,  but 
that  its  population  was  so  great,  and  so  dis- 
ciplined to  war,  that  their  attempt,  with  so 
small  a  body  of  men,  was  most  rash  and  im- 
practicable. No  prospect  of  danger  or  diffi- 
culty, however,  could  shake  the  inflexible 
determination  of  the  commander ;  and  he 
therefore  continued  his  march.   The  cacique 


furnished  him  with  guides  as  far  as  the  next  | 
town,  which  was  distant  nine  days'  journey,  : 
and  gave  him  also  recommendations  to  the  ' 
cacique,  who  was  his  friend.  This  march 
was  performed  with  tolerable  comfort,  as  the 
roads  through  the  wilderness  were  well 
wrought.  The  second  cacique  received  the 
strangers  with  great  affability.  Like  his 
friend  of  Macatoa,  he  told  the  general  that 
his  undertaking  was  utterly  extravagant  and 
desperate  ;  but  he  also  assured  him  that  all 
which  had  been  related  of  the  Omegas  was 
true.  No  nation  had  ever  attacked  them 
with  success,  and  it  was  contrary  to  common 
sense  to  suppose  that  forty  men,  even  though 
they  had  the  strength  and  courage  of  lions, 
could  subdue  a  whole  nation  highly  popu- 
lous and  warlike.  These  representations, 
however,  did  not  stagger  the  obstinate  and 
self-willed  leader ;  and  the  cacique,  finding 
him  resolved  to  make  the  attempt,  consented 
to  guide  him  to  the  country  he  was  seeking; 
but  warning  him  and  his  men,  at  the  same 
time,  to  bear  m  mind  that  he  had  done  his 
utmost  to  avert  their  calamitous  fate.  All 
this  was  heard  with  coolness  and  indiflier- 
ence  ;  nothing  was  thought  of  but  the  region 
of  gold  and  silver. 

After  four  days'  march,  they  arrived  at  a 
mountain,  on  the  skirts  of  which  they  saw 
four  or  five  villages  surrounded  by  well- 
cultivated  fields;  further oflf  their  eyes  were 
ravished  by  the  prospect  of  a  broad  and 
most  delightful  valley,  in  which  stood  a  city 
so  extensive  as  to  stretch  beyond  their  view. 
The  streets  appeared  to  be  regularly  laid 
out,  and  the  houses  well  and  compactly  built. 
"  There,"  exclaimed  the  cacique,  "  is  the 
capital  of  the  Omegas.  Behold  this  famous 
region  whose  riches  the  Spaniards  so  ar- 
dently covet.  That  edifice  in  the  centre  of 
the  city  is  the  dwelling  of  the  governor,  and 
the  temple  of  a  number  of  gods.  The  pop- 
ulation of  the  place  is  immense,  and  the 
order  that  is  preserved  there  is  admirable. 
The  houses  which  you  see  scattered  on  the 
sides  of  the  hills  round  the  city  are  inliab- 
ited  hytliosewho  practise  agriculture,  while 
the  others  exercise  the  trade  of  war.  Now 
that  you  yourself  see  the  strength  of  those 
people,  you  can  reflect  anew  on  the  temerity 
of  your  project.  If  you  persist,  I  must  with- 
draw, and  pray  to  the  gods  to  protect  your 
lives." 

Nothing  could  now  repress  the  ardor  of 
the  adventurers,  inflamed  by  the  sight  of 
the  object  which  they  had  been  so  long  pur- 
suing. They  took  leave  of  the  cacique,  and 
marched  immediately  to  the  city.  On  ap- 
proaching some  houses,  they  met  a  few  of 


i 


EL    DORADO. 


26] 


the  Indians,  who,  struck  with  surprise  nt 
the  sight  of  men  with  beards,  white  faces, 
and  ill  strange  dresses,  instantly  took  to 
flight.  These  were  pursued,  and  Von  Hut: 
ten  unfortunately  overtook  and  seized  one 
of  them.  The  Indian  was  armed  with  a 
lance,  and  instantly  aimed  a  blow  at  his 
advcrsaiy,  who,  finding  himself  severely 
woimded  between  the  ribs,  qnittcd  his  hold, 
and  the  Indian  escaped.  The  adventurers 
soon  heard  in  tlie  city  a  great  noise  of  drums 
and  other  instruments  of  war,  mingled  with 
the  most  terrific  cries.  Night  was  now  ap- 
proaching, and  they  retreated,  carrying  ofl" 
their  wounded  commander  in  a  hammock. 

Tlicy  passed  the  night  on  a  neighboring 
mountain,  and  the  next  morning  beheld  an 
army  of  several  thousand  Indians  marching 
out  of  the  city  in  pursuit  of  them.  Von 
Huttcn  was  unable  to  fight,  and  resigned 
the  command  to  his  chief  olHcer,  Limpias. 
A  battle  now  ensued,  similar  to  the  conllicts 
between  tlie  soldiers  of  Cortez  and  the  Me.v- 
icans.  The  superior  arms,  valor  and  reso- 
lution of  the  Spaniards,  enabled  them  to 
resist  tlie  attacks  of  an  immense  throng  of 
assailants.  Not  one  of  them  were  killed  ; 
and  the  Omegas  retreated,  leaving  the  field 
of  battle  covered  with  heaps  of  their  slain. 
But  the  Spaniards  were  now  convinced  of 
the  desperate  character  of  their  undertaking, 
and  unanimously  agreed  that  the  conquest 
of  tlic  Omegas  could  not  be  effected  without 
a  much  stronger  military  force.  They  re- 
turned to  the  cacique  who  had  acted  as  their 
guide,  and  here  reposed  themselves  for  some 
days.  The  geneml  was  cured  of  his  wound, 
and,  after  obtaining  from  the  cacique  all 
the  information  necessary  for  rendering  a 
second  journey  more  rapid  and  easy,  he 
took  his  departure  for  Coro,  intending  to 
organize  a  new  expedition  against  the  Ome- 
gas ;  but  before  he  reached  that  place,  he 
was  assassinated  at  the  instigation  of  a  usur- 
per named  Carvajal,  who  by  means  of  a 
forged  commission  had  seized  upon  the  gov- 
ernment of  Venezuela,  and  did  not  think 
himself  secure  in  liis  usurpation  till  he  had 
got  rid  of  Von  Huttcn,  who,  it  seems,  had 
been  appointed  lieutenant  general.  His 
most  faithful  adherents  were  also  assassi- 
nated with  him.  Such  was  the  close  of  this 
memorable  expedition,  which  occupied  the 
space  of  four  years. 

Among  the  numerous  adventurers  who 
shared  in  the  expeditions  for  tlie  discovery 
of  El  Dorado,  was  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  an 
Englishman  of  the  highest  talent  and  char- 
acter. A  man  of  his  chivalrous  feelings 
could   not   but  be  filled  with   admiration  at 


the  courage  and  energy  which  had  been 
exhibited  by  the  Spaniards  in  the  pursuit 
of  this  romantic  and  brilliant  object.  Hav- 
ing also  a  firm  belief  in  the  real  existence 
of  El  Dorado,  he  determined  to  make  an 
attempt  to  discover  it  himself.  The  multi- 
plied failures  of  the  Spaniards  produced  in 
him  a  strong  conviction,  not  that  they  had 
wasted  their  streng-th  in  pursuit  of  a  phan- 
tom, but  only  that  they  had  missed  the  right 
way.  In  classing  Kaleigh,  however,  with 
the  knights-errant  of  El  Dorado,  we  must, 
in  justice  to  his  memory,  state,  that  his  aims 
were  of  a  far  higher  order  than  those  of 
other  adventurers.  A  part  of  his  design 
was  to  conquer  and  colonize  Guiana,  and 
thus  to  extend  the  sphere  of  English  indus- 
try and  commerce. 

In  February,  1.595,  Raleigh  sailed  from 
Plymouth  with  five  vessels  and  above  a 
hundred  .soldiers.  On  arriving  at  Trinidad, 
he  made  prisoner  of  the  governor,  Berrio, 
who  was  hiiusclf  preparing  an  expedition 
for  El  Dorado  on  a  magnificent  scale.  From 
hence  he  sailed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco, 
the  navigation  of  which  was  entirely  un- 
known to  the  English,  but  which  it  was 
necessary  to  ascend  in  order  to  reach  the 
grand  object  of  the  voyage.  A  hundred 
men  embarked  in  boats,  as  the  ships  drew 
too  much  water  to  proceed  up  the  stream. 
In  these  they  continued  to  advance  for  a 
month,  exposed  to  the  open  air,  sometimes  , 
under  a  burning  sun,  sometimes  amid  tor-  ' 
rents  of  rain,  with  no  shelter,  and  no  rest- 
ing-jilace  but  the  hard  boards  of  their  boats. 
Raleigh's  account  of  their  progress  through 
the  labyrinth  formed  by  the  numerous  out 
lets  of  the  great  stream,  of  their  alternate 
hopes  and  fears,  wants  and  fortuitous  sup- 
plies, the  aspect  of  the  country  and  its  pro- 
ductions, the  natives  and  their  chiefs,  and 
of  their  entrance  at  last  into  the  grand  chan- 
nel of  the  magnificent  Orinoco,  —  is  full  of 
interest  and  variety,  and  occasionally  pre- 
sents descriptive  passages  of  great  beauty, 
joined  also  with  traits  of  most  extravagant 
credidity. 

After  ascending  the  river  about  a  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles,  the  rapid  and  terrific 
rise  of  its  waters  compelled  them  to  descend. 
Raleigh  firmly  resolved  soon  to  return,  took 
formal  possession  of  the  country,  and  made 
the  caciques  swear  allegiance  to  Queen 
Elizabeth.  He  returned  to  England  at  the 
end  of  the  summer,  and  published  an  ac- 
count of  his  voyage,  containing,  in  addition 
to  ascertained  facts,  many  marvellous  tales 
which  he  had  picked  up  among  the  Indians. 
His   determination   to  risit  America   aiitiin 


262 


EL    DORADO. 


was  inflexible,  yet  it  was  not  till  1613  that 
he  sailed  on  his  new  expedition.  This  was 
more  disastrous  than  the  former,  but  we 
have  not  room  to  give  the  particulars. 

The  belief  in  the  existence  of  El  Dorado 
coakl  not  be  eradicated  from  the  minds  of 
the  inhabitants  in  that  quarter.  So  late  as 
the  year  17S0,  a  wild  Indian  presented  him- 
self before  the  governor  of  Spanish  Guiana, 
declaring  that  he  came  from  the  borders  of 
Lake  Parima.  He  was  plied  with  questions, 
which  he  answered  with  as  much  perspicu- 
ity and  precision  as  could  be  expected  of  a 
savage  who  spoke  mostly  by  signs.  He 
succeeded  in  making  them  understand  that 
on  the  banks  of  that  lake  was  a  city  whose 
inhabitants  were  civilized  and  well  disci- 
plined in  war.  He  said  much  of  the  beauty 
of  the  buildings,  the  neatness  of  the  streets, 
the  regularity  of  the  squares,  and  the  riches 
of  the  people.  The  roofs  of  the  houses  were 
of  gold  or  silver,  and  the  high  priest  he  said 
was  powdered  with  gold  dust.  The  Indian 
sketched  on  a  table  with  a  bit  of  charcoal  a 
plan  of  the  citj'.  The  governor  was  fully  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  his  representations,  and 
engaged  him  to  serve  as  a  guide  to  the  place. 

A  body  of  Spaniards  immediately  set  out 
for  the  discovery.  They  travelled  nearly 
Jive  hundred  leagues  to  the  south,  by  the 
most  difficult  and  often  frightful  paths. 
Hunger,  the  swamps,  the  rocks  and  the  prec- 
ipices, soon  wore  them  out,  and  most  of 
them  died.  When  the  remainder  thought 
themselves  within  four  or  five  days'  journey 
of  the  city,  their  guide  disappeared  in  the 
night.  This  utterly  dismayed  them.  They 
knew  not  where  they  were,  and  after  wan- 
dering about  for  some  time,  all  of  them  per- 
ished except  Don  Antonio  Santos.  The 
idea  of  disguising  himself  as  an  Indian  oc- 
curred to  him.  He  threw  off"  his  clothes, 
stained  his  body  with  roco,  and  introduced 
himself  among  the  savages  by  means  of  the 
knowledge  he  possessed  of  many  of  their 
languages.  He  continued  a  long  time 
among  them,  and  at  length  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Portuguese  on  the  Rio  Negro. 
After  a  long  detention,  they  sent  him  home, 
and  he  died  in  Guiana,  in  1796. 

It  is  impossible  not  to  entertain  a  great 
curiosity  as  to  the  true  origin  of  a  story 
which  led  to  such  results  as  we  have  related. 
Men  of  intelligence,  judgment,  and  acute- 
ness,  some  of  whom  have  resided  many 
years  in  that  country,  have  announced  their 
serious  opinion  that  the  story  of  El  Dorado 
is  not  destitute  of  foundation  in  reality. 
Unless  we  suppose  the  account  of  Von  Hut- 
ten  to  be  a  complete  fabrication,  which  does 


not  appear  warrantable,  occurring  as  it  does 
in  the  work  of  a  respectable  historian,  we 
have  evidence  at  least  of  the  existence  of  a 
warlike  nation,  more  civilized  than  the  rest 
of  the  Indians,  who  had  built  on  the  borders 
of  Lake  Parima  a  large  and  handsome  city. 
The  eminent  traveller  Humboldt  adopts  an- 
other method  of  solving  the  mystery.  While 
engaged  in  exploring  the  countries  upon  the 
upper  Orinoco,  he  was  naturally  led  to  direct 
his  attention  to  the  origin  of  a  tale  of  such 
celebrity  which  was  still  credited  in  that 
quarter.  "  When  near  the  sources  of  the 
Orinoco,"  he  says,  "  we  heard  of  nothing 
but  the  proximity  of  El  Dorado,  the  Lake 
Parima,  and  the  riiins  of  its  capital!''''  He 
attempts  to  account  for  the  tales  of  El  Do- 
rado in  a  geological  way.  According  to  his 
conjecture,  there  maybe  islets  and  rocks  of 
micaslate  and  talc  within  and  around  the 
lake,  which,  reflecting  from  their  shining 
surfaces  the  rays  of  an  ardent  sun,  appear 
to  form  a  gorgeous  city,  whose  temples  and 
houses  seem  to  be  overlaid  with  gold  and 
silver.  He  supposed  that  this  scene  was 
thus  formed  by  the  imagination  into  the 
gilded  metropolis.  Humboldt  attempted  to 
penetrate  to  this  spot,  but  was  hindered  by 
the  Guayacas,  a  tribe  of  Indian  dwarfs. 

The  story  of  El  Dorado  remains,  there- 
fore, still  involved  in  deep  obscurity.  We 
cannot,  however,  withhold  our  belief  that  it 
had  some  foundation  in  truth.  The  reader, 
perhaps,  will  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the 
region  which  is  pointed  out  as  the  locality 
of  this  celebrated  place  has  never,  to  this 
day,  been  traversed  by  a  European.  Its 
great  distance  from  the  sea,  and  the  impas- 
sable wilderness  that  surrounds  if,  have  re- 
pelled the  arms  of  the  conqueror  from  its 
borders,  while  the  bravery  or  ferocity  of  its 
inhabitants  forbids  every  traveller  to  ap- 
proach it.  Is  it  improbable  that  a  great 
city,  or  the  ruins  of  one,  sliould  exist  in  ibis 
unkno^\^^  territory  ?  A  few  3-ears  ago,  who 
suspected  that  the  plains  and  forests  of 
Central  America  and  Yucatan  contained 
those  immense  and  magnificent  ruins  brought 
to  light  by  the  researches  of  modern  travel- 
lers ?  Cortez,  in  his  march  to  Mexico, 
passed  within  ten  miles  of  the  great  city  of 
Copan,  without  hearing  of  it. 

Mr.  Stephens  does  not  hesitate  to  avow 
his  opinion  that  aboriginal  cities  may  yet  be 
found,  in  the  unexplored  regions  of  South 
America,  peopled  by  unconquered  natives. 
The  probability  of  such  facts  is  still  greater 
in  respect  to  a  district  more  remote  from  Eu- 
ropean establishments,  and  which  possesses 
positive  traditions  attesting  their  existence. 


WiWKWtll.>., 


POPE   JULIUS   II. 


Tins  extraordinary  man  was  orirrinally  a 
fisherman,  but  his  uncle,  Scxtus  IV.,  being 
pope,  and  seeing  that  he  possessed  great 
talents,  caused  him  to  enter  the  church, 
where  he  soon  obtained  distinction.  His 
ambition  was  vast,  and  reaching  from  point 
to  point,  he  at  last  became  pope,  in  l.")03. 

Although  ho  professed  to  be  the  successor 
of  St.  Peter,  who  preached  the  gospel  of 
peace,  Julius  did  not  hesitate  to  raise  armies 
and  make  war  ;  and,  what  is  remarkable, 
he  led  his  armies  in  person,  and  in  battle 
displayeu  all  the  fierce  courage  and  bold 
daring  of  tlie  soldier.  At  the  siege  of  i\Ii- 
tandola,  in  1511,  he  exposed  himself,  at  the 


head  of  his  men,  at  ever^'  point  of  danger ; 
when  a  breach  in  the  walls  was  effected,  he 
entered  by  a  scaling-ladder,  sword  in  hand, 
being  among  the  very  foremost  of  the  head- 
long assailants. 

The  great  mind  of  Julius  was  occupied 
with  many  vast  projects.  ■  In  the  lirst  place, 
he  desired  to  restore  the  see  of  Rome  to  its 
former  power  ;  and  he  made  wars,  fought 
battles,  and  intrigued  with  kings  and  priii- 
ccs,  to  effect  this  object.  He  did  a  good 
deal,  as  he  thought,  to  strengthen  the 
power  of  the  popes,  and  establish,  not  only 
the  spiritual  but  temporal  dominion  of  the 
church  ;  but,  while  he  was  pleasing  himself 


2G4 


TirPOO    SAIB. 


with  the  idea  of  success  in  one  direction, 
we  iliall  see  tliat  he  was  laying  the  train, 
in  another,  by  which  his  schemes  were  to 
bo  finally  exploded,  and  the  church  itself 
shaken  to  its  foundations. 

Julius  was  a  lover  of  pleasure,  and  many 
tales  are  told  of  his  vices  and  immoralities. 
He  was  a  lover  of  the  fine  arts  —  painting, 
sculpture,  and  architecture.  Of  these  he 
became  a  patron,  and  many  great  artists, 
particularly  Raphael  and  Michael  Angelo, 
flourished  in  his  time  and  under  his  aus- 
pices. Julius  did  a  great  deal  to  improve 
and  embellish  the  Vatican,  —  the  pope's 
palace  at  Rome.  This  building  is  still  one 
of  the  wonders  of  the  world,  and  it  would 
require  a  large  book  to  describe  its  hun- 
dreds of  rooms,  and  its  treasures  of  art,  in 
painting  and  sculpture. 

Among  other  great  projects,  Julius  deter- 
mined to  build  a  cathedral  church,  one  of 
s\ich  majesty  and  splendor  as  was  suitable 
to  the  city  of  Kome,  the  seat  of  the  popes, 
the  centre  and  head  of  that  religion  which 
had  not  only  pervaded  the  civilized  world, 
but  claimed  to  be  the  perpetuation  and 
completion  of  God's  dealings  with  man 
(n  earth.  Thi;  stupendous  and  admirable 
church  of  St.  Peter,  still  standing  at  Rome, 
—  the  wonder  of  the  world  and  the  triumph 
of  art,  —  was  the  result  of  this  grand  con- 
ception. 

Julius  was  a  man  of  great  energy,  and 
he  set  immediately  about  his  darling  project. 
The  greatest  artists  were  employed,  and  the 
edifice  was  begun  on  the  ISth  April,  1506. 
It  was  hurried  forward  with  such  expedition 
that  the  walls,  after  they  were  carried  to  a 
great  elevation,  cracked,  and  it  required  the 
wonderful  genius  of  Michael  Angelo  to  de- 
vise the  means  of  remedying  the  difficulty, 
and  of  furnishing  the  stupendous  plans  for 
the  final  completion  of  the  building. 

St.  Peter's  was  not  finished  till  more  than 
a  century  after  both  Julius  and  Michael 
Angelo  had  gone  down  to  their  graves  — 
so  vain  are  both  ambition  and  genius,  in 
satisfying  their  own  desires.  And,  as  to 
Julius,  this  very  work,  designed,  no  doubt, 
to  hand  down  his  name  with  glory  to  after 
times,  resulted  in  a  verjr  different  manner. 
His  various  schemes  led  him  into  many 
expenses,  and  in  his  need  for  money  he 
granted  the  sale  of  indulgences  for  sins  — 
causing  it  to  be  set  forth  that  the  money 
thus  obtained  was  to  build  the  church  of 
St.  Peter.  Julius  seems  to  have  thought 
it  very  desirable  to  erect  this  noble  church  ; 
he,  perhaps,  regarded  it  as  a  very  laudable 
and  holy  enterprise,  though  doubtless,  some 


share  of  selfish  amhition  was  mingled  with 
other  feelings.  And,  further,  Julius  seems 
to  have  thought,  for  such  a  great  and  good 
object,  that  he  might  deal  in  indulgences  — 
which  were  pieces  of  paper,  sold  for  large 
sums  of  money,  in  which  the  pope  declared 
that  the  sins  committed  by  persons  buying 
them,  were  remitted  and  forgiven  of  God  I 
This  tratTic  being  carried  on  to  a  great 
extent,  roused  the  famous  Martin  Luther 
in  opposition  to  tire  Church  of  Rome,  and 
the  result  was  the  Reformation,  by  wliicli 
the  power  of  the  Church  of  Rome  was 
greatly  abridged,  and  the  popes  themselves 
humbled.  Thus  the  ambition  of  Julius  re- 
sulted in  disgrace  to  himself,  and  humilia- 
tion to  the  institution  which  he  so  eagerly 
sought  to  glorify.    He  died  1513,  aged  70. 


TIPPOO   SAIB. 

This  monarch,  Sultan  of  Mysore,  in  Hin- 
dostan,  was  a  son  of  the  famous  Hyder 
Ali,  and  became  distinguished  in  those 
wars  which  Great  Britain  carried  on  for  the 
purpose  of  subjecting  this  portion  of  India. 
He  was  born  in  1751,  and  succeeded  his 
father  in  1782.  In  1783,  he  signed  a  treaty 
of  peace  with  England,  which  jut  an  end 
to  the  wars  that  his  father  had  commenced. 

Tippoo  had  now  a  kingdom  about  twice 
as  large  as  the  State  of  New  York  in  extent,  \ 
with  an  annual  revenue  of  fourteen  millions 
of  dollars.  The  countrj'  was  thickly  peo- 
pled and  well  cultivated  ;  but  Tippoo  was 
a  Mohamedan,  and  he  began  to  persecute 
those  who  differed  from  him  in  religious 
faith.  He  caused  the  Brahmins  to  be  cru- 
elly beaten,  and  such  was  his  rigor  towards 
Christians,  that  seventy  thousand  of  them 
left  his  dominions. 


MIGRATION    OF    WILD    GEESE. 


265 


I 


After  t  time,  be  became  again  involved 
in  a  war  witb  tbe  Englisb,  and  Tippoo  was 
besieged  by  Lord  Cornwallis,  in  his  capital 
of  Seringapatam.  Keduced  to  extremity, 
he  agreed  to  a  peace,  by  the  terms  of  which 
he  was  compelled  to  relinquish  one  half  of 
his  kingdom,  and  pay  the  enormous  sum 
of  $  15,000,000.     This  took  place  in  179-J. 

Tippoo  was  a  man  of  great  talents  and  a 
good  deal  of  pride.  He  could  not  well  sub- 
mit to  the  humiliation  he  had  suffered,  and 
accordingly  he  again  engaged  in  a  war 
against  the  English.  He  had  entered  into 
intrigues  with  the  French,  and  as  Bonaparte 
at  this  time  made  his  famous  expedition 
into  Egypt,  it  has  been  supposed  that  he 


expected  assistance  from  Tippoo  in  an  at- 
tempt to  subjugate  India,  and  strip  England 
of  her  possessions  in  that  quarter. 

The  British  troops  prosecuted  the  war 
with  vigor,  and  having  defeated  the  sultan 
in  two  pitched  battles,  he  was  obliged  to 
retreat  to  his  capital.  Here  he  was  ag-ain 
invested,  and  on  the  4th  of  May,  1799,  Ser- 
ingapatam was  carried  by  storm.  Tippoo 
was  slain  in  the  assault,  while  braixly  de- 
fending the  ramparts,  and  his  kingdom  was 
divided.  This  monarch,  though  capricious 
and  cruel,  was  fond  of  literature,  and  had 
collected  an  extensive  and  valuable  library, 
which  is  stiU  preserved  in  the  university  of 
Calcutta. 


^^]l00li^s  Wild  Gecao. 


MIGRATION   OF   WILD   GEESE. 


The  passage  of  wild  geese  to  the  north 
commences  with  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  ; 
their  first  appearance  in  Canada  and  on  the 
shores  of  Hudson's  Bay  varying  with  the 
forwardness  of  the  spring,  from  the  middle 
of  .\pril  to  the  latter  end  of  May.  Their 
flight  is  heavy  and  laborious,  but  moder- 
ately swift,  in  a  straight  line  when  their 
number  is  but  few,  but  more  frequently  in 
two  lines,  meeting  in  a  point  in  front.  The 
van  is  said  to  be  always  led  by  an  old  gan- 
der in  whose  wake  the  others  instinctively 
follow.  But  should  his  sagacity  fail  in 
discovering  the  land-marks  by  which  they 
usually  steer,  as  sometimes  happens  in  fog- 
gy weather,  the  whole  flock  appear  in  the 
greatest  distress,  and  fly  about  in  an  irreg- 
ular manner,  making  a  great  clamor.  In 
their  flidits  they  cross  indiscriminately  over 
land  and   water,   diircring   in   this   respect 


from  several  other  geese,  wliich  prefer 
making  a  circuit  by  water  to  traversing  the 
land.  They  also  pass  far  inland,  instead 
of  confining  their  course  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  sea. 

So  important  is  the  arrival  of  geese  to 
the  inhabitants  of  these  northern  regions, 
that  the  month  in  which  they  first  make 
their  appearance  is  termed  by  the  Indians 
the  gouse  moon.  In  fact,  not  only  the  In- 
dians but  the  English  settlers  also  depend 
greatly  upon  these  birds  for  their  subsist- 
ence, and  many  thousands  of  them  are 
annually  killed,  a  large  proportion  of  which 
are  salted  and  barrelled  for  winter  consump- 
tion. Many,  too,  that  are  killed  on  their 
return,  after  the  commencement  of  the  frost, 
are  suflercd  to  freeze,  and  are  thus  kept  as 
fresh  provisions  for  several  months. 


3^ 


Tcwer  of  Babel. 


SOURCES   OF   HISTORY. 


HiSTOEY  is  a  record  of  past  events. 
Sacred  history  is  the  account  that  is  given 
us  in  the  Bible  ;  this  furnishes  the  only 
authentic  history  of  the  creation  of  the 
world,  and  the  things  that  immediately 
happened.  It  is  the  only  book  that  tells 
us  of  Adam  and  Eve  ;  of  Cain  and  Abel ; 
of  the  tower  of  Babel,  and  the  confusion  of 
tongues ;  of  the  flood  of  waters  ;  of  Noah 
and  his  family  ;  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  ;  of  David  and  Solomon  ;  and  gener- 
ally of  the  Jewish  nation,  and  the  way  of 
salvation  to  man,  through  the  Redeemer. 

Profane  history  means  that  which  is 
written  by  men,  in  distinction  from  sacred 
history,  which  is  written  by  the  inspiration 
of  God.  Profane  history,  when  it  would 
tell  us  of  the  early  ages  of  the  world,  has  a 
great  mixture  of  fable,  and  is  very  uncertain 
in  its  representations.  This  is  the  fact  with 
the  history  of  Greece.  It  is  chiefly  fur- 
nished by  the  poets,  who  picked  up  stories 
handed  down  by  tradition,  and  embellished 
them  with  fictions  of  their  own.  Thus  they 
heard  marvellous  tales  about  a  man  called 
Jupiter,  that  lived  in  remote  ages ;  and  was 
celebrated  alike  for  his  wisdom,  for  his 
extensive  possessions,  and  the  influence  he 
exercised  over  the  people  around  him.  The 
poets  began  to  weave  up  stories  about  Jupi- 
ter ;  one  said  he  did  this,  another  said  he 
did  that.  So  they  went  on,  each  trying  to 
e.xceed  the  other  in  some  wonderful  tale  of 
this  wonderful  man. 

The  people  listened  eagerly  to  these  sto- 
ries ;  and  thus  encouraged,  the  poets  went 
on  composing  songs  and  ballads,  until  they 
had  made  out  Jupiter  to  be  a  god  who  lived 
on  Mount  Olympus,  manufacturing  thunder 
and  lightning,  ruling  over  the  land  and  the 
sea,  controlling  the  seasons,  swaying  man- 


kind, and  governing  the  whole  troop  of  gods 
and  goddesses  throughout  the  world.  This 
is  the  way  the  fiction  of  Jupiter  was  devised 
and  executed,  and  may  serve  as  a  hint  at 
the  means  by  which  the  whole  mythology 
of  Egypt,  Greece,  and  Rome  was  fabricated. 

Thus  it  is  that  nearly  all  the  earlier  por- 
tions of  profane  history  are  to  be  regarded 
as  doubtful.  There  are,  indeed,  certain 
portions  of  it,  which  may  be  received  as 
true ;  such,  for  instance,  as  are  derived 
from  monuments  now  existing,  and  bearing 
certain  inscriptions.  There  aro  in  Egypt, 
in  Greece,  in  various  parts  of  Asia  and 
Europe,  very  ancient  pyramids,  obelisks, 
and  edifices,  bearing  inscriptions  or  carv- 
ings, either  of  writings  or  pictorial  repre- 
sentations, which  furnish  us  with  dates, 
facts,  and  occurrences,  serving  to  establish 
epochs,  or  great  events,  thus  giving  consis- 
tency and  certainty  to  the  leading  features 
of  history.  It  is  in  this  way  that  the  frame- 
work of  the  more  ancient  parts  of  history  is 
made  out  and  established  ;  and  so  much 
may  be  deenjed  v^-orthy  of  credit.  Most  of 
the  details  and  lesser  incidents,  such  as  the 
extraordinary  feats  of  inaividuals,  the  ex- 
travagant numbers  said  to  be  engaged  in 
particular  battles ;  and,  in  short,  all  the 
more  marvellous  portions  of  ancient  history, 
are  to  be  deemed  entire  fictions,  or  poetic 
embellishments  and  exaggerations. 

Among  the  most  interesting  of  ancient 
remains,  which  contribute  to  make  out  the 
story  of  mankind,  are  the  paintings  recently 
discovered  in  the  chambers  of  the  ruins  of 
ancient  Thebes,  in  Egypt.  These  tell  us, 
without  leaving  room  for  doubt,  how  the 
Egyptians  dressed  themselves  ;  wdiat  they 
ate  and  drank  ;  how  they  broiled,  boiled, 
and  fried ;  how  they  combed  their  heads  and 


SOURCES    OF    HISTORY. 


267 


Ancient  Egy 

arrayed  their  hair ;  how  fhcy  slept ;  how 
they  amused  themselves  ;  what  armor  they 
had  in  battle  ;  how  they  fought ;  how  they 
worshipped  —  and,  indeed,  how  they  lived, 
and  felt,  and  thought,  and  acted. 

Besides  these  paintings,  the  hieroglyph- 
ics, or  picture-writings  of  the  Egyptians, 
graven  on  obelisks,  and  other  monuments, 
afford  great  aid  to  the  historians.  When 
Bonaparte  went  with  a  French  anny  to 
Egypt,  he  took  a  great  many  learned  men 
with  him.  These  looked  at  these  hiero- 
glyphics with  intense  interest  and  curiosity, 
and  longed  to  find  out  the  means  of  reading 
them  —  for  this  art  had  not  then  been  dis- 
covered. These  persons  were  infidels,  and 
not  believing  the  Bible,  «Jiey  wished  to  bo 
able  to  prove  it  untrue.    "  If  we  could  read 


plian  picture. 

these  inscriptions,"  said  they,  as  they  stood 
before  the  hieroglj-phics  upon  the  monu- 
ments of  Thebes,  "  if  we  could  read  these, 
we  could  prove  the  Old  Testament  to  be 
false." 

After  a  few  years,  a  very  ingenious 
Frenchman,  by  the  name  of  Cham]iollion, 
went  to  Egypt,  and  studied  profoundly  into 
these  mysterious  hieroglyphics.  At  last,  he 
happened  to  hit  upon  "the  art  of  reading 
some  of  them,  and  was  thus  able  to  make 
out  their  meaning.  The  result  has  been 
very  different  from  what  the  French  phi- 
losophers supposed  ;  for,  instead  of  explod- 
ing the  Scriptures,  these  Egyptian  writings 
alTord  very  strong  additional  evidence  of 
their  truth. 

Another  satisfactory  source  of  authentic 


;    history  is  afforded  by  the  remains  of  Greek 
;    sculptures,  found  upon  the  ancient  temples. 
Many  of  these  have  been  carried  to  Lon- 
don, and  deposited  in  museums,  where  they 
have  been  very  thoroughly  examined,  thus 


furnishing  rich  materials  for  the  historian. 
Other  sculptures,  particularly  statues,  have 
been  discovered  in  Greece,  which  furnish 
many  interesting  facts. 

The  coins  that   are  found   in   dilTercnt 


26S 


PASSAGE    OF    THE    MOUNTAIN'S    IN    INDIA. 


parts  of  the  world  have  contributed  not  a 
little  to  give  eertaintj'  to  portions  of  ancient 
history,  particularly  that  of  Rome.  In 
Europe  there  are  antiquarians  who  have 
devoted  whole  lives  and  ample  fortunes  to 
the  collecting-  of  coins.  For  a  scarce  coin, 
even  of  copper,  and  of  itself  not  worth  as 
much  as  one  cent,  hundreds  of  dollars  have 
often  been  paid,  merely  because  it  was  very 
rare.  In  some  of  the  European  collections, 
there  are  complete,  or  nearly  complete,  sets 
of  coins  of  all  the  emperors  of  Rome  ;  and, 
as  these  have  the  likenesses  of  the  empe- 
rors upon  them,  we  have  handed  down  to 
us  the  image  and  superscription  of  every 
one  of  these  successors  of  the  Cssars. 

Besides  these  sources  of  history,  we 
have  the  writings,  either  perfect,  or  in  part, 
of  several  ancient  authors.  Among  the 
Greeks  are  Aristotle  and  Plato,  v/ho  were 
philosophers ;  Homer,  the  greatest  of  poets  ; 
Herodotus,  Thucydides,  and  Xenophon,  his- 
torians. Among  the  Egyptians,  Ptolemy, 
the  greatest  of  the  ancient  astronomers, 
and  the  father  of  geography.  Among  the 
Romans,  we  have  Cornelius  Nepos,  Caesar, 
Livy,  and  Sallust,  historians ;  Plutarch,  a 
biographer,  and  many  others,  in  different 
branches  of  literature. 

Rome,  in  its  days  of  glory,  had  extended 
her  conquests  over  the  most  civilized  and 


populous  portions  of  the  world.  Indeed, 
she  stretched  her  authority  on  every  side, 
and  brought  under  her  dominion  nearly 
every  portion  of  the  known  world.  All 
Europe  was  subject  to  her  sway;  all  Africa, 
contiguous  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea  ;  all 
the  middle,  western,  and  northern  portions 
of  Asia.  Over  these  vast  dominions  her 
armies  marched,  and  her  messengers  passed 
to  and  fro.  The  art  of  writing  was  then 
e.xtensively  practised,  and  though  printing 
was  unknown,  still  the  means  of  communi- 
cating and  diffusing  e.xact  knowledge  were 
possessed  in  all  parts  of  the  extended  em- 
pire. This  period  of  Roman  history,  there- 
fore, abounded  in  materials  for  history. 

But  in  the  fifth  century  of  the  Christian 
era,  Rome  fell  like  a  dismembered  edifice, 
and  its  trampled  ruins  were  parcelled  out  and 
possessed  by  barbarians.  Her  arts  and  her 
literature  were,  for  a  time,  buried  in  the 
mighty  wreck.  It  was  left  to  the  priests  in 
the  monasteries,  during  the  dark  ages,  to 
delve  and  dig  out  these  liierary  treasures. 
To  them  we  are  indebted  for  preserving 
nearly  all  that  remains. 

In  1444,  the  art  of  printing  was  invented; 
that  is,  the  art  of  mu!tif)lying  records  and 
copies  of  human  writings.  This  is  the  art 
of  arts  ;  the  triumph  of  human  skill ;  the 
greatest  civilizer  of  society. 


_ 

is 

fc 

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E     -■■t*^ 

S^^jng 

JM^ 

i    g;-;--   t3^   P 

U^-'M 

f^nk^ 

fj|^ 

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f^ 

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^^ft 

\  .  Jj 

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■ffl— T- 

s'^^ntw^ 

PASSAGE   OF   MOUNTAINS   IN   INDIA. 


Among  the  interesting  accounts  of  ele- 
phants, the  following,  furnished  by  a  Brit- 
ish ofiicer  in  India,  is  particularly  pleasing. 
It  must  be  premised,  that  it  is  sometimes 
necessary  for  armies  to  cross  the  mountain- 
ous regions  of  this  country.  It  is  always  a 
difficult,  and  not  unfrequently  a  dangerous 
busmess  ;  the  elephants  being  so  clumsy, 
and  withal  so  heavy,  that  a  single  misstep 
might  prove  fatal,  not  only  to  them,  but  to 
all  who  accompany  them.     The  following 


is  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
guns  belonging  to  a  regiment  were  convey- 
ed, by  means  of  elephants,  over  a  high  hill, 
or  ghaut,  as  it  is  called. 

"  Having  cut  a  good  deal  of  the  most 
prominent  part  of  the  hill  away,  and  laid 
trees  on  the  ascent  as  a  footing  for  the  ele- 
phants, these  animals  were  made  to  ap- 
proach it,  which  the  first  did  with  some 
reluctance  and  fear.  He  looked  up,  shook 
his  head,  and  when  forced  by  his  driver, 


EUGENE    ARAM. 


269 


roared  piteously.  There  can  be  no  question, 
that  this  sagacious  animal  was  competent, 
instinctively  to  judge  of  the  practicability  of 
the  artificial  flight  of  steps  thus  constructed ; 
for,  the  moment  some  little  alteration  had 
been  made,  he  seemed  willing'  to  approach. 
"  He  then  commenced  his  examination 
and  scrutinj',  by  pressing  with  his  trunk 
the  trees  that  had  been  thrown  across  ;  and 
after  this  he  put  his  fore  legs  upon  them, 
with  great  caution,  raising  the  fore  part  of 
his  body,  so  as  to  throw  its  weight  on  them. 
This  done,  he  seemed  satisfied  as  to  their 
stability.  The  next  step  for  him  to  ascend" 
by  was  a  projecting  rock,  which  we  could 
not  remove.  Here  the  same  sagacious  cx- 
■  amination  took  place,  the  elephant  keeping 
his  side  close  to  the  side  of  the  bank,  and 
leaning  asjainst  it.  The  next  step  was  upon 
a  tree  ;  but  this,  on  tlie  first  pressure  of  his 
truidc,  he  did  not  like.  Here  his  driver 
made  use  of  the  most  tender  epithets,  such 
as,  'Wonderful,  my  life!'  —  'Well  done, 
my  dear!'  —  'My  dove!' — 'My  son!'  — 
'  My  wife  ! '  But  all  these  endearing  ap- 
pellations, of  which  elephants  are  so  fond, 
would  not  induce  him  to  try  again.  Force 
was  at  length  resorted  to,  and  the  elephant 
roared  terrifically,  but  would  not  move. 
Something  was  then  removed  ;  he  seemed 
satisfied,  as  before  ;  and  thus,  in  time,  as- 
cended that  stupendous  ghaut.  On  his 
reaching  the  top,  his  delight  was  visible  in 
a  most  eminent  degree  ;  he  caressed  his 
keepers,  and  threw  the  dirt  about  in  a  very 
playful  maimer. 

"  Another  elephant,  a  much  younger  ani- 
mal, was  now  to  follow.  He  had  watched 
the  ascent  of  the  other  with  the  most  intense 
interest,  making  motions  all  the  while,  as 
though  he  was  assisting  him  by  shoulder- 
ing him  up  the  acclivity  ;  such  gestures  as 
I  have  seen  some  men  make,  when  specta- 
tors of  gymnastic  exercises.  When  he  saw 
his  comrade  up,  he  evinced  his  pleasure  by 
giving  a  salute,  something  like  the  sound  of 
a  trumpet.  When  called  upon  to  take  his 
turn,  he  seemed  much  alarmed,  and  would 
not  act  at  all  without  force.  When  he  was 
two  steps  up,  he  slipped,  but  recovered  him- 
self by  digging  his  toes  in  the  earth.  With 
the  e.xccption  of  this  little  accident,  he  as- 
cended exceedingly  well.  When  this  ele- 
phant was  near  the  top,  the  other,  who  had 
already  performed  his  task,  extended  his 
trunk  to  the  assistance  of  his  brother  in 
distress,  round  which  the  young  animal 
entwined  his,  and  thus  reached  the  summit 
of  the  ghaut  in  safety. 

"  Having  both  accomplished  their  task, 


their  greeting  was  as  cordial  as  if  they 
had  been  long  separated  from  each  other, 
and  had  just  escaped  from  some  perilous 
achievement.  They  mutually  embraced 
each  other  and  stood  face  to  face  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  as  if  whispering  congratula- 
tions. Their  driver  then  made  them  salam 
or  bow  to  the  general,  who  ordered  them 
five  rupees  each,  for  sweetmeats.  On  this 
reward  of  their  merit  being  ordered,  they 
immediately  returned  thanks  by  another 
salam." 


EUGENE  ARAM. 

The  life  of  this  man  is  fraught  with 
deep  interest,  and  affords  a  striking  moral. 
Though  born  in  humble  circumstances,  and 
therefore  only  provided  with  the  means  of 
a  narrow  education,  by  the  force  of  talent 
and  industry  he  improved  his  mind,  and 
made  himself  master  of  a  wide  field  of 
knowledge.  His  station  was  now  respecta- 
ble in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  he  had  all 
the  requisite  means  to  insure  happiness. 
One  thing  only  did  he  lack,  yet  that  thing 
which  is  necessary  to  the  preservation  of 
every  earthly  good,  —  virtue.  In  an  evil 
hour  he  was  tempted  to  the  commission  of 
a  horrid  crime.  Though  this  was  shielded 
by  darkness ;  though  years  rolled  away 
without  suspicions  or  detection  ;  though  a 
fair  outside  was  carefully  preserved  ;  though 
he  left  the  scene  of  his  depravity,  and 
doubtless  believed  he  had  forever  buried 
his  giiilt  in  oblivion,  —  still  the  All-seeing 
eye  was  upon  him,  and  He  who  rules  over 
events,  as  if  to  show  how  vain  is  human 
ingenuity  in  attempting  to  shelter  the  mur- 
derer, at  last  brought  him  to  justice.  On 
his  trial,  he  displayed  wonderful  powers  of 


270 


EUGENE    AKAM. 


reasoning,  but  even  these  now  only  served 
to  heighten  his  guilt  in  the  eyes  of  man- 
kind. How  short-sighted  is  the  man  who 
attempts  to  attain  happiness  by  unlawful 
means ;  which,  even  if  successful,  must 
make  every  cup  of  life  bitter  as  gall ;  and, 
if  unsuccessful,  must  bring  judgment,  and 
agony,  and  shame! 

During  the  confinement  of  this  remark- 
able person  on  the  charge  of  murder,  he 
wrote  an  account  of  his  own  life,  from 
which  we  learn  that  one  of  his  ancestors 
had  been  high  sheriff  of  Yorkshire,  in  the 
reign  of  King  Edward  III.,  but  the  family 
having  been  gradually  reduced,  his  father 
occupied  a  humble  station  in  life.  The  son, 
however,  was  sent  to  a  school  near  Rippon, 
where  he  perfected  himself  in  writing  and 
arithmetic,  and  then  v^'ent  to  London  to 
officiate  as  clerk  to  a  merchant. 

After  a  residence  of  two  years  in  town, 
he  was  seized  with  the  small-pox,  which 
left  him  in  so  weak  a  condition,  that  he 
went  back  to  Yorkshire,  for  the  recovery 
of  his  health.  On  his  recovery,  he  found 
it  necessary  to  do  something  for  immediate 
subsistence  ;  and  accordingly  engaged  him- 
self as  usher  to  a  boarding-school  ;  but, 
not  having  been  taught  the  learned  lan- 
ffuafes  in  his  youth,  he  was  oblitred  to 
supply  by  industry  what  he  had  failed  to 
obtain  from  neglect.  Thus,  while  teaching 
writing  and  arithmetic,  by  employing  all 
his  leisure  hours  in  the  most  intense  study, 
he  ot  .ength  became  an  e.xcellent  Greek 
and  Latin  scholar.  In  the  year  1734,  he 
engaged  to  officiate  as  stev/ard  of  an  estate 
belonging  to  Mr.  Norton,  of  Knarcsborough 
and  while  in  this  station  he  acquired  a  com 
potent  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew.  At  this 
period  he  married,  but  was  far  from  being 
happy  in  his  matrimonial  connection. 

We  shall  now  relate  the  circumstances 
which  led  to  the  commission  of  the  crime 
which  cost  Aram  his  life.  Daniel  Clarke, 
a  shoemaker,  at  Knaresborough,  after  being 
married  a  few  days,  circulated  a  report  that 
his  wife  was  entitled  to  a  considerable  for- 
tune, which  he  should  soon  receive.  Here- 
upon, Aram  and  Richard  Houseman,  con- 
ceiving hopes  of  making  advantage  of  this 
circumstance,  persuaded  Clarke  to  make 
an  ostentatious  show  of  his  own  riches,  to 
induce  his  wife's  relations  to  give  him  that 
fortune  of  which  he  had  boasted. 

Clarke  was  easily  induced  to  comply 
with  a  hint  so  agreeable  to  his  own  desires  ; 
on  which  he  borrowed  and  bought  on  credit 
a  large  quantity  of  silver-plate,  with  jewels, 
watches,  rings,  &c.     He  told  the  persons 


of  whom  he  purchased,  that  a  merchant  in 
London  had  sent  him  an  order  to  buy  such 
plate  for  exportation  ;  and  no  doubt  was 
entertained  of  his  credit  till  his  sudden  dis- 
appearance, m  February,  174.5,  when  it  was 
imagined  that  he  had  gone  abroad,  or  to  Lon- 
don, to  dispose  of  his  ill-acquired  property. 

When  Clarke  was  possessed  of  these 
goods,  Aram  and  Houseman  determined  to 
murder  him,  in  order  to  share  tlie  booty  ; 
and  on  the  night  of  the  eighth  of  Februarj', 
1745,  they  persuaded  Clarke  to  walk  with 
them  in  the  fields,  in  order  to  consuit  with 
them  on  the  proper  method  to  dispose  of  the 
effects. 

On  this  plan,  they  walked  into  a  field,  at 
a  small  distance  from  the  town,  by  the  name 
of  St.  Robert's  Cave.  When  they  came  to 
this  field,  Aram  and  Clarke  went  over  a 
hedge,  towards  the  cave,  and  when  they 
had  got  within  six  or  seven  yards  of  it. 
Houseman  (by  the  light  of  the  moon)  saw 
Aram  strike  Clarke  several  times,  and,  at 
length,  beheld  him  fall,  but  never  saw  him 
afterwards.  This  was  ihe  state  of  the  affair, 
if  Houseman's  testimony  on  the  trial  is  to 
be  credited. 

The  murderers,  going  home,  shared 
Clarke's  ill-gotten  treasure,  the  half  of 
which  Houseman  concealed  in  his  garden, 
for  a  twelvemonth,  and  then  took  it  to 
Scotland,  where  he  sold  it.  In  the  mean 
time  Aram  carried  his  share  to  London, 
where  he  sold  it  to  a  Jew,  and  then  engag- 
ed himself  as  an  usher  at  an  academy  in 
Piccadilly  ;  where,  in  the  intervals  of  duty 
in  attending  to  his  scholars,  he  made  him- 
self master  of  the  French  language,  and 
acquired  some  knowledge  of  Arabic  and 
other  eastern  tongues. 

After  this,  he  was  usher  at  other  schools, 
in  different  parts  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  as  he 
did  not  correspond  with  his  friends  in  York- 
shire, it  was  presumed  that  he  was  dead. 
The  sudden  disappearance  of  Clarke  had 
long  been  forgotten  ;  but,  in  the  year  175S, 
as  a  man  was  digging  for  limestone  near 
St.  Robert's  Cave,  he  found  the  bones  of  a 
human  body,  and  a  conjecture  hereupon 
arose  that  they  were  the  remains  of  Clarke, 
who,  it  was  now  presumed,  might  have 
been  murdered. 

Houseman  having  been  seen  in  company 
with  Clarke  a  short  time  before  his  disap- 
pearance, was  apprehended  on  suspicion  ; 
and,  on  his  examination,  giving  but  too 
evident  signs  of  his  guilt,  he  was  committed 
to  York  castle.  The  bones  of  the  deceased 
being  shown  to  him,  he  denied  that  they 
were  those  of  Clarke,  but   directed  to  the 


»>»^- 


EUGENE    ARAM. 


271 


precise  spot  where  he  said  they  were  de- 
posited, and  where  they  were  accordingly 
found.  The  skull  being  fractured,  was 
preserved,  to  be  produced  in  evidence  on 
the  trial. 

Soon  after  Houseman  was  committed  to 
the  castle  of  York,  it  was  discovered  that 
Aram  lived  at  Lynn,  in  Norfolk  ;  on  which 
a  warrant  was  granted  for  taking  him  into 
custody ;  and,  being  apprehended  wliilc 
instructing  some  young  gentlemen  at  a 
school,  he  was  conveyed  to  York,  and  like- 
wise committed  to  the  castle.  At  the  Lent 
assizes  following,  the  prosecutors  were  not 
ready  with  their  evidence,  on  which  ho  was 
remanded  till  the  summer  assizes,  when  he 
was  brought  to  trial. 

When  Houseman  had  given  his  evidence 
respecting  this  extraordinary  afPiir,  and  all 
such  collateral  testimony  had  been  taken 
as  could  be  adduced  on  such  an  occasion, 
Aram  was  called  upon  for  his  defence;  but, 
having  foreseen  that  the  perturbation  of  his 
spirits  would  incapacitate  him  to  make  such 
a  defence  without  previous  preparation,  he 
had  written  the  following,  which,  by  per- 
mission, he  read  in  court:  — 

"  My  Lord  :  —  I  know  not  whether  it  is 
of  right,  or  through  some  indulgence  of 
your  lordship,  that  I  am  allowed  the  liberty 
at  this  bar  to  attempt  a  defence,  incapable 
and  uninstructed  as  I  am,  to  speak.  Since, 
while  I  see  so  many  eyes  upon  me,  so  nu- 
merous and  awful  a  concourse,  fixed  with 
attention,  and  filled  with — I  know  not 
wliat  expectancy,  —  I  labor  not  with  guilt, 
my  lord,  but  with  perplexity.  For,  having 
never  seen  a  court  but  this,  —  being  wholly 
unacquainted  with  law,  the  customs  of  the 
bar,  and  all  judiciary  proceedings,  —  I  fear 
I  shall  be  so  little  capable  of  speaking  with 
propriety  in  this  ])lace,  that  it  exceeds  my 
hope  if  I  shall  be  able  to  speak  at  all. 

"I  have  hoard,  my  lord,  the  indictment 
read,  wlierein  I  find  myself  charged  with 
the  highest  crime, — with  an  enormity  of 
which  I  am  altogether  incapable;  to  the 
commission  of  which,  there  goes  far  more 
insensibility  of  heart,  more  proflig;icy  of 
morals,  than  ever  fell  to  my  lot ;  —  and 
nothing,  possibly,  could  have  admitted  a 
presumption  of  this  nature,  but  a  depravity 
not  inferior  to  that  imjMited  to  me.  How- 
ever, as  I  stand  indicted  at  your  lordship's 
bar,  and  have  heard  what  is  called  evidence 
adduced  in  support  of  such  a  charge,  I  very 
humbly  solicit  your  lordship's  patience, 
and  beg  the  hearing  of  this  respectable  au- 
ilience,  while  I,  single  and  unskilful,  desti- 
tute  of  friends,  and  unassisted  by  counsel. 


say  something,  perhaps,  like  argument  in 
my  defence.  I  shall  consume  but  little  of 
your  lordship's  time.  Vv'hat  I  have  to  say 
will  be  short,  and  this  brevity,  probably, 
will  be  the  best  part  of  it ;  however,  it  is 
offered  with  all  possible  regard  and  the 
greatest  submission  to  your  lordship's  con- 
sideration, and  that  of  this  honorable  court. 

"  First,  my  lord,  the  whole  tenor  of  my 
conduct  in  life  contradicts  every  particular 
of  this  indictment.  Yet  I  had  never  said 
this,  did  not  my  present  circumstances  extort 
it  from  me,  and  seem  to  make  it  necessary. 
Pennit  me  here,  my  lord,  to  call  upon  ma- 
lignity, itself,  so  long  and  cruellv  busied  in 
tliis  prosecution,  to  charge  upon  me  any 
immorality,  of  which  prejudice  was  not 
the  author.  No,  my  lord  ;  I  concerted  no 
scheme  of  fraud  ;  projected  no  violen-e,  in- 
jured no  man's  person,  or  private  property. 
My  days  were  honestly  laborious,  and  my 
nights  intensely  studious  ;  and  I  humbly 
conceive  my  notice  of  this,  especially  at 
this  time,  will  not  be  thought  impertinent 
or  unseasonable,  but,  at  least,  deserving 
some  attention  ;  because,  my  lord,  that 
any  person,  after  a  temperate  use  of  life, 
a  series  of  thinking  and  acting  regularly, 
without  one  single  deviation  Irom  sobriety, 
should  plunge  into  the  very  depth  of  profli- 
gacy, precipitately  and  at  once,  is  alto- 
gether improbable  and  unprecedented,  and 
absolutely  inconsistent  with  the  course  of 
things,  ftlankind  is  never  corrupted  at 
once;  villany  is  always  progressive,  and  de- 
clines from  right,  step  after  step,  till  every 
regard  of  probity  is  lost,  and  every  sense 
of  all  moral  obligation  totally  perishes. 

"  Again,  my  lord,  a  suspicion  of  this  kind, 
which  nothing  but  malevolence  could  enter- 
tain and  ignorance  propagate,  is  violently 
opposed  by  my  very  situation  at  that  time, 
with  respect  to  health  ;  for,  but  a  little  space 
before,  I  was  confined  to  my  bed,  and  suf- 
fered under  a  very  long  and  severe  disorder, 
and  w'as  not  able,  for  half  a  year  together, 
so  much  as  to  walk.  The  distemper  left 
me,  indeed,  yet  slowly,  and  in  part ;  but  so 
macerated,  so  enfeebled,  that  I  was  reduced 
to  crutches  ;  and,  so  far  from  being  well 
about  the  time  I  am  charged  with  the  fact, 
that  I  never,  to  this  day,  have  perfectly 
recovered.  Could,  then,  a  person  in  this 
condition,  take  anything  into  his  head  so 
extravagant  ?  —  I,  past  the  vigor  of  my  age, 
feeble  and  valetudinary,  with  no  induce-  ' 
ment  to  engage,  with  no  ability  to  accom- 
plish, no  weapon  wherewith  to  perpetrate, 
such  a  feat,  without  interest,  without  power, 
without  motive,  without  means  ! 


272 


EUGENE    ARAM. 


"  Besides,  it  must  needs  occur  to  every 
one,  that  an  action  of  this  atrocious  nature 
is  never  heard  of,  but,  when  its  springs  are 
laid  open,  it  appears  that  it  was  to  support 
some  indolence,  or  supply  some  luxury  ;  to 
satisfy  some  avarice,  or  oblige  some  malice ; 
to  prevent  some  real  or  some  imaginary 
want  :  yet  I  lay  not  under  the  influence  of 
any  of  these.  Surely,  my  lord,  I  may,  con- 
sistently with  both  truth  and  modesty,  affirm 
this  much,  and  none  who  have  any  veracity, 
and  know  me,  will  ever  question  it. 

"  In  the  second  place,  the  disappearance 
of  Clarke  is  suggested  as  an  argument  of 
his  being  dead  ;  but  the  uncertainty  of  such 
an  inference  from  that,  and  the  faiUbility  of 
all  conclusions  of  such  a  sort,  from  such  a 
circumstance,  are  too  obvious  and  too  noto- 
rious to  require  instances  ;  yet,  superseding 
many,  permit  me  to  procure  a  very  recent 
one,  and  that  afl'orded  by  this  castle.  In 
June,  1757,  William  Thompson,  for  all  the 
vigilance  of  this  place,  in  open  daylight, 
and  double-ironed,  made  his  escape  ;  and, 
notwithstanding  an  immediate  inquiry  set 
on  foot,  the  strictest  search,  and  all  adver- 
tisement, was  never  seen  or  heard  of  since. 
If,  then,  Thompson  got  off  unseen  through 
all  these  difficulties,  how  very  easy  was 
it  for  Clarke,  when  none  of  them  opposed 
him  ?  But  what  would  be  thought  of  a 
prosecution  comuienced  against  any  one 
seen  last  with  Thompson  ? 

"  Permit  me,  next,  my  lord,  to  observe  a 
little  upon  the  bones  which  have  been  dis- 
covered. It  is  said,  which,  perhaps,  is  say- 
ing very  far,  that  these  are  the  skeleton  of 
a  man.  It  is  possible,  indeed,  they  may 
be ;  but  is  there  any  certain  criterion 
which  incontestibly  distinguishes  the  sex  in 
human  bones  ?  Let  it  be  considered,  my 
lord,  whether  the  ascertaining  this  point 
ought  not  to  precede  any  attempt  to  iden- 
tify them. 

"  The  place  of  their  depositum,  too,  claims 
much  more  attention  than  is  commonly 
bestowed  upon  it ;  for,  of  all  places  in  the 
world,  none  could  have  mentioned  any 
one  wherein  there  was  greater  certainty 
of  finding  human  bones  than  a  hermitage, 
except  he  should  point  out  a  churchyard  ; 
hermitages,  in  times  past,  being  not  only 
places  of  religious  retirement,  but  of  burial 
too.  And  it  has  scarce  or  never  been  heard 
of,  but  that  every  cell  now  known  contains, 
or  contained,  these  relics  of  humanity,  some 
mutilated  and  some  entire.  I  do  not  inform, 
but  give  me  leave  to  remind,  your  lordship, 
that  here  sat  solitary  sanctity,  and  here  the 
hermit  or  the  anchoress,  who  hoped  for  that 


repose  to  their  bones  when  dead,  which 
they  here  enjoj'ed  when  living. 

"  All  the  while,  my  lord,  I  am  sensible 
this  is  known  to  your  lordship  and  many  in 
this  court  better  than  to  me.  But  it  seems 
necessary  to  my  case,  that  others,  who  have 
not  at  all,  perhaps,  adverted  to  things  of 
this  nature,  and  may  take  an  interest  in 
my  trial,  should  be  made  acquainted  with 
it.  Suffer  me,  then,  my  lord,  to  produce  a 
few  of  many  evidences  that  these  cells  were 
used  as  repositories  of  the  dead,  and  to 
enumerate  a  few  in  which  human  bones 
have  been  found,  as  it  happened  in  this 
question  ;  lest  to  some  that  accident  might 
seem  extraordinary,  and,  consequently,  oc- 
casion prejudice.  First.  The  bones,  as  was 
supposed,  of  the  Saxon  St.  Dubritius,  were 
discovered  buried  in  his  cell,  at  Guy's  Cliff, 
near  Warwick,  as  appears  from  the  author- 
ity of  Sir  William  Dugdale.  Second.  The 
bones  thought  to  be  those  of  the  anchoress 
Rosia,  were  but  lately  discovered,  in  a  cell 
at  Royston,  entire,  fair,  and  undecayed, 
though  they  must  have  lain  interred  for 
several  centuries,  as  is  proved  by  Dr.  Stuke- 
ley.  Third.  But  my  own  country,  nay, 
almost  this  neighborhood,  supplies  another 
instance  ;  for,  in  January,  1747,  were  found, 
by  Mr.  Stovin,  accompanied  by  a  reverend 
gentleman,  the  bones,  in  part,  of  some  re- 
cluse, in  the  cell  at  Lindholm,  near  Hatfield. 
They  were  supposed  to  be  those  of  William 
of  Lindholm,  a  hermit,  who  had  long  made 
this  cave  his  habitation.  Fourth.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1744,  part  of  Woburn  Abbey  being 
pulled  down,  a  large  portion  of  a  corpse  ap- 
peared, even  with  the  flesh  on,  which  bore 
cutting  with  a  knife,  though  it  is  certain 
this  had  lain  above  two  hundred  years,  and 
how  much  longer  is  doubtful ;  for  the  abbey 
was  founded  in  114-5,  and  dissolved  in  1538 
or  '39.  What  would  have  been  said,  what 
believed,  if  this  had  been  an  accident  to  the 
bones  in  question  ? 

"  Further,  my  lord,  it  is  not  yet  out  of 
living  memory,  that  a  little  distance  from 
Knaresborough,  in  a  field,  part  of  the  manor 
of  the  worthy  and  patriotic  baronet  who 
does  that  borough  the  honor  to  represent  it 
in  parliament,  were  found,  in  digging  for 
gravel,  not  one  human  skeleton  only,  but 
five  or  six,  deposited  side  by  side,  with  each 
an  urn  placed  at  its  head,  as  your  lordship 
knows  was  usual  in  ancient  interments. 
About  the  same  time,  and  in  another  field, 
almost  close  to  this  borough,  was  discovered 
also,  in  searching  for  gravel,  another  human 
skeleton  ;  but  the  piety  of  the  same  worthy 
gentleman  ordered  both  pits  to  be  filled  up 


EUGENE    AKAM. 


273 


agnin,  commendably  unwilling  to  disturb 
the  dead. 

"  Is  the  invention  of  these  bones  forgot- 
ten, then,  or  industriously  concealed,  that 
the  discovery  of  those  in  question  may  ap- 
pear tht!  more  singular  and  extraordinary  ? 
whereas,  in  fact,  there  is  nothing  extraor- 
dinary in  it.  My  lord,  almost  every  place 
conceals  such  remains  ;  in  fields,  in  hills, 
in  highway-sides,  in  commons,  lie  frequent 
and  unsuspected  bones  ;  and  our  present 
allotments  for  rest  for  the  departed  are  but 
of  some  centuries. 

"  Another  particular  seems  not  to  claim 
a  little  of  your  lordship's  notice,  and  that 
of  the  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  wiiich  is  that, 
perhaps,  no  example  occurs  of  more  than 
one  skeleton  being  found  in  one  cell ;  and, 
in  the  cell  in  question  was  found  but  one  ; 
aijreeable,  in  this,  to  the  peculiarity  of  every 
other  known  cell  in  Britain.  Not  the  in- 
vention of  one  skeleton,  but  of  two,  would 
have  appeared  suspicious  and  uncommon. 

"  But  it  seems  another  skeleton  has  been 
discovered  by  some  laborer,  which  was  full 
as  confidently  averred  to  be  Clarke's  as  this. 
Jly  lord,  must  some  of  the  living,  if  it  pro- 
moles  some  interest,  be  made  answerable 
for  all  the  bones  that  earth  has  concealed, 
and  chance  exposed  ?  and  might  not  a  place 
where  bones  lay  be  mentioned  by  a  person 
by  chance,  as  well  as  found  by  a  laborer  by 
chance  ?  or  is  it  more  criminal  accidentally 
to  name  where  bones  lie,  than  accidentally 
to  find  wlicre  they  lie  ? 

"  Here,  too,  is  a  human  skull  produced, 
which  is  fractured  ;  but  was  this  the  cause, 
or  was  it  the  consequence,  of  death  ?  was  it 
owing  to  violence,  or  was  it  the  eflcct  of 
natural  decay  ?  If  it  was  violence,  was  it 
before  or  after  death  ?  My  lord,  in  May, 
1732,  the  remains  of  William,  lord-arcli- 
bishop  of  this  province,  were  taken  up,  by 
permission,  in  this  cathedral,  and  the  bones 
of  the  skull  were  found  broken  !  yet  cer- 
tainly he  died  by  no  violence  olfered  to  him 
alive,  that  could  occasion  that  fracture  there. 

"  Let  it  be  considered,  my  lord,  that  upon 
the  dissolution  of  religious  houses,  and  the 
commencement  of  the  reformation,  the  rav- 
ages of  those  times  aflected  both  the  living 
and  the  dead.  In  search  after  imaginary 
treasures,  coffins  were  broken  up,  graves 
and  vaults  dug  open,  monuments  ransacked, 
and  shrines  demolished ;  and  it  ceased  about 
the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth. I  entreat  your  lordship,  suffer  not 
the  violences,  the  depredations,  and  iniqui- 
.  ties  of  those  times  to  be  imputed  to  this. 
;       "  Moreover,  what  gentleman  is  ignorant 


that  Knaresboruugh  had  a  castle,  which, 
though  now  a  ruin,  was  once  considerable, 
both  for  its  strength  and  garrison  *  All 
know  it  was  vigorously  besieged  by  the 
arms  of  parliament  ;  at  which  siege,  in  sal- 
lies, conflicts,  flights,  pursuits,  many  fe'l  in 
the  places  around  it,  and  where  they  fell 
were  buried  ;  for  everj'  place,  my  lo  d,  is 
burial-earth  in  war;  and  many,  question- 
less, of  these  rest  yet  imknown,  whose 
bones  futurity  shall  yet  discover. 

"I  hope,  with  all  imaginahle  submission, 
that  what  has  been  said  will  not  be  thought 
impertinent  to  this  indictment ;  and  that  it 
will  be  far  from  the  wisdom,  the  learning, 
and  the  integrity  of  tliis  place,  to  impute 
to  the  living,  what  zeal  in  its  fury  may 
have  done  ;  what  nature  may  have  done  ; 
what  nature  may  have  taken  ofi',  and  Jiiety 
interred  ;  or  what  war  alone  may  have  de- 
stroyed, alone  deposited. 

"  As  to  the  circumstances  that  have  been 
raked  together,  I  have  nothing  to  observe, 
but  that  nil  circumstances  whatever  arc 
precarious,  and  have  too  frequently  been 
found  lamentably  fallible  ;  even  the  strong- 
est have  failed.  They  may  rise  to  the 
utmost  degree  of  probability,  yet  they  are 
probability  still.  Why  need  I  name  to 
your  lordship  the  two  Harrisons,  recorded 
by  Dr.  Howell,  who  both  suffered  upon  cir- 
cumstances, because  of  the  sudden  disap- 
pearance of  their  lodger,  who  was  in  credit, 
had  contracted  debts,  borrow'cd  money,  and 
went  ofT  unseen,  and  returned  a  cfreat  many 
years  after  their  execution  ?  Why  name 
the  intricate  afl'air  of  Jacipies  de  Moulin, 
under  King  Charles  II.,  related  by  a  gentle- 
man who  was  counsel  for  the  crown  ?  And 
why  the  unhappy  Coleman,  who  snflered 
innocent,  though  convicted  upon  positive 
evidence,  and  whose  children  perished  for 
want,  because  the  world  uncharitably  be- 
lieved the  father  guilty  ?  Why  mention 
the  perjury  of  Smith,  incautiously  admitted 
king's  evidence,  who,  to  screen  himself, 
equally  accused  Faircloth  and  Loveday  of 
the  nnu'der  of  Dunn  ;  the  first  of  whom,  in 
1749,  was  executed  at  Winchester ;  and 
Loveday  was  about  to  sufier  at  Keading, 
had  not  Smith  been  proved  to  be  perjured, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  court,  by  the  sur- 
geon of  the  Gosport  hospital  1 

"  Now,  my  lord,  having  endeavored  tc 
show  that  the  whole  of  this  process  is  alto- 
gether repugnant  to  every  part  of  my  life; 
that  it  is  inconsistent  with  my  condition  of 
health  about  that  time  ;  that  no  rational  in- 
ference can  be  drawn  that  a  person  is  dead 
who  suddenly  disappears  ;  that  hermitages 


35 


274 


GENGHIS    KHAN. 


were  the  constant  repositones  of  the  bones 
of  the  rechise  ;  that  the  revolutions  in  re- 
ligion, or  the  fortunes  of  war,  have  mangled 
or  buried  the  dead  ;  the  conclusion  remains 
perhaps  no  less  reasonably  than  impatiently 
wished  for.  I,  at  last,  after  a  year's  con- 
finement, equal  to  either  fortune,  put  my- 
self upon  the  candor,  the  justice,  and  the 
humanity  of  your  lordship,  and  upon  j'ours, 
my  countrymen,  gentlemen  of  the  jury." 

Aram  was  tried  by  Judge  Noel,  who, 
having  remarked  that  this  defence  was  one 
of  the  most  ingenious  pieces  of  reasoning 
that  had  ever  fallen  under  his  notice,  sum- 
med up  the  evidence  to  the  jury,  who  gave 
a  verdict  of  guilty  ;  in  consequence  of  which 
he  received  sentence  of  death. 

After  conviction,  a  clergyman  was  ap- 
pointed to  attend  him,  and  to  exhort  him 
to  an  ample  confession.  Aram  appeared  to 
pay  proper  attention  to  what  was  said,  but 
after  the  minister  had  retired,  he  formed 
the  resolution  of  destroying  himself;  and 
when  the  morning  appointed  for  his  execu- 
tion arrived,  the  keeper,  on  proceeding  to 
take  him  out  of  his  cell,  was  surprised  to 
find  him  almost  expiring  through  lOss  of 
blood,  having  cut  his  left  arm,  above  the 
elbo'v  and  near  the  wrist,  with  a  razor.  A 
J  surgetjn  being  sent  for,  stopped  the  bleed- 
5  ing  ,  but  when  he  was  taken  to  the  place 
of  execution,  he  was  so  very  weak  as  to  be 
unable  to  join  in  devotion  with  the  clergy- 
man who  attended  him. 

On  the  table  in  his  cell  was  found  the 
following  paper,  containing  his  reasons  for 
attempting  to  commit  suicide  :  —  "  What 
am  I  better  than  my  fathers  ?  To  die  is 
natural  and  necessary.  Perfectly  sensible 
of  this,  I  fear  no  more  to  die  than  I  did  to  be 
born.  But  the  manner  of  it  is  something 
which  should,  in  my  opinion,  be  decent  and 
manly.  I  think  I  have  regarded  both  these 
points.  Certainly  nobody  has  a  better  right 
to  dispose  of  man's  life  than  himself;  and 
he,  not  others,  should  determine  how.  As 
for  any  indignities  offered  to  my  body,  or 
silly  reflections  on  my  faith  and  morals, 
they  are,  as  they  always  were,  things  indif- 
ferent to  me.  I  think,  though  contrary  to 
the  common  way  of  thinking,  I  wrong  no 
man  by  this,  and  hope  it  is  not  offensive  to 
the  eternal  Being,  that  formed  me  and  the 
world.  And  as  by  this  I  injure  no  man, 
no  man  can  reasonably  be  offended.  I  so- 
licitously recommend  myself  to  the  eternal 
and  almighty  Being,  the  God  of  nature,  if 
I  have  done  amiss.  But,  perhaps,  I  have 
not ;  and  I  hope  this  thing  will  never  be 
imputed  to  me.    Though  I  am  now  stained 


by  malevolence,  and  suffer  by  prejudice,  I 
hope  to  rise  fair  and  unblemished.  My  life 
was  not  polluted,  my  morals  were  irre- 
proachable, and  my  opinions  orthodcK.  I 
slept  sound  till  three  o'clock,  awaked,  and 
wrote  these  lines  :  — 

"  Come,  pleasing  rest,  eternal  slumber,  fall. 
Seal  mine,  that  once  must  seal  the  eyes  oi"  ai.  ; 
Calm  and  composed,  my  soul  her  journey  takes, 
No  guilt  that  troubles,  and  no  heart  that  aches  ; 
Adieu  !  thim  sun  ;  all  bright,  like  her,  arise  ; 
Adieu  !  fair  friends,  and  all  that 's  good  and  wise." 

In  some  of  the  accounts  published  of 
Aram's  trial,  a  letter  is  quoted,  as  written 
to  one  of  his  friends,  confessing  his  guilt ; 
but  this  document  is  understooiJ  to  have 
been  forged,  for  the  purpose  of  pleasing  the 
illiterate  jurymen  who  condemned  him, 
and  who  were  incapable  of  appreciating  the 
admirable  reasoning  contained  in  his  de- 
fence. He  was  executed  near  York,  on 
the  sixth  of  August,  1759,  and  afterwards 
hung  in  chains  in  Knaresborough  forest. 


GENGHIS   KHAN. 

This  man,  whose  name  is  often  spelled 
Zingis  Khan,  according  to  the  records  of 
history,  must  have  been  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  the  Tartar  chiefs  who  have 
been  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  Central 
Asia.  In  this  portion  of  the  East  is  an 
elevated  plain  of  vast  extent,  which  has 
long  been  occupied  by  tribes  living  chiefly 
by  pasturage  and  plunder.  They  have 
some  camels  ;  but  horses  are  their  favorite 
and  principal  beasts  of  burden. 


THE    GIRAFFE. 


275  I 


In  the  twelfth  century,  these  scattered 
tribes  were  combined  and  led  to  conquest 
by  the  address  of  the  famous  Zingis.  He 
!iad  a  g-reat  talent  for  war,  and  soon 
formed  the  plan  of  subjugating  the  whole  of 
Asia.  His  army  amounted  to  700,000  men. 
Having  conquered  the  whole  of  Tartary,  he 
turned  his  army  against  the  Chinese  empire. 
He  soon  broke  through  the  great  wall,  cap- 
tured eighty  cities,  and  extorted  from  the 
empire  an  immense  tribute  of  gold,  silver, 
silk,  and  horses.  After  a  time,  he  came 
again,  and  besieged  Pekin,  the  capital. 
Though  obstinately  resisted,  he  finally  took 
the  place,  and  added  the  five  northern  prov- 


inces of  China  to  his  empire.  Ho  now 
turned  his  victorious  arms  to  the  west,  and 
such  was  his  success,  that  his  empire  ex- 
tended from  Asia  Minor  to  the  borders  of 
the  Pacific.  The  ravages  committed  by  his 
armies  were  terrible ;  the  lives  lost  in  battle 
can  hardly  be  counted  ;  learning  and  refine- 
ment were  trampled  under  foot ;  libraries 
were  converted  into  stalls,  and  the  "  leaves 
of  the  Koran,"  say  the  Mohammedan  wri- 
ters, "  were  used  to  litter  the  horses  ! " 

L"ingis  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  is  said  to 
have  regretted  his  devastations  in  his  latter 
days.  He  died  in  1226,  and  was  the  great- 
est of  the  "  Great  Moguls." 


THE   GIRAFFE, 


The  above  is  a  picture  of  the  tallest  ani- 
mal that  is  known.  He  measures  almost 
six  yards  from  the  ground  to  the  top  of  his 
ears.     He  is  as  tall  as  a  small  house. 

The  giraffe  lives  in  the  wilds  of  Africa  ; 
he  is  never  tamed  and  put  to  work  like  the 
horse.  His  skin  is  fawn-colored,  with  black 
spots.  He  is  a  timid  creature,  and  runs 
away  as  fast  as  he  can  scamper,  whenever 
a  man  comes  near. 

Sometimes  the  lion  attacks  the  giraffe  ; 


his  only  defence  in  such  a  case  is  to  turn 
round  and  kick  the  lion  as  hard  as  he  can. 
Sometimes  he  succeeds  in  defending  him- 
self in  this  way,  but  often  he  falls  a  victim 
to  the  fierce  king  of  beasts. 

The  giraffe  is  occasionally  caught  and 
carried  to  Paris  and  London  and  this  coun- 
try. There  have  been  several  in  the  Uni- 
ted States  ;  but  they  are  tender  creatures, 
and  are  very  apt  to  die  if  taken  away  from 
their  native  country. 


'^^r^i^i'Ni'^/^/V^i'^i^i'W^'V^/^^/X/^i^/VW^-] 


Apollo. 


Jupiter. 


HEATHEN   MYTHOLOGY. 


A  GREAT  many  years  agfo,  the  people,  over 
all  civilized  Europe  and  a  part  of  Asia, 
believed  in  gods  whom  they  called  Jupiter, 
Mars,  Mercury,  Apollo,  &c.  They  believed 
in  goddesses  too,  such  as  Juno,  Venus,  Ves- 
ta, &c. 

These  people  built  temples  in  honor  of 
their  gods  and  goddesses,  many  of  which 
were  very  splendid.  In  these  temples  they 
had  statues  of  the  particular  gods  to  whom 
they  were  dedicated.  Here,  also,  there  were 
priests,  who  offered  sacrifices  to  the  gods, 
such  as  bulls,  sheep,  birds,  &c. 

This  system,  having  its  origin  in  the  fancy 
of  man,  was  called  Mythology  —  which 
means  a  religion  of  fables.  It  is  supposed 
to  have  been  commenced  by  the  Egj'ptians, 
three  or  four  thousand  years  ago,  when  the 
greater  part  of  the  world  was  in  a  state  of 
barbarism,  or,  perhaps,  uninhabited  by  man. 

This  mythology,  or  religion  of  fables, 
probably  began  in  this  way.  .  Some  poet, 
having  heard  of  the  great  deeds  of  some 
warrior,  made  a  poem  about  him,  and  not 
only  told  things  which  he  did,  but  some 
things  which  he  did  not.  He  represented 
him  as  having  power  above  other  men,  and 
as  having  performed  deeds  which  man,  alone, 
could  not  do. 

Some  other  poet,  afterwards,  took  up  the 
story,  and  added  other  wonderful  tales  about 
this  great  warrior.  The  story  thus  begun, 
would  increase  very  fast ;  for  it  is  easy 
to  tell  great  stories,  and  very  easy  for  igno- 
rant people  to  believe  them  too.  Thus,  in 
the  course  of  two  generations,  the  warrior 
became  a  being  quite  above  mankind,  and 
therefore  a  god. 

When  once  such  a  system  was  begun,  it 
was  quite  natural  that  it  should  increase. 
Every  man  of  lively  imagination  could  in- 


vent a  god  or  a  goddess,  and  the  people 
were  likely  to  adopt  them,  as  fast  as  they 
could  be  manufactured.  The  priests  and 
poets  had  both  an  interest  in  carrying  on 
this  business,  for  they  either  got  a  living  by 
it,  or  gained  power,  fame  and  consequence 
among  the  people. 

The  Greeks,  for  many  ages  after  they 
settled  their  country,  which  took  place  above 
three  thousand  five  hundred  years  ago, 
held  constant  communication  witli  Eg^'pt. 
To  this  country  they  went  for  education 
and  for  the  arts.  They  not  only  imitated 
their  buildings,  furniture  and  customs,  hut 
they  adopted  the  Eg}'ptian  religion  also. 
The  Greeks  were,  however,  a  people  of  a 
great  deal  of  genius.  Beginning  with  Egj^p- 
tian  arts  and  customs,  they  modified  or 
changed  them,  by  the  suggestions  of  their 
own  taste  and  fancj'.  Thus,  in  time,  they 
soon  became  superior,  in  many  things,  to  the 
Egyptians,  who  were  their  schoolmasters. 

The  mythology  of  the  Egyptians  was 
therefore  changed,  in  the  hands  of  the  lively 
and  inventive  Greeks ;  and,  indeed,  it  be- 
came so  different,  that  it  received  the  name 
at  last  of  the  Grecian  mythology.  A  large 
part  of  the  poetry  and  literature  of  the 
Greeks  was  filled  with  the  achievements  of 
their  gods  and  goddesses.  Men  of  the 
greatest  genius,  such  as  Homer,  Hesiod, 
Anacreon,  and  others,  wrote  splendid  pieces 
about  the  fabulous  deities ;  and  the  people 
believed  them  to  be  true. 

According  to  these  poets,  Jupiter  or  Jove 
was  the  greatest  of  the  gods.  He  was  repre- 
sented in  the  temples,  as  sitting  on  a  throne, 
with  the  eagle,  the  most  powerful  of  birds, 
at  his  side,  as  an  emblem  of  his  superiority. 
In  his  hand,  he  held  thunderbolts,  ready  to 
hurl  them  forth  upon  his  enemies.    He  was 


HEATHEN    MYTHOLOGY. 


277 


supposed  to  reside  chiefly  upon  Olympus,  a 
tall  mountain  of  Greece,  where  he  held  coun- 
cils with  his  deities. 

The  early  history  of  Jupiter,  as  told  by 
the  poets,  is  droll  enough.  The  ancients 
knew  very  little  about  astronomy  or  geog- 
raphy. So  they  divided  the  universe  into 
three  great  kingdoms  —  the  heavens,  the 
earth,  and  the  infernal  regions.  Titan,  a 
powerful  king,  gave  Saturn  the  kingdom  of 
the  earth,  upon  condition  that  he  should  kill 
all  his  male  children.  Saturn  married  a 
woman  by  the  name  of  Ops.  They  had 
several  children,  but  as  soon  as  a  boy  was 
born,  Saturn  always  ate  him  up. 

At  last  Jupiter  was  born  —  and  Ops  de- 
termined to  save  him.  Accordingly,  she 
gave  Saturn  a  stone,  and  told  him  it  was 
the  boy.  Saturn  devoured  it  —  and  did  not 
discover  the  cheat.  This  is  a  hard  story, 
but  the  Greeks  believed  it,  and  we  must  not 
laugh  at  them,  for  we  see  things  quite  as 
foolish  in  our  day.  The  Mormons,  who 
live  in  Illinois,  believe  that  one  Joe  Smith, 
a  deceitful  man,  found  certain  brass  plates, 
written  over  with  a  revelation  from  God, 
wliich  he  alone  could  translate  ;  and  they 
think  this  translation,  which  they  call  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  is  as  true  as  the  Bible. 
Certain  people,  even  amongst  us,  have  been 
deluded  and  misled  by  a  man  who  pre- 
dicted that  the  world  was  to  be  speedily  de- 
stroyed. These  things  teach  us  how  easy 
it  is  to  be  deceived  in  religious  matters,  and 
how  careful  we  should  be  not  to  adopt  new 
and  singular  notions  upon  this  important 
subject 

Jupiter,  having  escaped  his  father's  jaws, 


was  nursed  by  a  goat.  Wjien  he  was  a 
year  old,  he  was  a  prodigious  fellow.  By 
this  time  the  Titans  had  imprisoned  his 
father,  Saturn.  So  Jupiter  made  war 
upon  them  ;  he  released  his  father,  and  con- 
quered heaven,  earth  and  hell.  Heaven  and 
earth  he  reserved  to  himself;  the  sea  he 
gave  to  Neptune,  and  the  lower  regions  to 
Pluto.     ' 

Jupiter  was  supposed  to  be  immortal,  and 
of  boundless  power ;  but  he  yet  had  the  pas- 
sions of  a  man.  Many  of  his  actions,  as 
detailed  by  the  Grecian  poets,  would  be  re- 
garded by  us  as  vcrj'  base,  selfish  and  wicked, 
and  worthy  of  being  punished  by  confine- 
ment in  the  penitentiary.  Such  is  the 
character  of  the  chief  god,  in  a  system  of 
man's  invention.  Docs  not  this  show  us 
that  the  religion  of  the  Bible,  which  reveals 
to  us  a  God  pure,  holy,  just  and  good,  is  of 
divine  origin  ?  Does  it  not  also  show  us 
the  danger  of  taking  anything  for  religion 
such  as  Mormonism,  or  any  other  mythol- 
ogy which  comes  from  man  ? 

Apollo  was  the  name  of  several  gods,  anu 
this  has  led  to  some  confusion.  The  great 
Apollo  was  the  son  of  Jupilcr  and  Latona. 
Jupiter's  regular  wife  was  Juno,  a  fierce, 
proud  goddess,  who  hated  Latona,  and  sent 
a  prodigious  serpent,  called  Python,  to  tor- 
ment her.  In  order  to  protect  her,  Jupiter 
raised  up  a  beautiful  island,  called  Delos,  in 
the  sea,  to  which  Latona  retired.  Here 
Apollo  was  born,  and  when  he  grew  up  he 
became  the  god  of  the  fine  arts,  music,  poe- 
try, painting,  &c.  His  adventures,  as  de- 
tailed by  the  ancient  Greek  poets,  are  quite 
interesting. 


Vulcan  was  the  god  of  blacksmiths  and  [ashamed  of  him.  However,  he  seems  to 
all  who  wrought  by  fire  in  iron.  He  was, have  loved  his  mother  —  for  on  one  occa- 
the  son  of  Jupiter  and  Juno,  and  appears  to  sion,  she  having  behaved  ill,  Jupiter  tied 
have  been  so  hideous  tliat  his  motlier  was  her  up.     Vulcan,  however,  let   her   loose  ; 


278 


HEATHEN    MVTHOLOGV. 


for  this  he  paid  dearly,  however,  as  his  fath- 
er, being  greatly  incensed,  gave  him  a  tre- 
mendous kick,  which  sent  him  out  of  heaven. 
He  was  no  less  than  nine  days  and  nights  in 
tumbling  down  to  earth ;  it  is  no  wonder, 
then,  that  he  broke  his  leg  in  falling  upon 
the  island  of  Lemnos,  where  he  alighted. 
Ho  was  lame  ever  after. 

Pluto  was  the  king  of  hell,  or  the  regions 
which  lay  beneath  the  earth.  Here  he 
reigned  over  his  dark,  dismal,  and  gloomy 
regions,  peopled  by  the  souls  of  departed 
men.  Such  was  his  savage  character,  and 
the  horrid  gloom  of  his  dominions,  that 
nobody  would   marry  him.      Still,  as   he 


Mara. 

would  seem  that  such  a  god  could  hardly 
be  respectable ;  yet  I  believe  that  he  was 
rather  a  favorite  with  the  Greeks. 

Mars  was  the  god  of  war  —  a  fierce  and 
terrible  god,  indeed.  Yet,  strange  to  say, 
Venus,  a  handsome  goddess,  and  wife  of 


wanted  a  wife,  he  determmed  to  have  one  by 
hook  or  by  crook.  So  one  day,  as  he  was 
driving  along  in  his  chariot,  in  the  island 
of  Sicily,  he  saw  a  beautiful  goddess,  named 
Proserpine,  surrounded  by  her  nymphs. 
Pluto  drove  up,  seized  the  lovely  deity,  and 
carried  her  off.  With  his  trident  he  opened 
a  passage  in  the  earth,  down  which  he  drove 
headlong,  and  having  arrived  at  home,  Pros- 
erpine became  queen  of  hell. 

Mercury  was  the  messenger  of  the  gods, 
especially  of  Jupiter.  He  was  also  the 
patron  of  travellers  and  shepherds,  and  had 
a  kindness,  I  amsoriy  to  say  it,  for  thieves, 
pickpockets,  and  rogues  of  all  kinds.     It 


Mercury. 


the  old  limping  blacksmith,  Vulcan,  liked 
his  company  very  well.  Vulcan  made  a 
net  of  iron  links,  in  which  he  caught  Mars 
and  Venus,  and  then  called  in  all  the  gods 
to  look  at  them  !  This  seems  to  have  made 
a  great  deal  of  fun. 


Neptune. 


Hercules  was  a  famous  hero,  who  per- 
formed wonderful  exploits,  by  his  bodily 
strength  alone. 

Neptune  was  the  god  of  the  sea.  His 
father,  Saturn,  ate  him  up,  when  a  baby  — 


but  he  was  afterwards  brought  to  life,  and 
received  his  empire  from  his  brother  Jupiter. 
M  inerva  was  the  goddess  of  wisdom.  She 
was  said  to  be  born  of  Jupiter's  brain.  A 
famous  temple  was  erected  to  this  goddess 


LONDON. 


279 


at  Athens,  by  Pericles,  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  years  before  Christ.  The  chief 
circumstances  of  lier  liistory  were  beautifully 
represented  in  sculpture  around  this  temple. 
The  edifice  still  remains,  though  in  ruins, 
a  splendid  monument  of  the  genius  of  the 
ancient  Greeks. 

This  is  a  very  brief  sketch  of  some  of  the 
deities  belonging  to  the  ancient  Greek 
religion.     For  nearly  two  thousand  years 


this  prevailed  in  Greece,  and  it  was  after- 
wards adopted  by  tJie  Romans,  who  added 
many  gods  to  suit  themselves.  It  became 
the  Roman  religion,  and  was  inculcated 
throughout  that  vast  empire.  It  was  not  till 
about  three  hundred  and  twenty  years  after 
Christ,  that  the  Christian  religion  was 
adopted,  as  the  religion  of  the  Roman  gov- 
ernment. 


LONDON. 


London,  the  capital  of  the  British  empire, 
and  by  far  the  most  splendid  city  on  the 
globe,  is  about  two  thousand  years  old.  It 
has  long  been  the  principal  city  in  England, 
but  its  increase  has  been  much  greater  of 
late  years  than  formerly. 

Notwithstanding  the  antiquity  of  its  ori- 
gin, almost  everything  now  existing  in  Lon- 
don is  of  recent  construction.  The  Tower, 
WesfminsterAbbey,  anda  fewother  edifices, 
are  of  some  antiquity,  but  by  far  the  larger 
portion  of  this  vast  metropolis  is  less  than  a 
century  old.  Above  we  give  a  view  of  a  por- 
tion of  London,  as  it  was  almost  two  hundred 
years  ago.  Not  a  single  edifice  which  ap- 
pears in  this  picture  is  now  standing;  and 
the  hills,  which  are  visible  in  the  distance, 
are  now  entirely  spread  over  with  a  dense 
mass  of  buildings. 


The  increase  of  London,  within  the  last 
twenty-five  years,  is'amazing.  Hundreds  of 
acres  are  now  covered  with  buildings,  which 
twenty  years  since  were  open  fields  ;  multi- 
tudes of  streets  and  squares,  displayinc  the 
utmost  magnificence,  are  now  seen,  which 
a  dozen  years  ago  were  not  thought  of. 
London  now  contains  nearly  two  millions 
of  people  ;  they  pay  two  millions  of  dollars 
a  week  for  labor;  use  forty  millions  of  gal- 
lons of  water  a  day ;  devour  two  millions 
of  sheep,  ten  millions  of  gallons  of  milk, 
four  millions  of  herrmgs,  four  millions  of 
mackerel,  and  two  millions  of  lobsters,  every 
year !  What  will  London  get  to  be,  if  it 
goes  on  a  century  more,  increasing  as  it  ha.i 
done  for  the  last  few  years  ? 


SAINT   ROSALIA. 


San  Rosalia,  the  Saint  of  Palermo,  in 
Sicily,  and  whose  shrine  is  prefixed  to  this 
article,  was,  accorJinsr  to  legend,  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  the  Good,  who  reigned  in 
the  year  1159.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  she 
retired  to  Monte  Pelegrino,  in  order  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  her  life  in  religious  soli- 
tude, and  a  period  of  nearly  five  hundred 
years  elapsed  without  her  even  heing  heard 
of.  In  1624,  a  plague,  which  threatened  to 
depopulate  this  capital,  raged  at  Palenno. 
A  hermit,  whose  name  is  not  given  in  the 
legend,  dreamt  that  the  bones  of  the  Saint 
Rosalia  were  on  the  top  of  Mount  Pelegrino, 
and  that  if  they  were  carried  in  procession 
round  the  walls  of  the  city,  the  plague  would 
cease. 

After  prayers  and  supplications,  he  in- 
duced a  number  of  individuals  to  go  in  pro- 
cession to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  where 
the  remains  of  Rosalia  were  found,  it  is  said, 
in  a  cave.  Some  pretend  that  the  body  was 
fresh,  and  looked  as  if  she  had  died  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  ;  while  others  assert  that  there 
were  only  the  bones.  Then  they  were  car- 
ried round  the  city  walls,  and  the  plague 
gradually  ceased.  This  was  accounted  a 
miracle ;  and  churches  were  built  to  her 
honor.    A  chapel  was  erected  on  the  top  of 


the  mountain  where  she  was  found,  and 
priests  appointed  to  perform  divine  ser- 
vice. 

To  facilitate  the  approach  to  those  sacred 
relics,  the  Palermitans,  after  immense  labor, 
constructed  a  road  up  the  face  of  the  moun- 
tain, which  is  nearly  perpendicular;  and 
though  dangerous,  that  by  no  means  oper- 
ates as  a  check  to  the  devotion  of  hundreds 
who  seek  the  protection  and  patronage  of 
the  saint. 

The  pretended  bones  of  this  saint  are  now 
annually  carried  about  the  city  in  a  large 
silver  box,  and,  according  to  popular  belief, 
she  has  several  times  since  her  discovery 
saved  the  Sicilians  from  the  plague.  Long 
before  the  celebration  of  the  festival,  she 
becomes  the  subject  of  general  conversation 
and  excites  the  greatest  interest.  Her  tri- 
umphal car  is  made  to  an  immense  height, 
is  built  on  the  Marino,  and,  when  completed, 
is  drawn  through  the  principal  street  by  a 
number  of  richly  dressed  mules,  preceded 
by  dragoons  with  trumpets.  On  the  lower 
part  of  the  machine  is  an  orchestra,  and 
above  it  is  a  small  temple,  in  the  interior  of 
which  are  figures  of  ditferent  saints,  and  on 
the  top  of  all  a  large  statue  of  San  Rosalia, 
Every  side  of  the  machine  is  decorated  with 


CONSTANTINOPLE. 


2S1 


fljwers,  and  during  the  ceremony,  the  street 
is  crowded  with  people,  and  the  windows, 
to  all  of  which  are  balconies,  are  filled  with 
ladies.  At  night  there  is  a  general  illumi- 
nation. 

The  amusements  at  this  Palermo  rejoic- 
ing vary  each  day ;  one  night  the  Flora 
(iardens  are  illuminated  ;  on  another*one, 
the  streets ;  and  in  the  day-time  horse-races. 
The  latter,  from  their  peculiarities,  are 
worthy  of  notice.  The  horses  start  from 
the  bottom  of  the  principal  street,  near  the 
Porto  Felice,  and  run  to  the  Porto  Nuovo. 
They  have  no  riders,  but  have  small  blad- 
ders fixed  on  their  backs,  in  which  are  in- 
serted sharp  spikes,  serving,  by  the  motion, 
to  urge  them  on.  The  prizes  run  for  are 
generally  small,  consisting  of  from  ten  to 
fifteen  ounces  in  dollars  fastened  tea  board, 


and  the  horse  that  wins  is  led  in  procession 
with  the  prize  before  him. 

The  illumination  of  the  Madre  Chiesa, 
which  is  the  cathedral  church  of  Palermo, 
excites  the  admiration  of  all  travellers.  It 
is  here  where  the  box,  containing  the  bones 
of  St.  Rosalia,  is  deposited.  The  last  cere- 
mony is  a  grand  procession,  in  which  the 
silver  box  is  carried  by  the  principal  citizens, 
who  consider  it  a  great  honor.  Immense 
crowds  endeavor  to  get  near  to  touch  it,  for 
tliey  consider  that  this  act  is  a  remedy  for 
all  evils. 

The  approach  of  this  festival  produces 
general  joy  and  happiness ;  and  the  people 
are  so  attached  to  the  memory  of  the  saint, 
that  it  is  supposed  that  any  attempt  to  sup- 
press her  commemomtion  would  be  attended 
with  the  most  serious  consequences. 


CONSTANTINOPLE. 


This  famous  city,  called  Stamfjoid  by 
the  Turk's,  was  called  Byzanthim,  in  very 
ancient  times.  Constantino,  one  of  the 
K^man  einperors,  restored  it,  and  rendered 
it  very  sjili^idid,  in  the  fourth  century  of 
the  Christian  era.  He  also  made  it  the 
capital  of  his  empire,  since  which  time  it 
has  been  a  great  and  splendid  city. 


The  history  of  this  place  would  fill  a  vol- 
ume, for  here  many  interesting  events  have 
happened.  It  was  taken  by  the  Turks  in 
the  year  1453,  and  since  that  time  has 
been  the  capital  of  the  Ottoman  or  Turkish 
empire. 

It  is  situated  on  a  number  of  small  hills, 
and  is  partly  encircled  by  the  sea,  a  beau- 


36 


2S2 


WONDEKS    WITHIN    A   PLANT. 


liful  harbor  spreading  out  before  it  called 
the  Golden  Horn.  At  a  distance  this  city 
seems  a.most  like  a  scene  of  fairy-land,  so 
beautiful  is  the  effect  of  its  splendid  mina- 
rets, cupolas,  bazaars,  palaces,  mosques,  and 
other  public  edifices,  seen  in  the  midst  of 
the  dark  green  cypress-trees.  But  when 
you  enter  the  city,  you  will  be  disappointed 
to  find  tnat  you  have  seen  all  the  best  of  it, 
and  that  its  streets  are  narrow,  dark,  dirty, 
crooked,  ill-paved,  and  often  so  steep  as  to 
make  it  difficult  to  pass  along. 


The  population  of  Constantinople  is 
about  six  hundred  thousand  ;  it  is,  there- 
fore, nearly  as  large  as  New  York  and 
Boston  put  together.  It  has  a  great  deal  of 
commerce,  and  the  harbor  is  crowded  with 
shipping.  The  inhabitants  are  Turks,  but 
people  may  be  seen  here  from  all  countries. 
Perlmps  there  is  no  place  in  the  world 
where  so  great  a  variety  of  costumes  may 
be  seen  as  in  the  streets  of  Constanti- 
nople. 


WONDERS   WITHIN  A   PLANT. 


The  universe  is  full  of  wonders  ;  and  the 
more  we  know,  the  greater  is  our  admira- 
tion of  the  great  Author  of  all  things.  If 
the  telescope,  which  has  enabled  us  to  look 
into  the  heavens  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
naked  eye,  has  revealed  the  most  amazing 
sources  of  beauty  and  sublimity,  the  micro- 
scope, which  enables  us  to  look  into  regions 
too  minute  for  inspection  by  unaided  vision, 
has  also  unfolded  its  world  of  wonders.  A 
celebrated  writer  has  furnished  us  the  result 
of  his  examination  of  a  plant,  in  the  follow- 

%  ing  words,  — and  we  need  not  add  that  any 
of  our  readers  may  enjoy  similar  pleasure, 

{  by  similar  means 


"  The  fragrance  of  a  carnation,  led  me 
to  enjoy  it  frequently  and  near.  While 
inhaling  the  powerful  sweets,  I  heard  an 
extremely  soft  but  agreeable  murmuring 
sound.  It  was  easy  to  know  that  some 
animal,  within  the  covert,  must  be  the 
musician,  and  that  the  little  noise  must 
come  from  Some  little  body  suited  to  pro- 
duce it.  I  am  furnished  with  apparatus  of 
a  thousand  kinds  for  close  observation.  I 
instantly  distended  the  lower  part  of  the 
flower,  and  placing  it  in  a  full  light,  could 
discover  troops  of  little  insects,  frisking  and 
capering  with  wild  jollity  among  the  narrow 
pedestals  that  supported  its  leaves,  and  the 


WONDERS    WITHIN    jv    PLANT. 


2S3 


little  threads  that  occupied  its  centre.  I 
was  not  cruel  enough  to  pull  out  any  one 
of  them,  but  adapting  a  microscope,  to 
take  in  at  one  view  the  whole  base  of  the 
flower,  I  gave  myself  an  opportunity  of 
contemplating  what  they  were  about,  and 
this  for  many  days  together,  without  giving 
them  the  least  disturbance. 

"  Under  the  microscope,  the  base  of  the 
flower  extended  itself  to  a  large  plain  ;  the 
slender  stems  of  the  leaves  became  trunks 
of  so  many  stately  cedars  ;  the  threads  in 
the  middle  seemed  columns  of  massy  struc- 
ture, supporting  at  the  top  their  several  or- 
naments ;  and  the  narrow  places  between 
were  enlarged  into  walks,  parterres,  and 
terraces.  On  the  polished  bottom  of  these, 
brighter  than  the  Parian  marble,  walked  in 
pairs,  alone,  or  in  large  companies,  the 
winged  inhabitants ;  these,  from  little  dusky 
flies,  for  such  only  the  naked  eye  would 
have  shown  them,  were  raised  to  glorious, 
glittering  animals,  stained  with  living  pur- 
ple and  with  a  glossy  gold,  that  would  have 
made  all  the  labors  of  the  loom  contemptible 
in  comparison. 

"  I  could,  at  leisure,  as  they  walked  to- 
gether, admire  their  elegant  limbs,  their 
velvet  shoulders,  and  their  silken  wings  ; 
tlieir  backs  vying  with  the  empyrean  in  its 
hue  ;  and  their  eyes,  each  formed  of  a  thou- 
sand others,  outglittering  the  little  planes 
on  a  brilliant.  I  could  observe  them  here 
singling  out  their  favorite  feniales,  courting 
them  with  the  music  of  their  buzzing  wings, 
with  little  songs  formed  for  their  little 
organs,  leading  them  from  walk  to  walk 
among  the  perfumed  shades,  and  pointing 
out  to  their  taste  the  drop  of  liquid  nectar, 
just  bursting  from  some  vein  within  the 
living  trunk.  Here  were  the  perfumed 
groves,  the  more  than  myrtle  shades  of  the 
poet's  fancy  realized  ;  here  the  iiappy  lovers 
spent  their  days  in  joyful  dalliance  ;  in  the 
triumjili  of  their  little  hearts,  skipped  after 
one  another,  from  stem  to  stem,  among  the 
painted  trees  ;  or  winged  their  short  flight 
to  the  shadow  of  some  broader  leaf,  to  revel 
in  the  heights  of  all  felicity. 

"Nature  —  the  God  of  nature  has  propor- 
tioned the  period  of  existence  of  every  crea- 
ture to  the  means  of  its  support.  Duration, 
perhaps,  is  ns  much  a  comparative  quality 
as  magnitude  ;  and  these  atoms  of  being,  as 
they  appear  to  us,  may  have  organs  that 
lengthen  minutes,  to  tiieir  perception,  into 
J  years.  In  a  flower,  destined  to  remain  but 
;  a  few  days,  length  of  life,  according  to  our 
ideas,  could  not  be  given  to  its  inhabitants ; 


but  it  may  be,  according  to  theirs.  1  ra-Ar, 
in  the  course  of  observation  of  this  new 
world,  several  succeeding  generations  of 
the  creatures  it  was  peopled  with ;  they 
passed  under  my  eye,  through  the  several 
successive  states  of  the  egg  and  the  reptile 
form  in  a  few  hours.  After  these,  they 
burst  forth,  at  an  instant,  into  full  growth 
and  perfection,  in  their  wing-form.  In  tliis 
they  enjoyed  their  span  of  being,  as  much 
as  we  do  years  ;  feasted,  sported,  revelled  in 
delights  ;  fed  on  the  living  fragrance  that 
poured  itself  out  at  a  thousand  openings  at 
once  before  them  ;  enjoyed  their  loves  ;  laid 
the  foundation  for  their  succeeding  progeny, 
and,  after  a  life  thus  happily  filled  up,  sunk 
in  an  easy  dissolution.  With  what  joy  in 
their  pleasures  did  I  attend  the  first  and  the 
succeeding  broods  through  the  full  period 
of  their  joyful  lives  !  With  what  enthusias- 
tic transport  did  I  address  to  each  of  tliese 
yet  happy  creatures,  Anacrcon's  gratula- 
tions  to  the  cicada  :  — 

"  *  Blissful  insect !  what  can  be 
In  impjiincss  compared  to  lliee  ? 
Fed  wuh  nourishment  divine, 
The  dewy  morning's  sweetest  wine, 
Nature  wails  upon  thee  slill, 
And  thy  fragrant  cup  dotli  till  ; 
All  the  fields  ih.il  thou  dost  see, 
All  the  jdauts  belong  to  thee  ; 
All  that  summer-hours  produce, 
I'V'rtilc  made  with  ripening  jtnce. 
]\lan  lor  thee  does  sow  and  plough, 
Farmer  he,  and  landlord  thou. 
Thee  the  hinds  with  gladness  hear, 
Prophet  of  the  ripened  year  ; 
Tj  thcc  alone,  of  all  the  earth, 
Life  is  no  longer  than  thy  mirth. 
Hai>py  creature !  happy,  thou 
Dost  neither  age  nor  winter  know  ; 
But  when  thou'st  drank,  and  danced,  and  sung 
Thy  fill,  the  flowery  leaves  among. 
Sated  with  the  glorious  feast. 
Thou  rctircst  to  endless  rest.' 

"While  the  pure,  contemplative  mind 
thus  almost  envies  what  the  rude  observer 
would  treat  unfeelingly,  it  naturally  shrinks 
into  itself,  on  the  thought  that  there  may 
be,  in  the  immense  chain  of  beings,  many, 
thotigh  as  invisible  to  us  as  we  to  the  in- 
habitants of  this  little  flower,  whose  organs 
are  not  made  for  comprehending  objects 
larger  than  a  mite,  or  more  distant  than  a 
straw's  breadth,  to  whom  we  may  appear 
as  much  below  regard  as  these  to  us. 

"With  what  derision  should  we  treat 
those  little  reasoncrs,  could  we  hear  them 
arguing  for  the  unlimited  duration  of  tne 
carnation,  destined  for  the  extent  of  their 
knowledge,  as  well  as  their  action.  And 
yet,  among  ourselves,  there  are  reasoncrs, 
who  argue,  on  no  better  foundation,  that 
the  earth  which  we  inhabit  is  eternal ! " 


BOLIVAR. 


The  Spanish  colonies  of  South  America 
remained  for  three  centuries  in  quiet  sub- 
mission to  the  mother  countiy,  if  we  except 
the  desperate  attempt  of  the  Peruvian  In- 
dians, under  Tupac  Amaru,  to  throw  off  the 
yoke  of  their  oppressors.  Never  were  des- 
potism, avarice  and  slavish  obsequiousness 
to  power,  more  thoroughly  displayed  than 
in  Spanish  America,  under  the  government 
of  the  viceroys  and  captains-general,  who, 
with  all  the  principal  officers  of  the  vice- 
royal  court,  were  sent  to  America  from 
Madrid,  and  who,  without  being  under  any 
efficient  responsibility,  administered  their 
authority  with  every  species  of  tyranny  and 
venality.  Justice  was  bought  and  sold, 
and  the  most  important  legal  decisions  were 
made  in  favor  of  the  highest  bidder.  The 
mercar  tile  policy  of  the  parent  country  was 
equally  despotic  and  rapacious.  The  estab- 
lishment of  manufactures  was  not  permitted, 
while  cargoes  of  Spanish  commodities,  the 
refuse  of  the  shops,  were  forced,  in  barter 
for  silver  and  gold,  upon  a  half  civilized 


people,  who  neither  wanted  nor  could  pos- 
sibly use  them.  Foreign  commerce  waa 
interdicted  on  pain  of  death ;  all  social  im- 
provement was  suppressed  ;  and  to  prevent 
the  inhabitants  from  knowing  the  extent  of 
their  degradation,  all  intercourse  whatever 
was  strictly  forbidden  with  anj'  country  or 
people,  besides  Spain  and  Spaniards,  and 
allowed  even  with  them  only  under  many 
restrictions.  Superstition  and  ignorance 
were  upheld  as  the  surest  support  of  the 
colonial  system  ;  so  that,  previous  to  ISIO, 
the  whole  continent,  from  Lima  to  Monte 
Video,  contained  but  one  wretched  printing 
press,  and  that  in  the  hands  of  the  monks, 
who  consigned  to  the  dungeons  of  the  In- 
quisition every  man  who  possessed  a  pro- 
hibited book. 

The  e.xample  of  the  revolt  of  the  British 
North  American  colonies  had  a  slow  effect 
in  propagating  revolutionary  ideas  in  the 
south ;  and  the  usurpation  of  the  crown  of 
Spain  by  Napoleon  precipitated  those  move- 
ments which  resulted,  after  a  bloody  strug- 


2S5 


gle,  in  wresting  from  the  ilominion  of  Spain 
the  whole  of  her  continental  possessions  in 
America.  In  this  momentous  contest,  Si- 
mon Bolivar  bore  the  most  conspicuous  part, 
and  his  life  comprises  the  substance  of  the 
history  of  the  country  in  whicli  his  military- 
exploits  were  performed  during  its  most 
eventful  period. 

This  celebrated  man  was  bom  in  the  city 
of  Caraccas,  in  July,  1783.  He  belonged 
to  a  family  of  distinction,  and  was  one  of 
the  few  natives  of  the  Spanish  colonics  who 
were  permitted  to  visit  Europe.  After 
finishing  his  studies  at  Madrid,  he  went  to 
France,  and  during  his  stay  at  Paris  ren- 
dered himself  an  acceptable  guest  in  its 
social  circles,  by  the  amenity  of  his  manners 
and  his  other  personal  recommendations. 
In  the  midst,  however,  of  all  the  seductions 
of  that  gay  capital,  his  sanguine  temper  and 
ardent  imagination  anticipated  the  task 
which  the  future  fortunes  of  his  country 
might  impose  upon  him,  and  even  in  his 
twenty-third  year  ho  is  said  to  have  con- 
templated the  establishment  of  her  indepen- 
dence. Whilo  at  Paris  his  favorite  occu- 
pation was  the  study  of  those  branches  of 
science  which  contribute  to  the  formation 
of  the  character  of  a  warrior  and  statesman. 
Humboldt  and  Bonpland  were  his  intimate 
friends,  and  accompanied  him  in  his  excur- 
sions in  France  ;  nor  did  he  think  his  trav- 
els finished  till  he  had  visited  England, 
Italy,  and  a  part  of  Germany.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Madrid,  he  was  married,  and  shortly 
afterwards  relumed  to  America,  where  he 
arrived  in  ISIO,  at  the  very  moment  when 
his  countrymen  were  about  to  unfurl  the 
standard  of  independence.  On  his  passage 
homeward,  he  visited  the  United  States, 
where  he  gathered  some  political  knowledge 
which  subsequent  events  rendered  highly 
useful  to  him. 

The  revolution  began  in  Venezuela  on 
Good  Friday,  April  19th,  ISIO,  when,  by  a 
popular  movement,  the  captain-general  of 
Caraccas  was  arfested  and  deposed,  and  a 
congress  convened  to  organize  a  new  gov- 
ernment. The  talents  and  acquirements 
of  Bolivar  pointed  him  out  as  the  best  qual- 
ified person  to  be  placed  at  the  helm  ;  but 
he  disapproved  of  the  system  adopted  by 
the  congress,  and  refused  a  diplomatic  mis- 
sion to  England.  He  even  declined  any 
connection  with  the  government,  though  he 
continued  a  stanch  friend  to  the  cause  of 
independence.  But  at  length  he  consented 
to  proceed  to  England,  where  he  solicited 
the  British  cabinet  in  vain  to  espouse  the 
cause  of  the  revolution.     Finding  them  re- 


solved to  maintain  a  strict  neutrality,  he 
returned  to  Caraccas  after  a  short  stay.  In 
the  monn  time,  the  declaration  of  indepen- 
dence was  boldly  maintained  by  military 
force.  Miranda  was  appointed  commander- 
in-chief.  Bolivar  took  the  post  of  colonel 
in  the  army,  and  govemor  of  Puerto  Ca- 
bello,  the  strongest  place  in  Venezuela. 

Success  attended  the  arms  of  the  patriots 
till  1812,  when  a  remarkable  event  caused 
them  the  most  serious  reverses.  In  March 
of  that  year  a  violent  earthqviake  devastated 
the  whole  province,  and  among  other  places 
totally  destroyed  the  city  of  Caraccas,  with 
all  its  magazines  and  munitions  of  war. 
This  dreadful  calamity,  in  which  twenty 
thousand  persons  perished,  happened,  by  a 
most  remarkable  coincidence,  on  the  anni- 
versary of  the  very  day  in  which  the  revo- 
lution had  broken  out,  two  years  before. 
The  priesthood,  who,  as  a  body,  were  de- 
voted to  the  royal  interest,  eagerly  seized 
upon  this  circumstance.  In  their  hands, 
the  earthquake  became  the  token  of  the 
Divine  wrath  against  the  revolutionary  party. 
The  superstitious  multitude  was  easily  de- 
luded and  terrified  with  such  representations 
and  denunciations.  Priests,  monks,  and 
friars  were  stationed  in  the  streets,  vocifer- 
ating m  the  midst  of  credulous  throngs  of 
people  trembling  with  fear,  while  the  roy- 
alist commanders  improved  the  occasion  by 
overrunning  one  district  after  another.  Bol- 
ivar was  compelled  to  evacute  Puerto  Ca- 
bello.  Miranda's  conduct  having  become 
suspicious,  he  was  arrested  by  the  patriot 
leaders  and  delivered  up  to  the  Spanish 
commander,  who  sent  him  to  Spain,  where 
he  died  in  a  dungeon.  Bolivar  is  supposed 
to  have  had  a  share  in  this  transaction,  in 
consequence  of  which  he  has  been  severely 
censured.  There  were  some  circumstances, 
however,  which  appeared  to  justify  a  suspi- 
cion that  Miranda  was  engaged  in  a  hostile 
plot  with  the  British  cabinet. 

Bolivar  was  now  entrusted  with  the  com- 
mand of  an  amiy  of  six  thousand  men, 
which  he  led  across  the  mountains  to  the 
further  extremity  of  New  Granada.  In  the 
hostilities  of  this  period,  deeds  of  the  most 
revolting  ferocity  were  perpetrated  by  the 
royalist  troops,  and  the  whole  country  was 
reduced  to  a  frightful  state  of  misery.  On 
the  most  trivial  pretexts,  old  men,  women 
and  children,  were  arrested  and  massacred 
as  rebels.  Friars  and  military  butchers 
reigned  triumphant.  One  of  the  Spanish 
officers,  named  Suasola,  cut  off  the  ears  of 
a  great  number  of  patriots,  and  had  them 
stuck  in  the  caps  of  his  soldiers  fcr  cockades. 


286 


BOLIVAB. 


Bolivar,  who  had  hitherto  conducted  the] 
war  with  great  forbearance,  was  inflamed 
with  indignation  at  these  cruehies;  he  swore 
to  avenge  his  countrymen,  and  declared  that 
every  royalist  who  fell  into  his  hands  should 
be  consigned  to  the  vengeance  of  his  sol- 
diery. But  this  spirit  of  inexorable  justice 
and  retaliation  ill  accorded  with  Bolivar's 
'•:  character,  and  it  was  exercised  only  on  one 
'.'  occasion,  when  eight  hundred  Spaniards 
were  shot.  Afterwards  it  was  formally  an- 
;'  nounced  by  Bolivar,  that  "  no  Spaniard  shall 
'  be  put  to  death  except  in  battle.  The  war 
of  death  shall  cease." 

The  royalists,  who,  by  the  practice  of  the 
most  bloody  and  ferocious  atrocities,  had 
gained  possession  of  nearly  the  whole  coun- 
try, now  began  to  give  way  before  the  arms 
of  Bolivar.  Passing  from  one  victory  to 
another,  he  drove  the  enemy  from  everj' 
post,  and  on  the  4th  of  August,  1814,  made 
his  triumphant  entry  into  the  renovated  city 
of  Caraccas.  The  enthusiasm  and  joy  of 
the  people  exceeded  all  bounds,  and  this  was 
certainly  the  most  brilliant  day  in  his  whole 
career.  Greeted  by  the  acclamations  of 
thousands  of  the  inhabitants,  artillery,  bells 
and  music,  the  Liberator  was  drawn  into 
the  city  in  a  triumphal  car  by  twelve  beau- 
tiful young  ladies,  of  the  first  families  of  the 
capital,  dressed  in  white,  and  adorned  with 
the  patriot  colors,  while  others  crowned  him 
with  laurel,  and  strewed  his  way  with  flow- 
ers. All  the  prisons  were  thrown  open,  and 
hundreds  who  had  been  suffering  for  politi- 
cal opinions  came  forth,  pale  and  emaciated, 
to  thank  him  for  their  liberation.  The 
roj'alists  throughout  the  province  capitulated, 
and  the  triumph  of  the  patriots  was  com- 
plete. 

Bolivar  was  now  constituted  dictator,  and 
entrusted  with  unlimited  power.  This 
measure  was  prompted  by  the  sentiments 
of  enthusiasm  and  gratitude  during  the  first 
moments  of  exultation  in  the  people  ;  but, 
as  is  the  case  in  all  infant  republics,  they 
soon  began  to  give  manifestations  of  a  jeal- 
ousy for  that  liberty  which  had  cost  them 
such  sacrifices.  The  power  of  the  dictator, 
who  delegated  his  authority  to  his  inferior 
officers,  by  whom  it  was  frequently  abused, 
rsdoubled  their  apprehensions.  Suspicions 
arose,  that  the  primary  object  of  Bolivar 
was  his  own  aggrandizement.  In  conse- 
quence of  this,  on  the  2d  of  January,  1814, 
he  made  a  formal  tender  of  his  resignation. 
This  lulled  the  suspicions  of  the  people,  and 
che  royalists  having  begun  to  rally  and  arm 
their  negro  slaves,  he  was  solicited  to  retain 
the  dictatorship.     The  war  was  now  re- 


newed, and  many  tattles  were  fought.  On 
the  14th  of  June,  1814,  Bolivar  was  de- 
feated at  La  Puerta,  with  the  loss  of  fifteen 
hundred  men ;  and  again,  on  the  17th  of 
August,  near  his  own  estate  of  San  Mateo, 
where  the  negro  leader  Boves,  with  a  squad- 
ron of  cavalry  named  the  "infernal  divis- 
ion," with  black  crape  on  their  lances, 
rushing  with  hideous  shouts  from  an  ambush, 
scattered  his  remaining  forces,  and  would 
have  made  him  prisoner  but  for  the  fleet- 
ness  of  his  horse.  His  cousin,  Ribas,  was 
taken  and  shot,  and  his  head  set  upon  the 
wall  of  Caraccas.  Bolivar's  beautiful  family 
mansion  was  burnt  to  the  ground,  and  he 
was  compelled,  in  September,  to  leave  the 
royalists  again  in  complete  possession  of 
all  Venezuela,  while  thousands  of  the  patriot 
army  deserted  to  their  ranks. 

In  spite  of  these  reverses,  we  find  him, 
in  December  of  the  same  year,  at  the  head 
of  two  thousand  men,  marching  upon  the 
city  of  Bogota,  which  he  stormed  and  cap- 
tured. But  other  circumstances  having 
caused  him  to  despair  of  any  permanent 
success  against  the  Spaniards  at  that  time, 
he  left  the  country  in  May,  1S15,  and  retired 
to  Jamaica.  The  war  in  Europe  being 
brought  to  a  close,  the  Spanish  government 
were  enabled  to  send  an  army  of  tweive 
thousand  men,  under  General  Morillo,  to 
Venezuela  and  New  Granada.  This  com- 
mander overran  both  provinces,  and  executed 
two  thousand  of  the  inhabitants.  While 
Bolivar  resided  at  Kingston,  in  Jamaica,  he 
employed  himself  in  writing  a  defence  of 
his  conduct  in  the  civil  war  of  New  Gra- 
nada, and  issued  several  spirited  exhorta- 
tions to  the  patriots,  for  which  his  assassi- 
nation was  attempted  by  the  royalist  party. 
A  Spaniard,  stimulated  by  a  bribe  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars  and  a  promise  of  perfect 
absolution  by  the  church,  ventured  upon 
this  undertaking.  He  obtained  admission 
into  Bolivar's  apartment,  and  stabbed  to  the 
heart  his  secretary,  who,  by  chance,  was 
lying  in  the  general's  hammock. 

From  Jamaica,  Bolivar  proceeded  to 
Hayti,  where  he  raised  a  force  of  blacks  and 
patriot  emigrants,  with  which  he  landed  in 
Cumana,  in  July,  1816.  But,  at  Ocumare, 
he  was  surrounded  by  the  royalists,  defeated 
with  great  slaughter,  and  again  expelled 
from  the  country.  A  few  months  after- 
wards, he  landed  once  more  upon  the  con- 
tinent, and,  after  a  battle  of  three  days, 
completely  routed  the  army  of  Morillo. 
This  success  reinstated  him  in  his  ofhce  of 
captain-general  and  supreme  head,  and  he 
followed  up  this  advantage  by  iither  victo- 


BOLIVAR. 


2S7 


ries  over  the  royalists.  On  the  15th  of 
February,  1S19,  the  Congress  of  the  Vene- 
zuelan republic  was  installed  at  Angostura, 
when  Bolivar  submitted  the  plan  of  a  repub- 
lican constitution,  and  formally  laid  down 
his  authority.  A  strong  representation  of 
the  exigencies  of  the  times  was  again  pressed 
upon  him  and  became  his  inducement  to 
resume  it.  In  the  following  summer  he 
undertook  an  expedition  across  the  Cordil- 
leras. Fatigue  and  privations  of  every  kind 
were  endured  with  exemplary  fortitude  in 
the  advance  of  the  army  through  tiiis  wild, 
precipitous  and  barren  region,  whore  they 
lost  their  artillery  and  most  of  their  equip- 
ments. On  the  heights  of  Tunja,  they 
fmmd  a  Spanish  army  of  three  thousand 
five  hundred  men  whom  they  instantly 
attacked  and  defeated.  This,  and  a  subse- 
quent victory  at  Boyaca,  compelled  the 
Spanish  commander-in-chief,  Barreyro,  to 
surrender  the  remnant  of  his  army.  Sa- 
mano,  the  Spanish  viceroy,  lied  from  Bogota, 
leaving  in  the  treasury  a  million  of  dollars 
behind  him  ;  and  the  deliverance  of  New 
Granada  was  complete. 

The   immediate  consequence  of  this  suc- 
'■]  cess  was  the  union  of  the  two  provinces  of 
Venezuela   and   New  Granada,   under  the 
',]   title  of  the  Republic  of  Colombia,  and  Boli- 
var was  appointed   president,  in   1819.     It 
would  much  exceed  our  limits  to  relate  all 
the  military  events  which  followed  till  the 
I    final  expulsion  of  the  Si)anish  armies  from 
;:   the  country.     Peru  had  now  revolted,  and 
solicited  the  aid  of  the  Colombians.    Bolivar 
;,  marched  an  army  into  that  country  in  1S~2, 
drove  the  royalists  from  Lima,  and  was  ap- 
;:   pomted  dictator  by  tlie  Peruvian  congress. 
;|   On  the  6th  of  August,  1S24,  he  gfaincd  the 
;:   important  victory  of  Junin,  and  the  Peru- 
'   vian  congress  .shortly  after  tendered  him  a 
present  of  a  million  of  dollars,  which  he  re- 
fused.    The  royalists  being  again  defeated 
at  Ayacucho,  by  General  Sucre,  on  the  9th 
of   December,    1S24,   the   war  of   Spanish 
American  independence  was  finally  closed, 
after  one  hundred  thousand  lives  had  been 
sacrificed.     Bolivar  resigned   the   dictator- 
ship of  Peru  in  the  following  February,  and 
in  his  tour  through  the  country,  witnessed 
one  uninterrupted  scene  of  triumph  and  cx- 
travag:ii>.t   exultation,  —  of   dinners,    balls, 
bull-fights,  illuminations,  triumphal  arches 
and    processions.      A    sumptuous    banquet 
was  given   on   the   summit  of  the  famous 
mountain  of  Potosi,  and  the  Liberator,  in 
the  enthusiasm  excited  by  the  e.xcessive  ad- 
ulation which  he  received,  exclaimed  on  that 
occacion,  "  The  value  of  all  the  riches  that 


are  buried  in  the  Andes  beneath  my  feet  is 
nothing  compared  to  the  glory  of  having 
borne  the  standard  of  independence  from  the 
sultry  banks  of  the  Orinoco,  to  fix  it  on  the 
frozen  peak  of  this  mountain,  whose  wealth 
has  excited  the  envy  and  astonishment  of 
the  world." 

A  new  republic,  formed  out  of  the  con- 
quered provinces,  was  now  constituted,  and 
named,  from  the  Liberator,  Bolivia.  From 
this  republic  he  received  a  gift  of  a  million 
of  dollars,  on  condition  that  the  money 
should  be  appropriated  to  the  liberation  of 
negro  slaves  in  that  tcrriton,'.  At  the  re- 
quest of  the  congress,  he  framed  a  scheme 
of  government,  known  as  the  "  Bolivian 
code."  This  was  adopted  both  in  Bolivia 
and  by  the  Congress  of  Lima,  where  Bolivar 
was  made  president.  On  the  22d  of  June, 
1S26.  a  scheme  projected  by  him  for  a  grand 
congress  of  the  Spanish  American  republics, 
was  carried  into  effect,  and  this  meeting, 
consisting  of  deputies  from  Colombia,  IMex- 
ico,  Guatimala,  Peru  and  Bolivia,  was  con- 
vened at  Panama.  The  main  object  of  this 
congress  was  to  establish  an  annual  conven- 
tion of  state  representatives  to  discuss  diplo- 
matic affiiirs,  decide  international  dis])ntes, 
promote  liberal  principles,  and  ensure  a 
union  of  strength  in  repelling  any  foreign 
attack.  This  was  a  noble  idea,  but  too  vast 
an  undertaking  for  the  menus  of  perform- 
ance which  actually  existed  within  the 
control  of  the  Liberator,  and  it  led  to  no 
great  practical  results. 

On  the  retum  of  Bolivar  to  Colombia,  he 
found  two  thirds  of  the  republic  in  a  state 
of  insurrection.  Great  dissatisfaction  ex- 
isted in  Venezuela  with  the  central  govern- 
ment, and  the  inhabitants,  headed  by  Paez, 
a  mulatto  general,  rose  and  declared  them- 
selves in  favor  of  a  federal  system.  Bolivar, 
having  reached  Bogota,  the  capital,  assumed 
extraordinary  powers,  being  authorized  to 
take  that  step  by  the  constitution,  in  its 
provisions  for  cases  of  rebellion.  He  then 
proceeded  to  Venezuela ;  but,  instead  of 
punishing  the  insurgents,  he  announced  a 
general  amnesty,  and  confirmed  Paez  in  the 
command  which  he  had  assumed.  This 
led  to  strong  suspicions  that  the  insurrection 
had  been  instigated  by  Bolivar,  in  order  to 
afTord  a  pretext  for  assuming  the  dictator- 
ship, and  tliat  he  and  Paez  had  acted  with 
a  collusive  understanding.  The  truth,  on 
this  subject,  has  never  yet  been  clearly  re- 
vealed. The  presence  of  Bolivar  quieted 
the  commotion,  as,  in  spite  of  the  suspicions 
which  rested  upon  him,  his  popularity  v,as 
still  very  great.     He  addressed  a  letter  to 


288 


BOLIVAK. 


:  the  senate  of  Colombia,  disclaiming  a'l  am- 
bitious designs,  and  offering  his  resignation. 
Tliis  proposal  caused  violent  debates  in  the 
congress,  and  many  members  voted  to  ac- 
cept it ;  but  a  majority  were  in  favor  of 
continuing  him  in  office. 

At  a  congress  held  at  Ocana,  in  March, 
1S2S,  Bolivar  assumed  more  of  an  anti- 
republican  tone,  and  recommended  strength- 
ening the  executive  power.  Many  of  his 
adherents,  in  which  the  soldiery  were  in- 
cluded, seconded  his  views,  and  declared 
that  the  people  were  not  prepared  to  appre- 
ciate the  excellence  of  institutions  purely 
republican ;  a  fact  of  which  there  can  be 
little  doubt.  They  carried  this  doctrine, 
however,  to  an  unwarrantable  extreme,  by 
insisting  that  the  president  should  be  in- 
trusted with  absolute  discretionary  power. 
This  proposition  was  indignantly  rejected 
by  a  majority  of  the  congress,  and  the  par- 
tisans of  Bolivar  vacated  their  seats ;  in 
consequence  of  which,  that  body  was  left 
without  a  quorum,  and  dissolved.  The  city 
of  Bogota  then  took  the  matter  info  its  own 
hands,  and  conferred  upon  Bolivar  the  title 
of  Supreme  Chief  of  Colombia,  with  abso- 
lute power  to  regulate  all  the  afliiirs  of  gov- 
ernment. His  immediate  concurrence  in 
this  illegal  and  revolutionary  measure  has 
been  deemed  a  sufTicient  proof  that  it  was 
brought  about  by  his  instigation.  On  the 
20th  of  June,  1S29,  he  entered  that  city  in 
magnificent  slate,  and  assumed  his  author- 
ity. These  proceedings  could  not  but  lead 
to  violent  measures.  An  attempt  was  soon 
made  to  assassinate  the  dictator.  Several 
persons  broke  into  his  chamber  at  midnight, 
and  shot  two  officers  of  the  stafT,  who  were 
with  him  ;  Bolivar  himself  only  escaped  by 
leaping  out  of  the  window  and  lying  con- 
cealed under  a  bridge.  Santander,  the 
vice-president,  and  several  officers  of  the 
army,  were  tried  and  convicted  of  being 
implicated  in  this  conspirac}'.  The  former 
was  sentenced  to  death,  but  Bolivar  was 
satisfied  with  banishing  him  from  Colombia. 
The  whole  country  became  rent  with  fac- 
tions, commotions  and  rebellion.  The  pop- 
ularity of  the  Liberator  was  gone,  and  his 
authority  was  disclaimed  in  almost  every 
quarter.  The  events  which  ensued  do  not 
require  to  be  specified  here,  as  they  are 
nothing  more  than  a  repetition  of  what  had 
been  acted  over  many  times  before.  At 
length  Bolivar,  finding  his  influence  at  an 
end,  and  his  health  and  spirits  broken,  deter- 
mined to  withdraw  from  public  life,  take 
leave  of  the  country,  and  retire  to  Europe. 
At  a  general  convention  at  Bogota,  in  Jan- 


uary, 1S30,  he  resigned  his  authority  for 
the  last  time,  and  reje<:ted  many  entreaties 
to  resume  it.  He  withdrew  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Carthagena,  where  he  spent 
nearly  two  years  in  retirement,  when,  find- 
ing his  end  approaching,  he  issued  his  fare- 
well address  to  the  people  of  Colombia,  in 
the  following  words  :  — 

"  Colombians,  —  I  have  unceasinglj'  and 
disinterestedly  exerted,  my  energies  for  your 
welfare.  I  have  abandoned  my  fortune  and 
my  personal  tranquillity  in  your  cause.  I 
am  the  victim  of  my  persecutors,  who  have 
now  conducted  me  to  my  grave  :  but  I  par- 
don them.  Colombians,  I  leave  you.  My 
last  prayers  are  offered  up  for  the  tranquil- 
lity of  my  country;  and  if  my  death  will 
contribute  to  this  desirable  end,  by  extin- 
guishing your  factions,  I  shall  descend  with 
feelings  of  contentment  into  the  tomb  that 
is  soon  to  receive  me."  A  week  afterwards, 
he  breathed  his  last,  at  San  Pedro,  near 
Carthagena.  on  the  17th  of  December,  1S31, 
at  the  age  of  forty-eight. 

His  death  appears  to  have  afflicted  his 
countrymen  with  the  deepest  sorrow  and 
remorse.  In  an  instant  they  forgot  the 
jealousies  and  suspicions  which  had  filled 
their  breasts,  with  regard  to  their  great  chief, 
and,  by  a  sudden  revulsion  of  feeling,  they 
indulged  in  the  most  bitter  self-reproach  at 
the  reflection,  that  the  man  who  had  devoted 
his  fortune  and  his  life  to  the  liberation  and 
welfare  of  his  country,  had  sunk  under  their 
ungenerous  reproaches,  and  died  of  a  broken 
heart,  the  victim  of  national  ingratitude. 
Almost  every  town  in  Colombia  paid  honors 
to  his  memory  by  orations,  funeral  proces- 
sions, and  other  demonstrations  of  grief  and 
respect. 

The  fortunes  of  this  eminent  man  were 
most  singular.  During  one  period  he  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  characters 
of  modern  times.  At  the  present  moment 
he  is  almost  forgotten  ;  and  another  genera- 
tion may  witness  a  revival  of  his  fame.  In 
the  early  pnrt  of  his  career  he  was  believed 
to  be  a  disinterested  patriot;  at  the  close  he 
had  totally  lost  the  confidence  of  his  coun- 
trjmien,  and  he  died  tainted  with  the  suspi- 
cion of  intriguing  with  the  French  govern- 
ment to  subjugate  the  country  by  European 
arms  and  establish  a  monarchy.  There  are 
some  acts  of  his  life  which  have  an  equivo- 
cal character ;  but,  judging  of  his  whole 
conduct  from  such  evidence  as  is  within  our 
reach,  we  are  compelled  to  pronounce  his 
acquittal  of  the  charge  of  entertaining  de- 
signs hostile  to  the  liberties  of  his  country,  j 
Bolivar  is  not  to  be  judged  by  the  standard  ', 


THE    ROCK    OF    GIBRALTAR. 


2S9 


which  we  apply  to  the  character  and  merits 
of  Washington.  The  cool-tempered,  orderljr, 
intelligent,  and  well  educated  North  Amer- 
icans, who  achieved  their  independence  with 
a  iioderation,  sobriety  and  self-restraint, 
whi.'h  drew  forth  the  applause  and  admira- 
tion of  the  world,  were  a  very  different  race 
from  the  heterogeneous  population  of  Colom- 
bia, ignorant,  insubordinate,  superstitious, 
fanatical,  ferocious,  little  advanced  in  civil- 
ization, and  subject  to  all  the  sudden  im- 
pulses of  a  rash  and  fiery  southern  temper. 
It  was  impossible  to  govern  such  men,  amid 
the  turbulence  of  jealous  factions,  by  the 
weak  instrument  of  a  written  constitution. 

The  proofs  of  Bolivar's  disinterestedness 
are  very  strong.  He  sacrificed  a  large  for- 
tune in  the  cause  of  his  country ;  and  had 
many  opportunities  of  acquiring  enormous 
wealth,  all  of  which  he  neglected.  As  a 
military  commander,  he  is  entitled  to  high 
praise.  Though  often  defeated,  his  perse- 
verance and  fortitude,  in  rising  superior  to 
every  obstacle,  are  everywhere  conspicuous. 
The  difficulties  of  marshalling,  disciplining 
and  leading  an  army  to  battle  during  the 
revolution  of  Colombia,  are  hardly  to  be 
conceived.  Bolivar's  troops  often  consisted 
chiefly  of  desperate  adventurers,  eager  only 


THE   ROCK   OF   GIBRALTAR. 


Gibraltar  is  a  celebrated  fortified  rock, 
Qt  the  foot  of  which  is  a  town  of  sixteen 
thousand  inhabit.ants.  The  space  occupied 
by  the  rock  and  town  is  about  seven  miles 
in  circuit.  It  is  almost  entirely  surrounded 
by  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  but  it  is  connected 
with  the  continent  by  a  low  sandy  isthmus. 

As  seen  from  a  ship,  nothing  can  be  more 


37 


for  paj'  and  plunder ;  ragged  Creoles,  In- 
dians, naked  negroes,  and  cavalry  of  half 
savage  Uaneros  mounted  on  wild  horses,  5 
Whole  regiments  often  deserted  from  one 
side  to  the  other,  and  back  again,  according 
to  the  chance  of  success. 

The  fatigues,  cares  and  anxieties  to  which 
he  was  constantly  exposed  during  a  most 
eventful  career  of  nearly  twenty  years,  were 
strongly  marked  in  his  countenance,  and  at 
lorty-tive  he  had  the  appearance  of  a  man 
of  sixty.  He  was  capable  of  enduring  the 
most  severe  labor ;  was  a  remarkably  bold 
horseman,  and  was  fond  of  dancing  in  his 
spurs.  He  was  abstemious  in  personal  mat- 
ters, hut  hospitable  and  highly  munificent 
in  giving  entertainments.  His  manners 
were  easy  and  dignified,  and  he  was  gilted 
with  an  extraordinary  faculty  of  prompt 
repartee  in  conversation.  In  one  instance, 
he  was  known  to  give  seventeen  unpremed- 
i'ated  answers  in  succession,  each  of  which, 
if  prepared  by  deliberate  study,  would  have 
been  admired  for  its  happy  adaptation  to  the 
subject  and  the  occasion.  In  proposing  a 
toast,  in  returning  thanks,  or  in  speaking 
impromptu  on  any  casual  subject,  he  never 
was  surpassed. 


desolate  than  the  appearance  of  Gibraltar; 
but  when  you  get  upon  it,  you  will  find  fig   , 
trees,  orange  trees,  acacias,  and  a  profusion    ; 
of  odoriferous  plants.     You  will  also   find 
woodcocks,  partridges,  teal,  and  rabbits  in   ' 
abundance.      If  y  )U  wander  up  the  rocks, 
you  will  also  find  apes  of  considerable  size 
frisking  about,  and  seeming  iiuite  at  home. 


290 


MINERAL   COAL. 


This  is  the  only  spot  in  Europe  where  any 
animal  of  the  monkey  kind  is  found  to  be  a 
native.  It  is  fancied  that  these  creature; 
pass  through  caverns  under  the  sea  to  Africa, 
which  is  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles  across 
at  the  narrowest  part.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
say  that  this  is  impossible. 

The  rock  of  Gibraltar  is  perforated  by  a 
great  number  of  natural  caverns.  St.  Mi- 
chael's, on  the  south-west  side,  is  the  most 
famous.  You  enter  this  about  one  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  At  a  little 
distance,  you  come  to  a  spacious  hall,  sup- 
ported by  stalactite  pillars.  Beneath  this 
is  a  series  of  beautiful  grottoes,  though  dif- 
ficult of  access.  It  is  said,  that  in  some  of 
these  grottoes  yon  can  hear  the  sea  roaring 
beneath,  through  crevices  in  the  rock ! 

The  rock  and  town  of  Gibraltar  belong  to 
the  English.  The  former  is  strongly  forti- 
fied, and  is  considered  impregnable.  It 
came  into  the  hands  of  the  English  in  1704, 
since  which  they  have  held  it,  though  it  has 
often  been  attacked  and  besieged.  The  most 
memorable  siege  commenced  in  1779,  and 


It  did  not  cease  till  February,  17S3.  The 
grand  attack  took  place  in  September,  17S2. 
Beside  stupendous  batteries,  mounting  two 
hundred  guns,  there  was  an  army  of  forty 
thousand  men,  led  by  the  celebrated  Due 
de  Crillon,  in  the  presence  of  two  princes  of 
the  blood.  In  the  bay  lay  the  combined 
fleets  of  France  and  Spain.  The  assault 
was  dreadful.  Four  hundred  pieces  of 
artillery,  on  both  sides,  were  playing  at  once. 
The  roar  was  perpetual,  and  the  rock  shook 
as  if  by  an  earthquake.  Yet  the  brave  gar- 
rison held  out,  and  the  attack  was  una- 
vailing. 

The  east  and  north  sides  of  the  rock  of 
Gibraltar  are  by  their  nature  inaccessible. 
Toward  the  south,  also,  it  is  very  rocky  and 
precipitous.  To  the  west,  it  slopes  to  the 
town,  and  here  the  artificial  batteries  are 
erected.  These  are  most  formidable.  To 
accommodate  the  operations  of  the  garrison, 
there  are  galleries,  leading  from  one  point 
to  another,  of  sufTicient  width  for  cannon 
carriages,  and  cut  for  nearly  three  miles 
through  the  very  heart  of  the  rock. 


MINERAL   COAL. 


This  article  is  now  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant instniments  of  human  comfort,  and 
one  of  the  chief  sources  of  human  power. 
It  is  chiefly  by  this  that  the  immense  man- 
ufactories of  Great  Britain  are  carried  on. 
By  this  the  pot  is  boiled,  the  steak  fried, 
the  steamboat  impelled,  the  locomotive 
driven  on  its  way. 

In  this  country,  mineral  coal  is  becoming 
of  vast  importance.  Several  million  of  tons 
are  annually  tiiken  from  the  mines  of  Penn- 
sylvania alone.  The  steamboats  on  sev- 
eral lines  are  driven  by  this  coal ;  and  many 


a  New  England  family  is  dependent  upon 
it  for  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper. 

It  may  be  readily  believed  that  mineral  coal, 
so  important  as  it  appears  to  be,  should  have 
been  the  theme  of  earnest  and  careful  investi- 
gation among  scientific  men.  They  have 
made  such  observations,  that  they  can  pretty 
easily  tell  where  beds  of  coal  lie,  in  what 
direction  they  run,  and  how  productive  they 
may  be. 

Besides  investigating  these  points,  many 
geologists  have  set  themselves  to  work  to 
learn  how  such  vast  masses  of  coal  have 


BRUSSELS. 


291 


been  made.  The  result  of  these  inquiries 
is  curious  —  indeed,  wonderful.  It  seems 
that  mineral  coal,  which  is  so  hard,  black, 
and  stone-like,  is  all  made  of  vegetable  mat- 
ter—  trees,  leaves,  and  stalks  of  plants,  that 
have  been  buried  in  the  earth  for  ages,  and 
have  acquired  their  present  form  and  con- 
dition by  pressure  and  heat. 


Our  readers  may  be  curious  to  know  how 
these  facts  are  ascertained.  We  need  only 
say,  tliat,  by  looking-  carefully  with  glasses 


at  various  species  of  coal,  the  forms  of  leaves, 
stalks,  and  fibres,  and  tlie  ven,-  texture  of 
wood,  may  be  easily  detected  !  Indeed,  the 
very  kinds  of  plants  of  wliich  coal  is  made 
have  in  many  instances  been  ascertained. 
Of  these,  we  have  given  sketches  above. 

But  the  most  wonderful  part  of  the  story 
is  not  yet  told.  It  appears  that,  in  some 
remote  age  of  tlie  world,  the  climates  were 
diflerent  from  what  they  now  are,  and  it 
seems  that,  where  now  hardly  a  plant  of 
any  kind  will  live,  in  those  ancient  times 
huge  pines  and  ferns  raised  their  towering 
tops,  and  that  the  teeming  soil  covered  the 
whole  face  of  nature  with  a  redundant  veg- 
etation. These  became,  by  some  process, 
entombed  in  the  earth  ;  and  having  accu- 
mulated for  centuries,  and  having  undergone 
amechanical  andchemicalcliange,  have  been 
converted  into  huge  mineral  masses.  Thus  it 
is  that,  in  the  cold  climate  of  England,  Scot- 
land,and  even  Nova  Scotia,  we  find  vast  beds 
of  coal  made  of  trees  and  plants  that  thrive 
now  only  in  the  warm  climates  of  the  earth. 


BRUSSELS. 


Brussels,  the  capital  of  Belgium,  is  one 
of  the  handsomest  cities  in  Europe.  It  is 
situated  on  the  little  river  Senne,  fifty  miles 
from  the  sea,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-five 
miles  north-cast  of  Paris.  Its  population, 
iiichiding  the  suburbs,  is  about  135,000. 
Here  the  king,  Leopold,  holds  his  court; 
here  is  his  palace,  and  here  is  the  Paiais  du 
Cimgrh,  where  the  legislative  body  meets. 


The  full  description  of  this  city  would 
occupy  many  pages.  We  have  room  only 
for  a  few  of  its  principal  characteristics.  It 
is  built  on  a  slope  of  a  hill,  and,  when  viewed 
from  the  west,  has  a  fine  appearance.  It  is 
surrounded  by  a  wall,  but  the  old  fortifica- 
tions, which  were  once  very  strong,  are 
thrown  down,  and  their  site  is  formed  into 
'  beautiful  promenades  ot  boulevards.    These 


292 


THE    NESTS    OF    BIRDS. 


encircle  two  thirds  of  the  city,  and  are 
planted  with  rows  of  linden-trees.  As  you 
walk  along  this  charming  place,  you  see  the 
finest  gardens  on  either  side,  presenting 
every  variety  of  fruit  and  flower,  together 
with  every  kind  of  emhellishment  in  orna- 
mental gardening.  From  the  boulevards 
you  have  also  views  of  the  surrounding 
country,  which  is  in  the  highest  degree  rich, 
varied,  and  beautiful. 

Among  the  curiosities  of  this  interesting 
city  are  the  fountains.  One  of  these,  called 
the  Manikin,  is  an  exquisite  bronze  figure 
of  a  boy  about  two  feet  in  height.  We  shall 
not  tell  you  what  he  is  about,  for  our  readers 
will  know  when  they  see  him.  This  image 
is  very  old,  and  the  ancient  inhabitants  of 
the  city  look  upon  it  with  great  reverence, 
believing  it  to  possess  a  kind  of  charm, 
which  protects  the  city.  Another  fountain, 
that  of  the  Fleuves,  has  two  groups,  one  of 
river  gods,  in  marble,  and  one  of  dolphins, 
in  bronze,  which  appear  to  be  bathing  or 
sporting  m  the  water. 

There  are  a  great  many  curious  old  Gothic 
buildings  in  Brussels,  ornamented  in  the  most 
florid  style.  The  Hotel  de  Villc  is  a  lofty  edi- 
fice of  this  description,  and  has  a  very  strange 
appearance,  especially  to  an  American. 

The  streets  and  squares  of  Brussels  are 
among  the  finest  in  the  world.  The  park 
is  an  open  oblong  space,  containing  fourteen 
acres.  It  is  covered  with  smooth,  verdant 
turf,  and  is  laid  out  in  straight  and  winding 
walks,  sheltered  by  lofty  beech  and  chest- 
nut-trees, and  plantations  of  acacias.  It  is 
embellished  with  numerous  groups  of  mar- 
ble statuary  from  heathen  mythology.  It 
is  surrounded  with  magnificent  edifices,  and 
is  every  day  enlivened  with  troops  of  peo- 
ple, among  which  are  always  a  considerable 
number  of  scampering,  hoyden  children, 
playing  over  the  grounds. 

Brussels  abounds  in  celebrated  buildings, 
and  contains  several  grand  and  venerable 
cathedrals,  erected  in  the  middle  ages.  It 
is  also  noted  for  its  schools.  Many  Eng- 
lish people,  of  moderate  fortune,  areattracted 
hither  by  the  beauty  of  the  city,  and  the 
great  advantages  it  afTords  for  the  education 
of  children.  Among  the  liberal  institutions 
the  Botanic  Garden  deserves  particular  no- 
tice. Its  range  of  hot-houses,  the  principal 
of  which  is  represented  in  the  engraving,  is 
four  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  heated  by 
steam.  In  front  of  these  hot-houses  is  a 
splendid  lawn,  furnished  with  seats,  from 
which  the  city  is  seen  to  great  advantage. 
The  gardens  are  open  to  students  at  all  times, 
and  to  the  public  three  days  in  the  week. 


We  must  not  omit  to  mention,  that  nine 
miles  from  Brussels  is  the  village  of  Wafer- 
loo,  the  battle-ground  of  the  most  bloody 
conflicts  in  modern  times.  Here  are  several 
monuments  erected  in  memorj'  of  those  who 
fell.  But  for  these,  a  stranger  would  not 
imagine,  from  its  present  appearance,  that 
it  could  ever  have  been  the  theatre  of  such 
a  scene.  It  is  now  covered  with  fields  of 
grass  and  grain,  and  seems  smiling  with 
peace  and  plenty.  Yet  here  Bonaparte  was 
finally  overthrown  ;  and  here  the  cold,  stern, 
heartless  Wellington  uttered  that  memora- 
ble saying,  while  looking  upon  the  heaps 
of  slain,  —  "There  is  nothing  so  dreadful 
as  a  great  defeat,  except  a  great  victor)'." 


THE   NESTS   OF   BIRDS. 

How  curious  is  the  structure  of  the  nest 
of  the  goldfinch  or  chaffinch  !  The  inside 
of  it  is  lined  with  cotton  and  fine  silken 
threads ;  and  the  outside  cannot  be  siifli- 
ciently  admired,  thousrh  it  is  composed  only 
of  various  species  of  fine  moss.  The  color 
of  these  mosses,  resembling  that  of  the  bark 
of  the  tree  on  which  the  nest  is  built,  proves 
that  the  bird  intended  it  should  not  be  easily 
discovered.  In  some  nests,  hair,  wool,  and 
rushes,  are  dexterously  interwoven.  In 
some,  all  the  parts  are  firmly  fastened  by  a 
thread,  which  the  bird  makes  of  hemp,  wool, 
hair,  or  more  commonly  of  spiders'  webs.  — 

Other  birds,  as,  for  instance,  the  black- 


K'*^'*'*-'- 


ADVENTURE    WITH    A    LION. 


293 


bird  and  the  lapwing,  after  they  have  con- 
structed their  nest,  plaster  the  inside  with 
mortar,  which  cements  and  binds  the  whole 
together ;  they  then  stick  upon  it,  while 
quite  wet,  some  wool  or  moss,  to  give  it  the 
necessary  degree  of  warmth. 

The  nests  of  swallows  are  of  a  very  dif- 
ferent construction  from  those  of  other  birds. 
They  require  neither  wood,  nor  hay,  nor 
cords  ;  they  make  a  kind  of  mortar,  with 
which  they  form  a  neat,  secure,  and  com- 
fortable habitation  for  themselves  and  their 
finiily.  To  moisten  the  dust  of  which  they 
build  their  nest,  they  dip  their  breasts  in 
water,  and  shake  the  drops  from  their  wet 
feathers  upon  it.  But  the  nests  most  wor- 
thy of  ailniiration  are  those  of  certain  Indian 
birds,  which  suspend  them  with  great  art 
from  the  branches  of  trees,  to  secure  them 
from  the  depredations  of  various  animals 
and  insects.  In  general,  every  species  of 
birds  has  a  peculiar  mode  of  building;  but 
it  may  be  remarked  of  all  alike,  that  they 
always  construct  their  nests  in  the  way  that 
is  best  adapted  to  their  security,  and  to  the 
preservation  and  welfare  of  their  species. 

Such  is  the  wonderful  instinct  of  birds 
with  respect  to  the  structure  of  their  nests. 


What  skill  and  sagacity,  what  industry  and 
patience,  do  they  display  !  And  is  it  not 
apparent  that  all  their  labors  tend  towards 
certain  ends?  They  construct  their  nests 
hollow,  and  nearly  round,  that  they  may  re- 
tain the  heat  so  much  the  better.  They  line 
them  with  the  most  delicate  substances,  that 
the  young  may  lie  soft  and  warm.  What  is 
it  that  teaches  the  bird  to  place  her  nest  in  a 
situation  sheltered  from  the  rain,  and  secure 
against  the  attacks  of  other  animals  ?  How 
did  she  learn  that  she  should  lay  eggs  — 
that  eggs  would  require  a  nest  to  prevent 
them  from  falling  to  the  ground,  and  to 
keep  them  \varm  ?  Whence  does  she  know 
that  the  heat  would  not  be  maintained 
around  the  eggs  if  the  nest  were  too  large, 
and  that,  on  the  other  hand,  the  young 
would  not  have  sufficient  room  if  it  were 
smaller  ?  By  what  rules  does  she  deter- 
mine the  due  proportions  between  the  nest 
and  the  young  which  are  not  yet  in  exist- 
ence ?  Who  has  taught  her  to  calculate 
the  time  with  .such  accuracy  that  she  never 
commits  a  mistake,  in  producing  her  eggs 
before  the  nest  is  ready  to  receive  them  ? 
-•Vdmire,  in  all  these  things,  the  power,  the 
wisdom,  and  the  goodness  of  the  Creator. 


ADVENTURE   WITH   A   LION. 


Some  years  ago,  it  was  said  that  a  lion 
of  the  largest  size  had  been  seen  near  the 
Britisli  settlement  on  Cape  Coast,  Africa. 
At  lencth,  he  was  observed  prowling  under 
the  walls  of  the  fort ;  and  he  here  carried 
off  two  or  three  negro  children.     The  poor 


natives  were  in  great  terror  ;  and  this  was 
heightened  by  the  expectation  of  soon  see- 
ing more  of  those  fearful  ai-imals  in  their 
vicinity  —  for  they  seldom  come  alone. 

The  officers  of  the  regiment,  at  the  fort, 
determined  to  make  a  hunting  e.vpodition, 


294 


ADVENTURE    WITH    A    LION. 


for  the  purpose  of  capturin"-  the  lion.  In 
order  to  ascertain  whether  there  was  really 
a  lion  in  the  neighborhood,  or  not,  they 
had  a  hole  dug  in  the  earth,  and  covered 
it  over  with  bushes.  Over  this,  on  a  stick, 
were  hung-  a  sheep's  head  and  pluck.  The 
officer  on  guard  was  directed  to  keep  his 
e\e  on  this  during  the  night. 

"  W^hen  night  came,  a  thunder-storm  arose, 
and  the  scene  was  wrapped  in  intense  dark- 
ness. At  the  same  time,  the  terrific  roar 
of  the  lion  was  heard  by  the  watch.  At 
length,  by  the  blaze  of  the  lightning,  the 
officer  saw  two  lions,  crouching  along  to- 
ward the  bait.  At  last,  one  of  them,  hav- 
ing approached  within  a  few  yards  of  it, 
made  a  tremendous  bound,  and,  seizing  the 
sheep's  head,  leajied  entirely  across  the  trap 
in  his  jump.  The  other  lion,  which  was  a 
female,  immediately  joined  him.  The  two 
devoured  the  meat  in  a  moment.  The  offi- 
cer fired  his  rifle  twice,  but  without  effect. 

Not  satisfied  with  all  this,  the  two  lions 
made  their  way  to  a  negro-hut,  and  breaking 
down  a  mud-wall,  which  enclosed  a  pair  of 
asses,  they  stuck  their  huge  claws  into  them 
and  dragged  them  offfor'their  supper. 

Tiie  next  day,  the  officers,  being  well 
equipped,  attended  by  half  a  dozen  soldiers, 
as  many  negroes,  and  a  supply  of  dogs,  set 
forth  in  quest  of  the  marauders.  After 
proceeding  along  at  an  easy  pace,  they  dis- 
tinctly traced  the  footsteps  of  the  lions  over 
the  sands,  and  also  a  long  ridge,  or  path, 
which  had  evidently  been  made  by  dragging 
the  captive  prey  in  the  line  of  these  marks. 
They  therefore  proceeded,  till  they  were 
lost  in  the  thick  underwood  and  tall  sedge 
grass  of  the  covert,  to  which  they  had  re- 
paired. They  could,  however,  still  trace  the 
passage  of  the  beasts  through  the  bushes,  and 
at  no  great  distance  from  the  entrance  of  the 
jungle,  found  the  bones  of  two  animals  which 
they  had  carried  off.  But  here  lliey  were  at 
fault.  The  mangled  and  mutilated  remains 
told  that  here  the  lions  had  made  their  sup- 
per, but  gave  no  indication  of  their  sleeping 
apartments  ;  however,  they  conjectured  that 
they  could  not  be  far  off.  It  was  lucky  that 
they  brought  with  them  a  small  Scotch 
terrier,  who  seeihed  -fully  to  enter  into  the 
sport,  and  by  his  keen  scent  gave  indication 
of  the  track  the  lions  had  taken.  This  the 
adventurers  followed,  with  guns  on  the  full 
cock,  and  an  an.xious  expectation  of  seeing 
one  or  botli  lions  dart  from  the  coppice. 

This,  however,  was  not  the  case  ;  and, 
after  half  an  hour's  progress,  the  party 
found  themselves  before  a  cave,  overgrown 
with  wild  plants  and  shrubs,  which  seemed 


likely  to  promise  an  adventure.  The  little 
terrier,  who  up  to  this  time  had  been  so 
courageous,  now  absolutely  refused  to  go 
forward,  and  instead  of  barking,  put  his 
tail  between  his  legs,  and  slunk  into  the 
rear  of  the  party. 

The  question  now  arose,  as  to  who  should 
explore  the  cave,  or,  rather,  who  should  peep 
into  it,  that  the  party  might  know  whether 
the  lions  were  "at  home."  Capt.  jMacleod 
volunteered  this  service,  and  with  his  rifle  in 
his  hand,  and  a  pair  of  pistols,  full  cocked, 
in  his  girdle,  crouched  towards  the  opening. 
The  cave  was  not  very  deep  ;  and,  from 
there  being  a  slight  opening  at  the  top,  no 
sooner  had  the  valiant  officer  proceeded  a 
few  yards,  than  he  obtained  a  view  of  both 
the  lions,  sleeping,  —  having,  no  doubt, 
stuffed  themselves  to  repletion  by  the  last 
night's  food. 

Unwilling  to  let  so  good  an  opportunity  of 
taking  aim  bo  lost,  he  immediately  levelled 
his  piece  at  the  nearest  of  the  pair,  and  shot 
it  through  the  head.  The  report,  however, 
roused  the  other  lion,  who,  with  the  quick- 
ness of  lightning,  dashed  towards  the  open- 
ing, and  before  the  captain  could  make  his 
retreat,  had  brought  him  to  the  ground  with 
a  blow  of  his  gigantic  paw,  and  stood  over 
him  in  the  exulting  attitude  in  which  you 
see  him  in  the  picture. 

The  blacks,  poor  fellows,  being  deficient 
in  English  courage,  immediately  ran  off  as 
fast  as  their  legs  would  carry  them.  One, 
with  inconceivable  agility,  mounted  to  the 
top  of  one  of  the  highest  trees,  among  the 
smaller  boughs,  which  a  lion  is  always  un- 
able to  reach.  The  others  were  not  heard 
of.  till  the  party  reached  the  fort.  The 
Scotch  fusileers,  instead  of  running  away, 
opened  a  volley  upon  the  lion.  Two  or  three 
balls  struck  him  in  the  head,  and  one  in  the 
side  ;  when,  uttering  a  tremendous  roar,  he 
endeavored  to  dash  towards  them,  but  fell, 
from  exhaustion, over  the  captain,  who, "being 
very  nimble,  and  observing  the  condition  of 
the  lion,  drew  one  of  his  pistols,  and  shot 
him  through  the  heart. 

Such  was  the  end  of  the  lion-hunt ;  for, 
upon  the  party  entering  the  cave,  they  found 
the  lioness  stretched  and  lifeless,  —  the  ball 
first  fired  by  the  captain  having  penetrated 
her  skull.  But  what  was  quite  unexpected, 
there  lay  two  fine  cubs,  not  more  than  a 
fortnight  old,  under  their  mother. 

These  cubs  were  sent  by  the  captain  to 
Europe,  by  the  first  conve)'ance.  They 
were  brought  up  like  dogs,  and  taught  to 
perform  a  variety  of  tricks.  At  last,  a 
Frenchman  purchased  them,  and  gave  them 


ARTESIAN    WELLS. 


M 

295 


further  training,  so  that  they  became  per- 
fectly obedient  to  him.  He  taught  them  to 
,  defend  him  against  his  pretended  enemies, 
:|  on  the  stage.  Upon  one,  Syphax,  he  was 
seen  as  sleeping;  and  with  the  other,  Juba, 
he  engaged  in  a  mock  combat,  defending 
himself  with  a  wooden  spear;  while  the 
lion  appeared  to  resist  his  ctlbrts,  growling 
and  showing  his  teeth,  until  at  length  he 
permitted  himself  to  be  overcome,  and  was 
seen  lying  at  the  feet  of  his  master. 

In  our  own  days.  Monsieur  Van  Amburgh 
has  exhibited  trained  lions,  performing  a 
number  of  tricks,  clearly  proving  that  even 
lions  can  be  taught. 


Artesian  wells,  so  called  from  the  idea 
that  they  were  first  constructed  at  Artois, 
a  province  of  France,  arc  perpendicular 
horings  into  the  ground,  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  water. 

There  arc  two  principal  conditions  neces- 
sary for  the  formation  of  a  well  of  this  kind  ; 
first,  the  existence  of  a  pervious  stratum,  or 
one  tiirough  which  water  may  pass,  or  pcr- 
o/a/c,  placed  between  two  impervious  strata, 
such  as  clay  or  rock.  The  rain,  falling 
upon  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  meeting 
with  the  edge  of  one  of  these  soft  strata, 
!  sinks  into  it,  and  follows  its  course  to  its 
lowest  point.  Here  it  collects,  and  remains 
shut  up  between  the  impervious  strata, 
without  diminishing  in  (piantity,  owing  to 
the  impossibility  of  evaporation.     Now,  as 


water  always  seeks  its  point  of  equilibrium, 
(that  is,  seeks  to  be  as  high  at  one  spot 
as  at  another,)  it  is  obvious  that  it  would 
rise,  in  a  perforation  made  into  the  stratum 
where  it  has  collected,  to  a  position  on  a 
level  with  the  ground  where  it  had  first 
begun  to  sink.  If  the  top  of  the  well  is 
higher  than  the  source  of  the  water,  the 
water  will  not  reach  it;  if  even  with  it,  the 
water  will  flow  exactly  to  the  top  ;  if  it  is 
lower,  the  water  will  be  projected  over  the 
top,  in  the  manner  of  a  fountain. 

The  diameter  of  the  boring  in  the  Artesian 
wells  is  seldom  more  than  six  inches  —  a 
width  which  is  amply  suilicient  to  aflord  a 
supply  of  six  hundred  thousand  gallons  an 
hour.  In  some  instances,  the  iron  pipe  by 
which  the  water  is  brought  to  the  surface  is 
carried  to  a  height  nearly  on  a  level  with 
the  source  of  supply.  This  is  the  case  with 
the  celebrated  Artesian  well  at  Crenelle,  near 
Paris.  The  annexed  cut  is  made  to  rep- 
resent this  pipe  as  it  rises  from  the  ground, 
and  the  scaflblding  by  which  it  is  supported. 
At  present,  the  water  flows  into  a  circular 
iron  reservoir  at  the  top  of  the  scaffold,  and 
is  thence  conveyed,  by  another  pipe,  to  the 
ground.  It  is  of  good  quality,  and  is  well 
adapted  to  culinary  and  domestic  pur))oses. 
There  is  no  fear  of  the  supply  proving  Jc- 
£cient,  as  it  is  derived  from  the  infillration 
of  a  surface  of  country  nearly  two  hundred 
miles  in  diameter.  This  well  is  ISOO  feet 
deep,  or  about  a  third  of  a  mile,  and  re- 
quired, in  its  completion,  eight  years  of  in- 
cessant labor.  The  boring  was  made  by  a 
drill ;  then  the  iron  tube,  which  was  sunk 
as  fast  as  the  hole  was  made  to  receive  it. 

During  the  boring  of  the  well,  it  was 
observed  that,  at  a  depth  of  1300  feet,  the 
water  was  of  tlie  temperature  of  74";  at 
a  depth  of  16  "iO  feet,  tlie  thermometer  rose 
to  79'^;  and  when  the  perforation  was  com- 
pleted, it  stood  two  degrees  higher.  The 
iact,  that  water  increases  in  temperature  — 
grows  warmer  —  as  we  descend  ilito  the 
earth,  is  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the 
interior  heat  of  the  earth.  In  view  of  this 
fact,  and  the  observations  made  upon  it,  the 
inhabitants  of  Grenelle  afterwards  regretted 
that  it  had  not  been  necessary  to  descend  to 
the  depth  of  3000  feet,  as  the  water  would 
then  have  been  at  the  temperature  of  104", 
and  immediately  applicable  to  hot-bat!iing 
establishments,  and  the  many  uses  to  which 
warm  water  may  be  put. 

Artesian  wells  have  been  sunk  in  various 
places  in  Europe  and  in  this  country.  In 
London  there  is  one  SOO  feet  deep,  but  those 
in  America  are  not  of  very  great  depth. 


^^& 


FRANCIA,   THE   DICTATOR. 


This  singular  individual,  named  Jose 
5  Gaspar  Rodriguez  Francia,  was  born  near 
}  Assumpcion,  in  Paraguay,  in  the  year 
\  1757.  His  father  was  either  a  French- 
5   man  or   a  Portuguese,  and    liis    mother  a 

<  Paraguay  Creole.  He  was  one  of  several 
I  children.  At  the  university  of  Cordova,  in 
5   Tuouman,  he  received  such  an  education 

<  as  a  classical  seminary  in  the  interior  of 
I  South  America  could  furnish.  Being  a 
5  person  of  a  shrewd,  saturnine  disposition, 
'.   and  retired,  studious  habits,  he   contrived, 

>  by  close  application,  to  acquire  a  degree  of 
«   knowledge  seldom  placed  within  the  reach 

>  (jf  a  student  whose  pursuits  were  watched 

<  by  the  jealous  ecclesiastics  of  that  region. 
5  In  addition  to  the  branches  of  education 
{  common  in  the  university,  he  contrived  to 
5   acquire  some  knowledge  of  algebra,  geome- 

itry  and  Greek.  Having  prosecuted  his  stud- 
ies through  the  ordinary  term,  he  returned 
to  Paraguay,  and  entered  into  practice  as  a 


lawyer.*  His  professional  reputation,  in 
that  country  where  justice  was  regularly 
bought  and  sold,  was  not  only  unsullied  by 
venality, but  conspicuous  for  rectitude.  The 
following  anecdote  of  his  uprightness  has 
been  related  by  a  writer  no  way  disposed 
to  be  unduly  partial  to  the  subject  of  it. 

Francia  had  an  acquaintance  in  Assump- 
cion, of  the  name  of  Domingo  Rodriguez. 
This  man  had  cast  a  longing  eye  upon  a  cer- 
tain Naboth's  vineyard ;  and  this  Naboth, 
named  Estanislao  Machain,  was  Francia's 
open  enemy.  Rodriguez,  never  doubting 
that  the  young  advocate,  like  other  lawyers, 
would  undertake  an  unrighteous  cause  for  a 
suitable  reward,  went  to  him,  offered  a  liberal 
retaining  fee,  and  directed  him  to  institute 
a  suit  in  law,  for  the  recovery  of  the  estate 

*  As  he  also  studied  medicine,  it  is  supposed  that 
the  title  of  Dr.  was  derived  from  that  circumstance  ; 
though  it  seems  that  he  never  practised  in  the  medical 
profession. 


FRANCU,    THE    DICTATOR. 


297 


i 


in  question.  Francia  saw  at  once  that  tTie 
pretensions  were  founded  in  injustice  and 
fraud ;  and  he  not  only  refused  to  act  as  his 
counsel,  but  plainly  told  Rodriguez,  that, 
much  as  he  disliked  his  antagonist,  Jla- 
chain,  yet,  if  he  persisted  in  his  iniquitous 
suit,  he  would  himself  undertake  the  cause 
of  the  injured  party.  Covetousness,  how- 
ever, is  not  so  easily  driven  from  its  pur- 
pose. Rodriguez  persisted,  and,  as  he  was 
a  man  of  great  fortune,  the  suit  appeared 
to  be  going  aginst  Machain  and  his  estate. 
At  this  critical  stage  of  the  afl'air,  the  slave 
who  attended  the  door  of  the  luckless  Ma- 
chain, was  astonished,  one  evening,  to  see 
Francia  present  himself  before  it,  wrapped 
up  in  his  cloak.  Knowing  that  the  doctor 
and  his  master,  like  Montague  and  Capu- 
let,  were  "  smoke  in  each  other's  eyes,"  he 
refused  him  admittance,  and  ran  to  inform 
his  master  of  this  strange  and  unexpected 
visit.  Machain,  no  less  struck  by  the  cir- 
cumstance than  his  slave,  for  some  time 
hesitated,  but  at  length  determined  to  admit 
his  old  enemy.  In  walked  the  silent  visitor 
to  Machain's  chamber,  and  spread  the  pa- 
pers connected  with  the  law-case  upon  the 
table. 

"  Machain,"  said  Francia,  "  you  know  I 
am  your  enemy.  But  I  know  that  my 
friend  Rodriguez  meditates,  and  will  cer- 
tainly, unless  I  interfere,  carry  on  against 
you  an  act  of  gross  and  lawless  aggression. 
I  have  come  to  offer  my  services  in  your  de- 
fence." The  astonished  man  could  scarcely 
credit  his  senses  ;  but  he  poured  forth  his 
expressions  of  gratitude  in  terms  of  thank- 
ful acquiescence. 

Pleas,  it  would  appear,  are  made  in  that 
country  by  writing.  The  first  paper  sent 
into  couit  confounded  the  adverse  counsel, 
and  staggered  the  judge,  who  was  in  their 
interest.  '•  Jly  friend,"  said  that  function- 
ary to  the  leading  advocate  for  tiie  plaintilf, 
"  I  cannot  proceed  in  this  matter,  unless 
you  bribe  Dr.  Francia  to  be  silent."  "  I 
will  try,"  was  the  answer  ;  and  the  advo- 
cate went  to  him  with  a  hundred  doubloons. 
He  offered  them  as  a  bribe  to  Francia,  to  let 
the  matter  slip  ;  and  more  surely  to  gain 
his  consent,  he  advised  him  that  this  was 
done  at  the  suggestion  of  the  judge  himself. 

"  Leave  my  house,  with  your  vile  propo- 
sals and  contemptible  gold  !  "  was  the  indig- 
nant answer  ;  and  the  menial  tool  of  the 
unjust  judge  waited  for  no  further  dismissal. 
Francia,  putting  on  his  capote,  hurried  at 
once  to  tlie  residence  of  that  magistrate. 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  after  mentioning  the  attempt 
to  bribe  him,  "you  are  a  disgrace  to  law, 


and  a  blot  upon  justice.  You  are,  moreover, 
completely  in  my  power;  and,  unless  to- 
morrow you  pronounce  a  decision  in  favor 
of  my  client,  I  will  make  your  seat  upon 
the  bench  too  hot  for  you  ;  ind  the  insignia 
of  your  judicial  office  shal.  become  the  em- 
blems of  your  shame."  The  morrow  did  not 
fail  to  bring  a  decision  in  favor  of  Francia's 
client.  The  judge  lost  his  character,  and 
the  young  doctor's  fame  resounded  far  and 
wide. 

His  uncommon  reputation  for  integrity, 
a  more  than  common  acutencss  and  learning' 
in  his  profession,  profound  knowledge  of 
the  foibles  and  peculiarities  of  his  country- 
men, together  with  his  fame  for  a  myste- 
rious familiarity  with  the  occult  sciences, 
soon  caused  Dr.  Francia  to  be  regarded  as 
a  most  remarkable  personage.  In  the  de- 
plorable state  of  ignorance  then  existing  in 
South  America,  it  was  a  wonderful  faculty 
that  enabled  a  man  to  multiply  and  subtract 
the  letters  of  the  alphabet ;  to  read  a  lan- 
guage written  in  strange  characters ;  to 
measure  an  angle,  and  ascertain  the  height 
of  a  mountain  with  a  theodolite.  Fmncia, 
celebrated  for  universal  knowledge,  stood 
upon  high  vantage-ground,  and  in  a  great 
j)ublic  exigence  could  not  fail  to  be  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  individuals  destined  to 
take  the  lead  in  public  affairs. 

When  the  province  of  La  Plata  revolted 
from  Spain,  the  people  of  Paraguay  refused 
to  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  former 
government ;  in  consequence  of  which  an 
army  was  sent  from  Buenos  Ayres,  in  ISIO, 
under  Gen.  Belgrano,  to  reduce  Paraguay. 
He  was  defeated  and  driven  back.  The 
next  year  a  revolutionary  government  was 
established,  and  Francia,  who  had  previous- 
ly been  in  public  olTice  as  a  member  of  the 
municipal  council  and  mayor  of  the  capital, 
Assumpcion,  was  appointed  secretary  of  the 
congress.  Everything  was  in  confusion  ; 
the  army,  as  is  usual  on  such  occasions, 
seemed  inclined  to  take  the  lead,  and  for 
some  time,  faction  and  terror  alone  prevail- 
ed ;  but  Francia,  at  this  critical  moment, 
obtained  an  ascendency  which  he  never 
afterwards  lost.  His  superior  talents,  ad- 
dress, and  information  were  continually  in 
requisition,  and  made  him  indispensable  on 
all  occasions.  Nothing  of  any  importance 
could  be  transacted  without  him.  The 
members  of  the  congress  were  entirely  in- 
experienced in  political  matters,  and  grossly 
illiterate.  Such  a  body  attempted  to  found 
a  republic,  and  we  are  told  that  their  con- 
stitution was  compiled  from  passages  in 
RoUin's  Ancient  History  ! 


38 


i  298 


FRANCIA,    THE    DICTATOR. 


The  business  proceeded  with  small  sue- ' 
cess  under  such  auspices.  Intrigues,  cabals 
and  factions  disgusted  Francia  to  such  a 
degree  that  he  resigned  his  office,  and  re- 
tired to  his  country-seat.  The  reader  may- 
wish  for  a  picture  of  so  remarkable  a  man 
as  this  Dionysius  of  the  western  world,  and 
we  will  copy  the  following  description  of 
him  at  the  period  of  his  retirement.  It  is 
drawn  by  an  English  merchant,  who  resided 
in  Paraguay  at  that  time. 

"  On  one  of  those  lovely  evenings  in 
Paraguay,  after  the  south-west  wind  had 
both  cleared  and  cooled  the  air,  I  was 
drawn,  in  my  pursuit  of  game,  into  a  peace- 
ful valley,  remarkable  for  its  combination 
of  all  the  striking  features  of  the  scenery 
of  the  country.  Suddenly  I  came  upon  a 
neat  and  unpretending  cottage.  Up  rose  a 
partridge  ;  I  fired,  and  a  bird  came  to  the 
ground.  A  voice  from  behind  called  out, 
'Buen  tiro'  —  'a  good  shot.'  I  turned 
round,  and  beheld  a  gentleman  of  about 
fifty  years  of  age,  dressed  in  a  suit  of  black, 
with  a  large  scarlet  capote,  or  cloak,  thrown 
over  his  shoulders.  He  had  a  ?«aic-cup  in 
one  hand,  a  cigar  in  the  other  ;  and  a  little 
urchin  of  a  negro,  with  his  arms  crossed, 
was  in  attendance  by  the  gentleman's  side. 
The  stranger's  countenance  was  dark,  and 
his  black  eyes  were  very  penetrating ;  while 
his  jet  hair,  combed  back  from  a  bold  fore- 
head, and  hanging  in  natural  ringlets  over 
his  shoulders,  gave  him  a  dignified  and 
striking  air.  He  wore  on  his  shoes  large 
golden  buckles,  and  at  the  knees  of  his 
breeches  the  same. 

"  In  exercise  of  the  primitive  and  simple 
hospitality  common  in  the  country,  I  was 
invited  to  sit  down  under  the  corridor,  and 
to  take  a  cigar  and  mate,  or  cup  of  Para- 
guay tea.  A  celestial  globe,  a  large  tele- 
scope, and  a  theodolite  were  under  the  little 
portico  ;  and  I  immediately  inferred  tliat 
the  personage  before  me  was  no  other  than 
Doctor  Francia.  He  introduced  me  to  his 
library,  in  a  confined  room,  with  a  very 
small  window,  and  that  so  shaded  by  the 
roof  of  the  corridor,  as  to  admit  the  least 
portion  of  light  necessary  for  study.  The 
library  was  arranged  on  three  rows  of 
shelves,  extending  across  the  room,  and 
might  have  consisted  of  three  hundred  vol- 
umes. There  were  many  ponderous  books 
on  law  ;  a  few  on  the  inductive  sciences  ; 
some  in  French,  and  some  .in  Latin,  upon 
subjects  of  general  literature,  with  Euclid's 
Elements,  and  some  schoolboy  treatises  on 
algebra.  On  a  large  table  were  severa 
heaps  of  law  papers  and  processes.     Sev- 


eral folios,  bound  in  vellum,  were  outspread 
upon  it.  A  lighted  candle,  though  placed 
there  solely  to  light  cigars,  lent  its  feeble 
aid  to  illumine  the  room  ;  while  a  mate-cn^ 
and  inkstand,  both  of  silver,  stood  on  another 
part  of  the  table.  There  was  neither  carpet 
nor  mat  on  the  bri(  k  floor  ;  and  the  chairs 
were  of  such  ancient  fashion,  size,  and 
weight,  that  it  required  a  considerable  effort 
to  move  them  from  one  spot  to  another." 

Francia's  withdrawal  left  the  government 
without  an  efficient  adviser.  Embarrass- 
ments multiplied,  and  a  second  congress 
was  convened  ;  "  such  a  congress,"  we 
are  told,  "  as  never  met  before  in  the 
world ;  a  congress  which  knew  not  its  right 
hand  from  its  left ;  which  drank  infinite 
rum  in  the  taverns,  and  had  one  wish,  — 
that  of  getting  on  horseback  home  to  its 
field-husbandrv  and  partridge-shooting!" 
Such  men,  and  we  need  not  wonder,  could 
not  govern  Paraguay.  Francia  was  called 
from  his  retirement,  and  a  new  constitution 
was  formed,  with  two  chief  magistrates, 
called  consuls.  Francia  and  a  colleague 
were  appointed  to  these  offices  for  one  year; 
each  in  supreme  command  for  four  months 
at  a  time  ;'  but  as  the  former  took  the  prece- 
dence, he  had  two  thirds  of  the  year  for  bl- 
own term  of  authority.  Two  carved  chairs 
were  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  consuls,  one 
inscribed  with  the  name  of  Casar,  and  the 
other  with  that  of  Pompey.  It  is  needless 
to  say  which  of  the  consuls  took  possession 
of  the  former.  By  consummate  address 
and  management,  and  by  the  influence 
which  he  had  obtained  over  the  troops, 
Francia  got  rid  of  his  colleague  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  in  1814,  and  was  proclaimed 
dictator  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time,  he  found  no  difficulty  in  assum- 
ing the  dictatorship  for  life.  From  the  mo- 
ment that  he  felt  his  footing  firm,  and  his 
authority  quietly  submitted  to,  his  whole 
character  seemed  to  undergo  a  remarkable 
change.  Without  faltering  or  hesitation, 
without  a  pause  of  human  weakness,  he 
proceeded  to  frame  the  boldest  and  most 
extraordinary  system  of  despotism  that  was 
ever  the  work  of  a  single  individual.  He 
assumed  the  whole  pov.^er,  legislative  and 
executive;  the  people  had  but  one  privilege 
and  one  duty,  —  that  of  obedience.  All 
was  done  rapidlj',  boldly,  unreservedly,  and 
powerfully ;  he  well  knew  the  character  of 
the  people  at  whose  head  he  had  placed 
himself,  and  who,  strange  to  say,  once 
thought  themselves  possessed  of  energy  ar  d 
virtue  enough  for  a  republic. 

The  army,  of  course,  was  his  chief  in- 


FRANCIA,    THE    DICTATOR. 


299 


strument  of  power.  It  consisted  of  five 
thousand  regular  troops,  and  twenty  thou- 
oand  militia.  He  took  care  to  secure  their 
most  devoted  attachment,  and  it  does  not 
appL^ar  that  during  his  whole  career  of  des- 
potism the  smallest  symptom  of  disaffection 
was  ever  manifested  in  their  ranks.  Fran- 
cia,  at  the  time  of  his  accession  to  the 
supreme  authority,  was  past  the  age  when 
any  dormant  vice,  save  that  of  avarice,  is 
likely  to  spring  up  in  the  character.  He 
was  not  dazzled  with  the  pomp  and  cir- 
cumstance of  exalted  rank,  nor  even  by  that 
nobler  weakness,  the  desire  of  fame ;  for  he 
took  no  pains  to  make  an  ostentatious  dis- 
play of  his  power,  or  spread  his  reputation 
among  foreign  nations,  or  hand  his  name 
down  to  posterity.  On  the  contrary,  he 
carefully  shrouded  himself,  and,  as  far  as 
possible,  his  dominions,  in  haughty  seclu- 
sion. His  ruling,  or  rather  his  absorbing 
passion,  was  a  love  of  power,  and  of  power 
for  itself  alone.  It  was  with  him  a  pure, 
abstracted  principle,  free  from  desire  of  the 
splendor  which  usually  surrounds  it,  of  the 
wealth  which  usually  supports  it,  and  of 
the  fame  which  usually  succeeds  it. 

The  most  remarkable  feature  in  his  ad- 
ministration was  the  perfect  isolation  in 
which  he  placed  the  country.  Intercourse 
with  foreign  nations  was  absolutely  inter- 
dicted. Commerce  was  at  an  end.  The 
ships  lay  high  and  dry,  their  pitchless 
scams  j'awning,  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers, 
and  no  man  could  trade  but  by  the  Dicta- 
tor's license.  No  man  could  leave  Paraguay 
on  any  protc.vt  whatever,  and  it  became  as 
hermetically  sealed  ag-ainst  the  escape  of 
its  inhabitants  as  the  "  Happy  Valley  "  of 
Abyssinia.  In  this  restrictive  policy  he 
was  assisted  by  the  peculiar  geographical 
features  of  the  country.  Paraguay,  in  the 
midst  of  an  immense  and  thiidy-peopled 
continent,  stood  alone  and  impenetrable ; 
its  large  rivers,  wide  forests  and  morasses, 
render  travelling  dillicult  and  hazardous. 
Any  one  attempting  to  cross  the  frontiers 
must  encounter  the  danger  of  losing  him- 
self in  the  wilderness,  of  being  destroyed 
by  those  immense  and  terrible  conflagrations 
to  which  the  thick  woods  are  subject,  of 
excessive  fatigue  and  exposure,  of  starvation, 
and  of  attacks  from  venomous  reptiles,  wild 
beasts  and  savages.  The  only  possibility 
of  escape  is  during  the  time  that  the  river 
Paraguay  overflows  the  surrounding  plains  ; 
it  is  then  barely  practicalile.  A  French- 
man, with  five  negroes,  made  the  attempt 
in  1S03.  One  of  them  died  of  fatigue, 
another  by  the  bite  of  a  snake.     At  one 


time  they  were  surrounded  by  the  burning 
woods  ;  and  at  another  were  involved  in  an 
immense  glade  in  the  midst  of  a  forest, 
where  they  wanderel  about  for  fifteen  days 
in  search  of  an  outlet,  and  were  finally 
obliged  to  return  by  the  opening  through 
which  they  escaped.  Being  at  last  so  re- 
duced by  fatigue  and  famine  that  they  were 
unable  to  resist  a  single  man,  they  were  re- 
captured by  a  sergeant  of  militia. 

But  Francia's  tyranny  was  not  without 
signal  benefits  to  the  country.  The  land 
had  peace,  while  all  the  rest  of  Spanish 
America  was  plunged  into  frightful  anr.rcby, 
raging  and  ravening  like  a  huge  dog-kennel 
gone  mad.  Paraguaj'  was  domineered  over 
by  a  tyrant,  but  Peru  and  Mexico,  Chili  and 
Guatimala,  suflered  the  oppression  of  forty 
tyrants.  Francia's  soldiers  were  kept  well 
drilled  and  in  strict  subordination,  always 
ready  to  march  where  the  wild  Indians 
or  other  enemies  made  their  appearance. 
Guard-houses  were  established  at  short 
distances  along  the  rivers,  and  around  the 
dangerous  frontiers  ;  and  wherever  an  In- 
dian cavalry  horde  showed  itself,  an  alarm- 
cannon  announced  the  danger;  the  military 
hastened  to  the  spot,  and  the  savage  ma- 
rauders vanished  into  the  heart  of  the  des- 
erts. A  great  improvement,  too,  was  visible 
in  other  quarters.  The  finances  were  ac- 
curately and  frugally  administered.  There 
were  no  sinecures  in  the  government ;  every 
olTicial  person  was  compelled  to  do  his 
work.  Strict  justice  between  man  and  man 
was  enforced  in  the  courts  of  law.  The 
affair  of  Naboth's  vineyard  could  not  have 
occurred  under  the  Dictator's  rule  He 
himself  would  accept  no  gift,  not  even  the 
smallest  trifle.  He  introduced  schools  of 
various  sorts,  promoted  education  by  all  the 
means  in  his  power,  and  repressed  super- 
stition as  far  as  it  could  be  done  among 
such  a  j)eople.  He  promoted  agriculture  in 
a  singular  manner,  not  merely  making  two 
blades  of  grass  grow  where  one  grew  before, 
but  two  crops  of  corn  in  a  season.  In  the 
year  1S20,  a  cloud  of  locusts  devastated 
the  whole  country,  and  the  prospect  of  uni- 
versal famine  threatened  the  land.  The 
summer  was  at  an  end,  and  there  was  no 
foreign  commerce  by  which  supplies  might 
be  obtained  from  abroad.  Francia  hit  upon 
an  expedient,  such  as  had  never  entered  into 
the  contemplation  of  any  man  in  Paraguay 
before.  He  issued  a  peremptory  command, 
ordering,  under  a  severe  penaltj',  that  the 
fanners  throughout  the  countrj'  should  sow 
their  lands  anew.  The  result  was,  that  a 
second  crop  was  produced,  and  the  people 


300 


FKANCIA,    THE    DICTATOR. 


were  amazed  with  the  important  discovery 
that  two  harvests  were,  every  year,  possible 
ill  Paraguay.  Agriculture  made  immense 
progress  ;  the  cultivation  of  many  articles, 
before  unknown  in  the  country,  was  now 
successfully  introduced,  and,  among  others, 
rice  and  cotton.  Manufactures  kept  pace 
with  agriculture,  and  the  clothing  of  the 
people,  which  had  previously,  for  the  most 
part,  been  imported  ready  made,  at  a  great 
expense,  was  now  entirely  produced  at  home. 

The  city  of  Assumpcion  was  an  as- 
semblage of  narrow,  crooked,  irregular 
streets,  interspersed  with  trees,  gardens, 
and  clumps  of  tropical  vegetation.  It  had 
no  pavements,  and,  standing  on  a  slope  of 
ground,  the  sandy  thoroughfare  was  torn 
by  the  rain  into  gullies,  impassable,  except 
by  taking  long  leaps.  Numerous  springs 
issued  from  the  soil  in  every  part  of  the 
city,  and  formed  streams,  or  stagnated  into 
pools,  where  every  species  of  filth  became 
deposited.  Francia  determined  on  having  it 
remodeled,  paved,  and  straightened.  The 
inhabitants  were  ordered  to  pull  down  their 
houses,  and  build  them  anew.  The  cost  to 
private  purses  was  great,  and  caused  infinite 
grumbling  ;  but  Assumpcion  is  now  an  im- 
proved, paved  city,  and  possesses  convenient 
thoroughfares. 

Francia's  method  of  dealing  with  his 
subjects  is  well  illustrated  by  the  following 
anecdote.  One  afternoon,  a  shoemaker 
brought  him  a  couple  of  grenadier's  belts, 
which  he  had  been  ordered  to  make.  The 
Dictator  did  not  like  the  work.  "  Senti- 
nel !"  cried  he  ;  and  in  came  the  sentinel, 
when  the  subjoined  conversation  took  place. 

Dictator.  Take  this  lazy  whelp  to  the 
gallows,  over  the  way,  and  march  him 
under  it  half  a  dozen  times.  Now,  (turn- 
ing to  the  trembling  shoemaker,)  bring  me 
such  another  pair  of  belts,  and  instead  of 
walking  under  the  gallows,  we  shall  try 
how  you  can  swmg  upon  it. 

Shoemaker.  Please  your  excellency,  I 
have  done  my  best. 

Dictator.  Well,  lazybones,  if  this  be 
your  best,  I  shall  do  my  best  to  see  that 
you  never  again  spoil  any  more  of  the 
state's  leather.  The  belts  are  good  for 
nothing  but  to  hang  you  up  on  that  little 
machine  which  the  grenadier  will  show  you. 

Shoemaker.  God  bless  your  excellency  ! 
The  Lord  forbid  !  I  am  your  vassal,  your 
slave.  Day  and  night  have  I  served,  and 
will  continue  to  serve,  my  lord.  Only  give 
me  two  more  days  to  prepare  the  belts, 
and,  by  the  soul  of  a  sorrowful  cobbler,  I 
will  make  them  to  your  excellency's  liking. 


Dictator.  Off  with  him,  sentinel ' 
Senti?iel.  March,  lazyboi^es  ! 
Slioemaker.  Most  excellent  sir,  this  very 
night,  I  will  make  the  belts  according  to 
your  excellency's  pattern. 

Dictator.  Well,  I  will  give  you  till  morn- 
ing ;  but  you  must  pass  under  the  gallows  ; 
it  is  a  salutary  process,  and  may  at  once 
quicken  the  work,  and  improve  the  work- 
manship. 

Sentinel.  March,  you  lazy  dog  !  the  su- 
preme commands  it. 

The  poor  cobbler  was  marched  off,  and, 
after  being  compelled  to  take  half  a  dozen 
turns  under  the  gibbet,  he  fell  to  work  with 
all  his  might.  On  the  following  morning, 
he  had  produced  a  pair  of  belts  without  a 
parallel  in  South  America  ;  and  he  is  now, 
if  still  alive,  belt-maker  general  of  Para- 
guay, a  most  thriving  and  driving  man,  ; 
who  must  thank  the  gallows  for  putting 
him  at  the  top  of  his  profession. 

The  stern  temper  and  arbitrarj'  political 
system  of  Francia  led  him  to  acts  which 
could  not  fail  of  being  denounced  as  the 
wanton  excesses  of  a  sanguinary  disposition. 
He  put  to  death  upwards  of  forty  persons, 
as  we  are  assured  by  a  traveller,  who  utters 
the  bitterest  denunciations  against  him. 
He  had  frightful  prisons,  and  banished  dis- 
orderly persons  to  a  desolate  spot  in  the 
wilderness.  How  far  his  executions  were 
wanton  and  unjustifiable,  we  have  not  suf- 
ficient means  of  judging.  In  the  early  part 
of  his  career,  a  plot  was  formed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  taking  his  life  ;  it  was  discovered, 
and  e.xecutions  followed  ;  after  which  we 
hear  nothing  more  of  these  sanguinary 
deeds.  His  enemy,  the  bandit  chieftain 
Artigas,  had  done  a  great  deal  of  injury  to 
Paraguay,  and  had  incensed  him  further  by 
fomenting  revolts  among  his  Indians.  Yet, 
when  one  of  this  chieftain's  lieutenants  re- 
belled against  him,  and  forced  him  to  retreat 
with  the  wreck  of  his  army,  Artigas  tlirew 
himself  on  the  mercy  of  the  Dictator,  and 
was  treated  with  clemency.  He  suffered 
him  to  reside  in  Paraguay,  assigned  him 
a  house  and  lands,  with  a  pension,  and  or- 
dered the  governor  of  the  district  to  furnish 
him  besides  with  whatever  accommodations 
he  desired,  and  to  treat  him  with  respect. 

The  Dictator's  treatment  of  the  foreigners 
who  found  their  way  into  his  dominions,  \ 
was  most  rigorous  and  unjust,  and  has  5 
contributed  more  than  any  other  cause  { 
to  blacken  his  character  among  strangers.  < 
Paraguay  was  a  sort  of  mouse-trap,  easy  | 
enough  to  get  into,  but  very  difficult  to  get  \ 
out  of.     M.  Bonpland,  the  fellow-traveller  ^ 


tl 


FRANCIA,    THE    DICTATOR. 


301 


i 


of  Humboldt,  and  two  Swiss  naturalists, 
wpndcring  into  Francia's  domains,  were 
detained  there  many  years.  Sometimes, 
by  special  permission,  an  individual  was 
allowed  to  leave  the  country,  but  these  in- 
stances were  rare.  The  foreigners  detained 
were  informed  that  they  might  pursue  what 
avocations  they  pleased,  provided  they  did 
not  interfere  with  the  government. 

The  father  of  Francia  was  a  man  of  very 
eccentric  habits  ;  his  brothers  and  one  of 
his  sisters  were  lunatics,  and  the  Dictator 
himself  was  subject  to  fits  of  hypochondria, 
wliich  seem  occasionally  to  have  afl'ected 
his  intellect.  When  under  such  influences, 
he  would  shut  himself  up  for  several  days. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  being  oflcndcd 
at  tlie  idle  crowds  gazing  about  the  govern- 
ment-house, he  gave  the  following  order  to 
a  sentinel.  —  "If  any  person  presumes  to 
stop  and  stare  at  my  house,  fire  at  him ; 
if  you  miss  him,  this  is  for  a  second  shot, 
(handing  him  another  musket  loaded  with 
ball ;)  if  you  miss  again,  I  shall  take  care  not 
to  miss  you!"  This  order  being  quickly 
made  known  throughout  the  city,  the  in- 
habitants carefully  avoided  passing  near  the 
house,  or,  if  their  business  led  them  that 
way,  they  hurried  on  witii  their  eyes  fixed 
on  the  ground.  After  some  weeks,  an  In- 
dian, who  knew  nothing  of  the  Spanish 
language,  stopped  to  gaze  at  the  house, 
and  was  ordered  to  move  on,  but  still  con- 
tinued to  loiter.  The  sentinel  fired,  and 
missed  him.  Francia,  hearing  the  report, 
was  alarmed,  and  summoned  the  sentinel. 
"  What  news,  friend  ?"  On  being  told  the 
cause,  he  declared  that  he  did  not  recollect 
having  given  such  an  order,  and  imme- 
diately revoked  it. 

The  domestic  establishment  of  the  Dicta- 
tor of  Paraguay  consisted  of  four  slaves, 
three  of  them  mulattoes,  and  the  fourth  a 
negro,  whom  ho  treated  with  great  mild- 
ness. He  led  a  very  regular  life,  and  com- 
monly rose  with  the  sun.  As  soon  as  ho 
was  dressed,  the  negro  brought  him  a  chaf- 
ing-dish, a  kettle,  and  a  pitcher  of  water. 
The  Dictator  made  his  own  tea  ;  and  after 
drinking  it,  he  took  a  walk  under  the  col- 
onnade fronting  upon  the  court,  smoking  a 
cigar,  which  he  always  took  care  previously 
to  unroll,  in  order  to  ascertain  that  it  con- 
tained no  poison  ;  although  his  cigars  were 
always  made  by  his  sister.  At  si.x  o'clock 
came  the  barber,  an  imwashed  and  ragged 
mulatto,  given  to  drink,  but  the  Dictator's 
only  confidential  menial.  If  his  excellency 
happened  to  be  in  good  humor,  he  chatted 
over  the  soap-dish,  and  the  shaver  was  often 


intrusted  with  important  commissions  in  pre- 
paring the  public  for  the  Dictator's  projects  ; 
so  that  he  might  be  said  to  be  the  official 
gazette  of  Paraguay.  He  then  stepped  out, 
in  his  dressing-gown  of  printed  calico,  to 
the  outer  colonnade,  an  open  space  which 
ranged  all  around  the  building;  here  he 
walked  about,  receiving  at  the  same  time 
such  persons  as  he  admitted  to  an  audience 
About  seven,  he  withdrew  to  his  room, 
where  he  remained  till  nine.  The  officers 
then  came  to  make  their  reports,  and  re- 
ceive orders.  At  eleven,  his  chief  secretary 
brought  the  papers  which  required  inspec- 
tion by  him,  and  wrote  from  his  dictation 
till  noon.  He  then  sat  down  to  table,  and 
ate  a  frugal  dinner.  After  this,  he  took  a 
siesta,  drank  a  cup  of  ma/c,  and  smoked  a 
cigar.  Till  four  or  five  in  the  afternoon,  he 
again  attended  to  business  ;  the  escort  then 
arrived  to  attend  him,  and  he  rode  out  to 
inspect  the  public  works.  While  on  tliis 
duty,  he  was  armed  with  a  sabre  and  a  pair 
of  double-barrelled  pocket-pistols.  He  re- 
turned home  about  nightfall,  and  sat  down 
to  study  till  nine,  when  he  took  his  supper, 
consisting  of  a  roast  pigeon  and  a  glass  of 
wine.  In  fine  weather,  he  took  an  evening 
walk  in  the  outer  colonnade.  At  ten,  he  ; 
gave  the  watchword,  and,  returning  into 
the  house,  he  fastened  all  the  doors  with 
his  own  hands. 

Though  possessing  unlimited  sway  over 
the  finances  of  the  state,  he  made  no  at- 
tempt to  enrich  himself,  and  his  small  sakiry 
was  always  in  arrears  to  him.  His  two 
nephews,  who  were  officers  in  the  arjny, 
were  dismissed,  lest  they  should  presume 
upon  their  relationship.  He  banislied  his 
sister  from  his  house,  because  she  had  em- 
ployed a  grenadier,  one  of  the  soldiers  of 
the  state,  on  some  errand  of  her  own.  He 
was  a  devoted  admirer  of  Napoleon,  whose 
downfall  he  always  deplored.  The  Swiss 
traveller,  Rengger,  who,  after  a  long  deten- 
tion, was  permitted  to  depart,  left  behind 
him  a  print  of  the  French  emperor.  Fran- 
cia sent  an  e.\press  after  him,  inquiring  the 
price  of  it.  Rengger  sent  him  for  answer, 
that  the  print  was  at  his  excellency's  ser- 
vice,—  he  did  not  -sell  such  trifles.  The 
Dictator  immediately  despatched  the  i)rint 
after  him;  —  he  would  receive  no  gifts. 
There  seems  to  have  originally  existed  in 
him  somewhat  of  that  simple  and  severe 
virtue,  which  is  more  characteristic  of  a 
stern  republican  than  of  a  sanguinar\'  ty- 
rant. He  has  left  one  witticism  upon  record, 
which  we  will  subjoin,  as  it  is  much  in 
character.     Rengger.  who  was  a  surgeon, 


302 


AN    INDIAN   GIANT. 


was  about  to  dissect  a  body.  "  Doctor," 
said  the  Dictator,  "examine  the  neck,  and 
see  whether  the  Paraguayans  have  not  an 
extra  bone  there,  which  hinders  them  from 
holding  up  their  heads,  and  speaking  out." 

In  the  accounts  which  were  written  of 
this  extraordinary  man  during  his  lifetime, 
he  has  been  represented  as  an  arbitrary  and 
cruel  oppressor,  universally  detested,  and 
whose  death,  inasmuch  as  he  had  made 
no  provision  for  the  continuance  of  the  gov- 
ernment, would  plunge  the  state  into  anar- 
chy and  ruin.  Both  these  representations 
have  been  completely  falsified  by  the  event. 
Francia  died  peaceably,  on  the  twentieth 
day  of  September,  1S40,  aged  eighty-three  ; 
the  people  crowding  round  his  house  with 
much  emotion,  and  even,  as  we  are  assured, 
with  tears  of  anxiety  and  sympathy.  The 
funeral  discourse  pronounced  on  the  occa- 
sion surprised  the  world  ;  it  was  filled  with 
praises  of  the  deceased  Dictator,  whom  it 
represented  as  the  real  father  of  his  country. 

Enough  is  known  of  Dr.  Francia  to  as- 
sure us  that  he  was  a  most  remarkable  in- 
dividual ;  but  it  would  be  both  difficult  and 
unsafe  to  draw  his  character  with  confidence 
and  minuteness,  from  the  meagre  and  ques- 
tionable materials  which  we  possess  re- 
specting him.  That  he  was  a  man  of  iron 
integrity  in  a  country  where  corruption  and 
venality  were  almost  matters  of  course  with 
public  men  ;  that  he  spent  thirty  years  of 
his  life  in  toilsome  devotion  to  his  country ; 
that  he  was  above  the  vulgar  love  of  money, 
and  disdained  to  take  advantage  of  his  un- 
limited power  for  enriching  himself,  —  are 
all  incontrovertible  facts  ;  that  his  govern- 
ment was  also,  on  the  whole,  advantageous 
to  his  country,  is  not  to  be  denied.  But 
what  were  the  motives  Avhich  guided  his 
conduct?  Was  it  patriotism,  or  a  simple 
love  of  power  ?  Why  adopt  so  strange  a 
system  of  policy  —  that  of  interdicting  all 
intercourse  with  other  nations  ?  Was  it 
from  a  conviction  that  this  was  best  adapted 
to  the  condition  of  the  people,  or  that  it 
was  indispensable  to  the  preservation  of  his 
despotic  sway  ?  Why  enshroud  himself  in 
such  mysterious  isolation,  holding  as  little 
commerce  of  affection  and  sympathy  with 
his  fellow-men  as  of  trade  with  foreign  na- 
tions ?  These  are  questions  which  we  can- 
not easily  answer.  If  we  may  rely  upon 
the  scattered  glimpses  of  his  career  that 
have  been  presented  to  us,  we  should  ven- 
ture to  decide  that  the  main  elements  of 
his  character  consisted  of  stern  integrity 
and  devoted  patriotism  ;  blended,  however, 
with  natural  sternness  of  temper,  a  love  of 


power,  and  a  conviction  that  a  despotic 
government  was  best  suited  to  the  condition 
of  the  people.  His  singular  habits  were, 
probably,  the  result  of  native  eccentricity  ; 
his  exclusive  policy  was  doubtless  adopted 
for  the  double  motive  of  perpetuating  his 
authority,  and  ensuring  tranquillity  to  the 
country.  Of  the  vigor  of  his  mind  and 
energy  of  his  character,  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  That  he  should  have  created  and 
sustained,  for  thirty  years,  the  sternest  des- 
potism that  the  world  ever  witnessed,  in 
the  heart  of  a  continent  where  everj'thing 
besides  was  tending  to  the  dissolution  of 
tyrannical  power  and  the  establishment  of 
popular  institutions,  is  a  phenomenon  that 
may  well  e.xcite  the  curiosity  and  astonish- 
ment of  the  world.  We  may,  indeed,  sup- 
pose that  his  government  was  modelled 
after  that  of  the  Jesuits,  the  effects  of  which 
were  still  visible  in  his  time  ;  but  that  he 
should  have  been  able  to  assume  to  himself, 
and  e.xercise  for  so  long  a  period,  the  un- 
limited power  wielded  by  these  sagacious 
priests,  must  still  excite  our  surprise. 


AN   INDIAN   GIANT. 

In  May,  1792,  an  Indian,  named  Basiko 
Huyalas,  was  brought  from  the  city  of  lea 
to  Lima,  in  Peru,  where  he  was  e.xhibited, 
on  account  of  his  enormous  stature  and 
strange  appearance.  He  was  seven  fee 
two  inches  high  ;  his  head  and  upper  parts 
were  prodigious,  while  his  legs  were  com- 
paratively small.  He  weighed  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  pounds. 


TECUMSEH 


This  Indian  warrior  maybe  justly  ranked 
as  among  the  most  famous  of  the  race. 
H;  was  the  son  of  a  Shawanese  chief,  and 
was  one  of  three  children  produced  at  a 
sinsjle  birth.  These  all  became  famous,  but 
Tccumsch  and  Ellsliatawa,  or  the  Prophet, 
were  particularly  celebrated. 

Tccuniseh  was  distinguished  in  the  wars 
of  1792,  and  shared  in  the  battle  which 
caused  the  defeat  ef  St.  Clair.  In  1795, 
the  hatchet  was  laid  aside,  in  consequence 
of  a  treaty  of  peace.  For  several  years 
Ellslcatawa  had  given  himself  up  to  intoxi- 
cation ;  but  in  1S04  he  pretended  to  have  a 
vision,  in  which  he  had  a  revelation  from 
heaven  commanding  him  to  go  and  tell  the 
Indians  to  abandon  drunkenness,  lying,  and 
stealing,  if  they  desired  to  escape  destruc- 
tion. From  this  time,  he  took  up  the  name 
and  pretensions  of  a  prophet,  and  collected 
a  large  number  of  adherents.  It  is  curious 
that,  while  he  prescribed  a  reformation  of 
morals,  his  followers  were  the  most  abandon- 
ed rovers,  robbers,  and  adventurers,  which 
could  Ix;  found  among  the  western  tribes. 

The  prophet  soon   acquired   great  fame, 


and  was  visited  from  afar,  by  men,  women, 
and  children,  anxious  to  behold  so  remark- 
able a  man.  It  was  said  that  he  wrought 
miracles,  and  the  most  wonderful  works. 
The  true  secret  of  all  this  was  a  crafty  de- 
sign, on  the  part  of  Ellskatawa,  tc  collect  a 
large  body  of  Indians  together  at  Greene  ill?, 
where  he  had  established  himself,  doubtless 
with  a  desire  to  use  them  against  the  Uni- 
ted States.  The  government  penetrated  his 
secret ;  and  seeing  that  immense  numbers 
had  already  been  assembled,  they  required 
them  to  remove  further  west.  Accordingly, 
in  ISOS,  he  went,  with  all  his  followers,  and 
settled  down  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Wa- 
bash, near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Tippeca- 
noe. Here  he  continued  for  some  years, 
his  brother,  Tecumseh,  taking  the  lead  in 
all  affairs  of  a  public  nature.  This  chief 
appears  to  have  had  an  unconquerable  ha- 
tred to  the  Americans,  and  about  the  year 
ISIO  he  was  earnestly  engaged  in  bringing 
about  a  confederacy  among  all  the  western 
and  Canadian  tribes,  with  a  view  to  a  united 
effort  to  crush  our  settlements  in  that  quar- 
ter.   He  travelled  thousands  of  miles  in  the 


304 


ABYSSLNIA. 


course  of  his  vain  efforts,  and  appears,  like 
our  New  England  King  Philip,  of  earlier 
days,  to  have  exerted  every  art  of  intrigue 
and  oratory  to  inflame  the  Indians  to  join 
in  his  enterprise.  He  was  entirely  success- 
ful, and  the  result  of  his  stupendous  plan 
was  only  defeated  by  events  over  which 
Tecumseh  had  no  control. 

In  ISll,  the  Indians  began  to  murder  the 
white  setllers  along  the  borders  of  Indiana, 
Illinois,  and  Missouri  ;  and  Harrison,  then 
governor  in  that  quarter,  proceeded  with 
a  band  of  nine  hundred  men  into  the  In- 
dian country.  About  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber, ISll,  he  approached  the  settlement  of 
the  prophet.  Tecumseh  was  now  absent ; 
and  in  reply  to  a  message  from  Harrison, 
the  prophet  and  his  advisers  sent  an  inso- 
lent reply.  After  some  further  attempts  at 
negotiation,  finding  that  the  hope  of  peace 
was  vain,  the  American  general  advanced, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  thirtieth  of  Oc- 
tober the  famous  battle  of  Tippecanoe  was 


fought.  The  Indians  displayed  amazing 
skill  and  bravery,  while  their  prophet  sat 
on  a  hill  near  by,  singing  a  war-song.  But 
I  all  was  in  vain.  The  valor  and  discipline 
of  the  Americans  prevailed,  and  the  savages 
jwere  defeated  with  great  slaughter.  Their 
settlement  was  now  abandoned,  and  all 
the  gigantic  schemes  of  Tecumseh  weie 
frustrated. 

The  haughty  chief,  however,  could  not 
conquer  his  desire  of  revenge.  He  joined 
the  British  in  the  war  of  1812  ;  and  in  the 
battle  of  the  Moravian  Towns,  in  October. 
1813,  he  was  present,  heading  the  Indian 
forces  of  two  thousand  men.  He  and  they 
fought  desperately  ;  but  the  Kentucky  troops 
came  up,  and,  headed  by  Col.  Johnson, 
made  a  furious  attack  upon  them.  In  the 
heat  of  the  engagement  Tecumseh  was  shot 
dead,  and  his  savage  troops  fled  into  a 
neighboring  swamp.  Such  was  the  end  of 
the  bravest  and  most  talented  Indian  of 
modern  days. 


An  Abyssinian  of  Ihe  Gaila  Tribe. 

ABYSSINIA. 

Abyssinia  is  one  of  those  strange,  remote  I  In  the  first  place,  the  people,  though  na- 
countries,  the  very  name  of  which  excites  tives  of  Africa,  are  not  negroes,  nor  are 
an  emotion  of  curious  wonder.  Perhaps  no  they  Arabians.  They  are,  indeed,  a  pe- 
part  of  the  world  presents  a  more  singular  culiar  people,  divided  into  several  varieties, 
assemblage  of  objects.  Instead  of  possessing  the  easy  disposition    ; 


FALLS    OF    NUGAKA. 


«05 


and  mild  qualities  of  the  negroes,  they  are 
restless,  savafje,  and  brutal,  almost  beyond 
any  other  known  tribes  of  men.  The  Scotch 
traveller,  Bruce,  was  at  Gondar,  the  capital, 
and  he  tells  us  that  he  seldom  went  out 
without  seeing'  dead  bodies  lying  in  the 
streets,  left  to  be  devoured  by  the  dogs  and 
hyenas  !  Alvarez,  who  lived  there  some 
years,  says  he  was  invited  to  a  feast  where, 
among  the  dishes,  he  was  oflered  raw  flesh, 
with  warm  blood  !  We  are  told  that  the 
people  cut  the  flesh  from  the  cattle  while 
alive  ;  and  sometimes,  after  a  large  piece  has 
been  taken  out,  draw  the  skin  over  it,  and 
drive  tiie  bleeding  beast  along  on  its  way. 
Sometimes,  when  a  party  is  assembled  for 
a  feast,  and  are  seated,  the  oxen  are  brought 
to  the  door,  tiie  flesh  is  cut  olT,  and  the  meat 


devoured,  while   the  agonized   brutes  are 
filling  the  air  with  their  bellowings  ! 

These  horrid  things  are  said  to  be  less 
common  now  than  formerly  ;  but  the  man- 
ners of  the  people,  in  other  respects,  are 
barbarous  in  the  extreme.  Yet,  stranjre 
to  say,  they  profess  Christianity  !  They 
have  numerous  churches,  and  abundance 
of  nunneries  and  monasteries.  Their  ven- 
eration for  the  Virgin  Mary  is  unbounded  ; 
and  tliey  even  outdo  the  European  Catho- 
lics in  their  zeal  for  paying  reverence  at 
her  slirine.  Their  saints  are  almost  innu- 
merable, and  surpass  in  miraculous  power 
those  of  the  Komish  calendar.  The  clergy 
do  not  attempt  to  prevent  divorces,  nor  even 
polytramy.  .A.las,  liow  far  may  the  profession 
of  Christianity  be  from  the  practice  of  it ! 


FALLS   OF   NIAGARA. 


It  has  been  often  remarked  that  no  per- 
son is  insensible  to  the  beauty  of  flowing 
water.  When  it  glides  quietly  on  in  a 
stream,  its  character  is  that  of  gentleness, 
and  it  suggests  only  ideas  of  sweet  and 
tranquil  beauty.  But  when  it  expands  to 
a  greater  width,  and  its  floods  po\ir  around 
in  a  more  impetuous  tide,  it  assumes  an 
aspect  of  gramleur,  and  stirs  in  the  bosom 
the  emotions  of  sublimity. 

The  beauty  of  running  water  has,  indeed, 
long  l)een  celebrated,  and  the  river  has  often 


3» 


suggested  an  image  illustrative  of  human 
life.  Even  Pliny,  who  wrote  nearly  two 
thousand  years  ago,  compares  a  river  to  the 
progress  of  man.  "  Its  beginnings,"  says 
he,  "are  insiirnificant,  and  its  infancy  is 
frivolous  ;  it  plays  among  the  flowers  of  a 
meadow,  it  waters  a  garden,  or  turns  a  mill. 
Gathering  strengtli  in  its  growth,  it  becomes 
wild  and  impetuous.  Imjtatient  of  the  re- 
straint it  meets  with  m  the  hollows  of  the 
mountains,  it  is  lestlcss  and  fretful,  quick 
in  its  turnings,  and  unsteady  in  its  course. 


306 


FALLS    OF    NIAGARA. 


Now  it  is  a  roaring  cataract,  tearing  up  and 
overturning  whatever  opposes  its  progress, 
and  it  shoots  headlong  down  a  rock  ;  then 
it  becomes  a  gloomy,  sullen  pool,  buried  in 
the  bottom  of  a  glen.  Recovering  breath 
oy  repose,  it  again  dashes  along,  till,  tired 
of  uproar  and  mischief,  it  quits  all  that  it 
has  swept  along,  and  leaves  the  opening  of 
the  valley  strewed  with  the  rejected  waste. 
Now,  quitting  its  retirement,  it  comes 
abroad  into  the  world,  journeying  with 
more  prudence  and  discretion  through  cul- 
tivated fields,  yielding  to  circumstances, 
and  winding  round  what  would  trouble  it  to 
overwhelm  or  remove.  It  passes  through 
the  populous  cities,  and  all  the  busy  haunts 
of  man,  tenders  its  services  on  every  side, 
and  becomes  the  support  and  ornament 
of  the  country.  Increased  by  numerous 
alliances,  and  advanced  in  its  course,  it 
becomes  grave  and  stately  in  its  motions, 
loves  peace  and  quiet,  and  in  majestic 
silence  rolls  on  its  mighty  waters,  till  it  is 
laid  to  rest  in  the  vast  abyss." 

Cataracts,  or  falls,  are  formed  by  the  de- 
scent of  rivers,  over  rocks,  from  a  higher  to 
a  lower  level.  That  of  Niagara  is  not  the 
highest  in  the  world,  but  it  is  remarkable 
for  forcing  over,  in  its  mighty  current,  a 
larger  body  of  water  than  any  other.  The 
highest  waterfall  of  Europe  is  that  of 
Gavarnie,  ia  France,  which  is  1350  feet ; 
the  highest  in  Asia  is  that  of  Garispa, 
in  Hindostan,  1000  feet ;  the  highest  in 
America  is  that  of  Tequendama,  in  New 
Grenada,  580  feet.  The  Falls  of  Niagara 
are  but  about  170  feet  in  height ;  but  the 
immense  body  of  water  that  rushes,  in  an 
almost  undivided  mass,  down  this  distance, 
produces  upon  the  beholder  the  most  in- 
tense wonder,  and  furnishes  one  of  the  most 
sublime  objects  to  be  found  in  the  world. 

Such  is  the  mighty  scale  on  which  this 
cataract  is  constructed,  that  a  person  does 
not  at  first  sight  feel  its  full  grandeur;  but, 
by  degrees,  it  seems  to  increase  in  size  ;  its 
awful  front  appears  to  rise  higher,  its  pro- 
digious volume  to  expand,  and  its  whole 
aspect  to  assume  a  more  fearful  and  sublime 
physiognomy. 

One  :haracteristic  of  this  great  natural 
wonder  is  its  steadiness.     It  flows  on,  and 


on,  with  a  ceaseless,  patient,  unvarying 
tide.  It  pauses  not  to  take  breath  ;  it  goes 
on,  during  the  still  watches  of  the  night ; 
it  is  at  work  at  sunrise  and  at  sunset.  It 
does  not  shrink  or  wax  faint  in  the  drought 
of  summer,  nor  does  the  freshet  of  spring 
disturb  its  equable  yet  sublime  current. 
The  chains  of  winter  cannot  bind  it ;  it 
pauses  not  amid  the  pealing  thunder  or  the 
raging  of  the  equinoctial  tempest ;  it  heeds 
not  the  presence  or  absence  of  man  ;  it 
takes  no  note  of  time,  save  that  it 

"  Notches  its  centuries  in  the  eternal  rocks  !  " 

Emblem  of  God  and  eternity,  it  rolls  on, 
speaking  only  of  Him  who  made  it.  Nor 
is  sublimity  the  only  characteristic  of  this 
greatest  of  waterfalls.  There  are  traits  of 
beauty,  which  seem  even  to  heighten  the 
effect  of  its  grandeur.  The  rainbow,  ever 
playing  in  sunshine  over  its  awful  front, 
and  seeming  indifferent  to  the  boiling  whirl- 
pool beneath ;  the  tide  of  many-colored 
gems,  into  which  the  spray  often  seeius 
converted,  as  it  plunges  over  the  rocks ;  the 
heaps  of  foam,  white  as  wool,  dancing  on 
the  billows  that  rush  away  from  the  foot 
of  the  fall ;  and  more  than  all,  an  aspect  of 
tranquillity,  of  repose,  which  settles  upon 
the  whole  scene,  when  viewed  at  a  little  dis- 
tance, are  all  incidents  which  blend  in  the 
majestic  picture  imprinted  on  the  memorj' 
by  this  stupendous  yet  lovely  work  of  na- 
ture's God. 

The  Falls  of  Niagara  have  been  the  fre- 
quent theme  of  poetry,  but  the  following 
lines  by  Brainard  ave  deemed  the  finest 
that  have  been  produced  upon  the  subject. 

"  The  thoughts  are  strange  that  crowd  into  my  brain, 
While  I  look  upward  to  thee.     It  would  seem 
As  if  God  poured  thee  from  his  '  hollow  hand,' 
And  hung  his  bow  upon  thine  awful  front ; 
And  spoke  in  that  loud  voice,  which  seemed  to  him 
Who  dwelt  in  Patmos  for  his  Saviour's  sake, 
'  The  sound  of  many  waters  ;*  and  had  bade 
Thy  flood  to  chronicle  the  ages  back. 
And  notch  His  centuries  in  the  eternal  rocks  ! 

"Deep  calleth  unto  deep,  and  what  are  we. 
That  hear  the  question  of  that  voice  sublime? 
O  !  what  are  all  the  notes  that  ever  rung 
From  war's  vain  trumpet,  by  thy  thundering  side  I 
Yea,  what  is  all  the  riot  man  can  make 
In  his  short  life,  to  thy  unceasing  roar! 
And  yet,  bold  babbler,  what  art  Ihnu  to  Him, 
Who  drowned  a  world,  and  heaped  the  waters  far 
Al>ove  its  loftiest  mountains  ?  —  a  light  wave, 
■That  breaks,  and  whispers  of  its  Mak'jr's  mig  It ! " 


THE   SLOTH. 


This  singular  animal,  which  is  confined 
to  South  America,  is  destined  by  nature  to 
he  produced,  to  live,  and  to  die,  in  the  trees  ; 
ami  to  do  justice  to  him,  naturalists  must 
examine  him  in  his  upper  element.  He  is 
a  scarce  and  solitary  animal.  He  inhabits 
remote  and  gloomy  forests,  where  snakes 
take  up  their  abode,  and  where  cruelly- 
stinging  ants  and  scorpions,  and  swamps, 
and  innumerable  thorny  shrubs  and  bushes, 
obstruct  the  steps  of  civilized  man.  This 
extraordinary  creature  appears  to  us  forlorn 
an<l  miserable,  ill  put  together,  and  totally 
unfit  to  enjoy  the  blessings  which  have  been 
so  bountifully  given  to  the  rest  of  animated 
nature.  It  has  no  soles  to  its  feet,  and  it  is 
evidently  ill  at  ease,  when  it  tries  to  move 
on  the  ground  ;  and  it  then  looks  up  in  your 
face,  with  a  countenance  that  seems  to  say, 
"  Have  pity  on  me,  for  I  am  in  pain  and 
sorrow ! " 

The  sloth,  in  its  wild  state,  spends  its 
whole  life  in  the  trees,  and  never  leaves 
them  but  through  force  or  accident.  An 
all-ruling  Providence  has  ordained  man  to 
tread  on  the  surfiice  of  the  earth,  the  eagle 
to  soar  in  the  expanse  of  the  skies,  and  the 
monkey  and  squirrel  to  inhabit  the  trees ; 
,  still,  those  may  change  their  relative  situa- 
tions, without  feeling  much  inconvenience  ; 
but  the  sloth  is  doomed  to  spend  his  whole 
.ife  in  the  trees  ;  and,  what  is  more  ex- 
traordinary,not  upon  the  branches,  like  the 
squirrel  and  the  monkey,  but  under  them. 
He  moves  suspended  from  the  branch,  he 
rests  suspended  from  it,  and  he  sleeps  sus- 
pended from  it.  To  enable  him  to  do  this, 
he  must  have  a  very  ditTerent  formation 
from  that  of  any  otiier  known  quadruped. 


Hence  his  seeminijlv  bungled  conformation 
is  at  once  accounted  for  ;  and,  in  lieu  of  the 
sloth  leading  a  painful  life  and  entailing  a 
melancholy  and  miserable  existence  on  its 
progeny,  it  is  but  fair  to  surmise  that  it  en- 
joys life  just  as  much  as  any  other  animal, 
and  that  its  extraordinary  formation  and 
singular  habits,  arc  but  further  proofs  to 
engage  us  to  admire  the  wonderful  works 
of  Omnipotence  I 

It  must  be  observed,  that  the  sloth  does 
not  hang  head  downward  like  the  vampyre. 
When  asleep,  he  supports  himself  on  a 
branch,  parallel  to  the  earth.  He  first 
seizes  the  branch  with  one  arm,  and  then 
with  the  other  ;  and  after  that  brings  up 
both  his  legs,  one  by  one,  to  the  same 
branch,  so  that  all  four  are  in  a  line  ;  he 
seems  perfectly  at  rest  in  this  position. 
Now  had  he  a  tail,  he  would  be  at  a  loss 
to  Imow  what  to  do  with  it,  in  this  position. 
Were  he  to  draw  it  up,  with  his  legs,  it 
would  interfere  with  them  ;  and  were  he  to 
let  it  hang  down,  it  would  become  the  sport 
of  the  winds.  Thus  his  deficiency  of  tail 
is  a  benefit  to  him.  It  is  merely  an  apologj- 
for  a  tail,  scarcely  exceeding  an  inch  and  a 
half  in  length. 

There  is  a  saying  among  the  Indians  of 
Guiana  that,  when  the  wind  blows,  the 
sloth  begins  to  travel.  In  calm  weather, 
he  remains  tranquil,  probably  not  liking  to 
cling  to  the  brittle  extremity  of  the  brancnes, 
lest  they  should  break  with  him,  in  passing 
from  one  tree  to  another  ;  but  as  soon  as 
the  wind  rises,  the  branches  of  the  neigh- 
boring trees  become  interwoven,  and  then 
the  sloth  seizes  hold  of  them,  and  pursues" 
his  journey  in  safety.     There  is  seldom  an 


i 


I 


30S 


THE    SCORPION. 


entire  day  of  calm  in  these  forests.  The 
trade-wind  generally  sets  in  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning-,  and  thus  the  sloth 
may  set  off  after  breakfast  and  get  a  con- 
siderable way  before  dinner.  He  travels  at 
a  good  round  pace  ;  and,  were  you  to  see 
him  pass  from  tree  to  tree,  you  would  never 
think  of  calling  him  a  sloth. 

"  One  day,  as  we  were  crossing  the  Es- 
sequibo,"  says  Waterton,  "  I  saw  a  large 
two-toed  sloth  on  the  ground,  upon  the 
bank.  How  he  got  there,  nobody  could  tell. 
The  Indian  said  he  had  never  surprised  a 
sloth  in  such  a  situation  before;  —  he  would 
hardly  have  come  there  to  drink,  for  both 
above  and  below  the  place,  the  branches  of 
the  trees  touched  the  water,  and  afforded 
him  an  easy  and  safe  access  to  it.  Be  this 
as  it  may,  though  the  trees  were  not  above 
twenty  yards  from  him,  he  could  not  make 
his  way  through  the  sand  time  enough  to 
escape  before  we  landed.  As  soon  as  we 
got  up  to  him,  he  threw  himself  upon  his 
back,  and  defended  himself  in  gallant  style, 
with  ills  fore  legs.  '  Come,  poor  fellow,' 
said  I  to  him,  '  if  thou  hast  got  into  a  hobble 


to-day,  thou  shalt  not  sufTer  for  it ;  —  I  '11 
take  no  advantage  of  thee  in  misfortune. 
The  forest  is  large  enough  both  for  thee 
and  me  to  rove  in  ;  go  thy  ways  up  above, 
and  enjoy  thyself  in  these  endless  wilds ;  it 
is  more  than  probable  thou  wilt  never  have 
another  interview  with  man  ;  so  fare  thee 
well.' 

"  On  saying  this,  I  took  up  a  large  stick, 
which  was  lying  there,  held  it  for  him 
to  hook  on,  and  then  conveyed  him  to 
a  high  and  stately  mora.  He  ascended 
with  wonderful  rapidity,  and  in  about  a 
minute  he  was  almost  at  the  top  of  the  tree. 
He  now  went  off  in  a  side  direction,  and 
caught  hold  of  the  branch  of  a  neighboring 
tree  ;  he  then  proceeded  towards  the  heart 
of  the  forest.  I  stood  looking  on,  lost  in 
amazement  at  his  singular  mode  of  progress. 
I  followed  him  with  my  eye,  till  the  inter- 
vening branches  closed  in  betwi.xt  us  ;  and 
then  I  lost  sight  forever  of  the  two-toed 
sloth.  I  was  going  to  add,  that  I  never  saw 
a  sloth  take  to  his  heels  in  such  eamest ; 
but  the  expression  will  not  do,  for  the  sloth 
has  no  heels  \ "' 


THE   SCORPION. 


Of  this  hateful  insect  there  are  several 
species,  all  confined  to  hot  countries.  They 
are  chiefly  found  in  old  ruins,  and  dry, 
stony  places.  It  is  common  in  Arabia  and 
other  Eastern  regions,  and  is  frequently 
alluded  to  in  the  Scriptures. 

The  size  of  the  body  is  equal  to  that  of  a 
hen's  egg.  It  has  eight  legs,  and  a  pair  of 
claws  resembling  those  of  a  crab.     It  has 


i 


eight  eyes  and  two  feelers.  The  tail  is 
terminated  by  a  sharp  point,  with  which  it 
strikes  its  enemy.  When  it  enters  the 
flesh,  a  virulent  venom  is  left  in  the  wound,  j 
which  often  causes  doath.  It  is  a  crafty 
insect,  and  a  certain  writer  says,  "  As  far  as 
an  irrational  animal  can  resemble  Satan, 
this  insect  resembles  that  evil,  malignant, 
envenomed  spirit." 


THE   RHINOCEROS. 


After  the  elephant,  the  rhinoceros  is 
the  most  powerful  of  all  quadrupeds.  He 
is  about  twelve  feet  in  length,  from  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  snout  to  the  tail ;  and  six  or 
seven  feet  in  hcitrht.  The  circumference 
of  his  body  is  very  near  equal  to  his  length. 
He  is,  therefore,  like  the  elephant  in  bulk  ; 
and  if  he  appears  much  smaller,  it  is  be- 
cause his  legs  are  much  shorter  in  propor- 
tion to  those  of  the  elejihant.  But  he  differs 
widely  from  that  sagticinus  animal,  in  his 
natural  faculties  and  his  intelligence,  hav- 
ing received  from  nature  merely  wiiat  she 
grants  in  common  to  all  animals.  Deprived 
of  all  feeling  in  the  skin,  having  no  organ 
answering  the  purpose  of  hands,  nor  in- 
stinct for  the  sense  of  feeling,  he  has  noth- 
ing instead  of  a  trunk  but  a  movable  upper 
lip,  in  which  centres  all  his  dexterity. 

He  is  superior  to  other  animals  only  in 
strength,  size,  and  the  offensive  weapon 
which  he  carries  upon  his  nose,  and  which 
is  peculiar  to  him.  This  weapon  is  a  very 
hard  solid  horn,  and  placed  more  advan- 
tageously than  the  horns  of  ruminating  ani- 
mals ;  these  only  protect  the  superior  parts 
of  the  head  and  neck,  whilst  the  horn  of  the 
rhinoceros  defends  all  the  exterior  parts  of 
the  snout,  and  preserves  the  mouth  and  the 
face  from  insult ;  so  that  the  tiger  attacks 
more  readily  the  elephant,  in  seizing  his 
trunk,  than  the  rhinoceros,  which  he  cannot 
attack  in  front,  without  the  danger  of  being 
killed ;  for  the  body  and  limbs  are  covered 
with  an  impenetrable  skin,  and  this  animal 
fears  neither  the  claws  of  the  tiger  nor  the 
lion,  nor  even  the  weapons  of  the  himtcr. 
His  skin  is  a  dark  leather,  of  the  same  color, 
but  thicker  and  harder  than  that  of  the  ele- 
pliant.  He  does  not  feel  the  sting  of  flies. 
He  cannot  contract  his  skin  ;  it  is  only 
folded,  by  large  wrinkles,  on  the  neck,  the 


'  shoulders,  and  the  posteriors,  to  facilitate 
the  motions  of  the  legs,  which  are  massive, 
and  terminate  in  large  feet,  armed  with 
three  great  claws. 

The  skin  of  the  two-homed  rhinoceros  is 
much  more  easily  penetrable  than  that  of 
the  single-horned.  His  head  is  larger  in 
proportion  than  the  elephant,  but  his  eyes 
are  smaller,  which  he  never  opens  entirely, 
and  they  are  so  situated  that  the  animal  can 
see  only  what  is  in  a  direct  line  before  him. 
The  upper  jaw  projects  above  the  lower, 
and  the  upper  lip  has  a  motion,  and  may  be 
lengthened  six  or  seven  inclics.  It  is  ter- 
minated by  a  sharp  edge,  which  enables  the 
animal  with  more  facility  than  otiier  quad- 
ru]ieds  to  gather  branches  and  grass,  and 
divide  them  into  handfuls,  as  the  elephant 
does  with  his  trunk. 

A  rhinoceros  arrived  in  London  in  1739, 
which  had  been  sent  from  Beng-.il.  Though  i 
quite  yoimg,  the  expenses  of  his  food  and  J 
voyage  amounted  to  nearly  £1000  sterling. 
He  was  fed  with  rice,  sugar,  and  hay. 
They  gave  him,  daily,  seven  pounds  of  rice 
mixed  with  three  pounds  of  sugar,  which 
they  divided  into  three  parts.  He  had  also 
a  great  quantity  of  hay  and  green  grass,  to 
which  he  g'ave  the  preference.  His  drink 
was  nothing  but  water,  of  which  he  drank 
a  great  quantity  at  once.  He  was  of  a  quiet 
disposition,  and  let  his  manager  touch  him 
on  any  part  of  his  body.  He  grew  unruly 
when  he  was  struck,  or  was  hungry,  anil  in 
both  cases  he  could  not  be  appeased  without 
giving  him  something  to  eat.  When  he 
was  angry,  he  leaped  forward  with  impetu- 
osity, to  a  great  height,  beating  furiously 
the  walls  with  his  head,  which  he  did  with 
a  prodigious  quickness,  notwithstanding  his 
heavy  appiarance. 

This  rhinoceros,  when  he  was  two  years 


310 


THE    BAMBOO. 


old,  was  not  much  higher  than  a  young 
cow,  but  his  bodj'  was  very  long  and  thick. 
The  tongue  seemed  to  be  very  soft,  like 
that  of  a  calf.  His  eyes  had  no  vivacity ; 
they  were  like  those  of  a  hog,  in  form,  and 
were  placed  very  low,  that  is,  near  the  open- 
ing of  the  nostrils. 

The  horn  of  the  rhinoceros  is  more  val- 
ued by  the  Indians  than  the  ivory  of  the 
elephant,  not  so  much  on  account  of  the 
matter,  but  for  its  substance,  to  which  they 
attribute  divers  virtues  and  medicinal  prop- 
erties. The  white  ones,  as  the  most  rare, 
arc  those  which  they  value  the  most. 
Drinking-cups,  made  of  this  honi,  are  used 
by  the  Indian  princes,  under  the  erroneous 
idea  that  when  any  poisonous  fluid  is  put  in- 
to them  it  will  ferment  and  run  over  the  top. 

The  rhinoceros,  without  being  ferocious 
or  carnivorous,  or  even  very  wild,  is,  never- 
theless, untamable.  He  is  of  the  nature 
of  the  hog,  blunt  and  grunting,  without 
intellect,  without  sentiment,  and  without 
tractableness.  These  animals  are  also,  like 
the  hog,  very  much  inclined  to  wallow  in 
the  mire ;  they  like  damp  and  marshy 
places,  and  seldom  leave  the  banks  of  rivers. 
They  are  found  in  Asia  and  Africa,  in  Ben- 
gal, Siam,  Laos,  in  the  Mogul  dominions, 
in  Sumatra,  in  Java,  in  Abyssinia,  and  about 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  But,  in  general, 
the  species  is  not  so  numerous  or  so  univer- 
sally spread  as  that  of  the  elephant.  The 
female  brings  forth  but  one  young,  and  at  a 
great  distance  of  time. 

Without  being  useful  as  the  elephant,  the 
rhinoceros  is  very  hurtful,  by  the  prodigious 
devastation  which  he  makes  in  the  fields. 
The  skin  is  the  most  valuable  part  of  this 
animal,  and  makes  the  best  and  hardest 
leather  in  the  world.  The  flesh  is  excellent, 
according  to  the  taste  of  the  Indians  and 
negroes.  Kolben  says  he  has  often  eaten 
it  with  great  pleasure.  The  rhinoceros 
feeds  upon  herbs,  tliistles,  prickles,  and 
shrubs  ;  and  he  prefers  this  wild  food  to  the 
sweet  pastures  and  the  verdant  meadows. 
He  is  very  fond  of  sugar-cane,  and  eats  all 
sorts  of  corn.  Having  no  taste  whatever 
for  flesh,  he  neither  molests  small  animals 
nor  fears  the  large  ones,  living  generally  in 
peace  with  all,  even  the  tiger,  who  often  ac- 
companies him  witliout  daring  to  attack  him. 

Rhinoceroses  do  not  herd  together,  nor 
march  in  troops,  like  the  elephant ;  they  are 
wilder  and  more  solitary,  and  perhaps  more 
difficult  to  be  hunted  and  subdued.  They 
never  attack  man,  unless  provoked ;  but 
then  they  become  furious,  and  are  very 
formidable.     The  steel  of  Damascus,  the 


scimitars  of  Japan  cannot  make  an  incision 
in  his  skin  ;  the  darts  and  lances  cannot 
pierce  him  through.  His  skin  even  resists 
a  musket-ball ;  those  of  lead  become  flat- 
tened upon  his  leather,  and  iron  ingots  can- 
not penetrate  through  it.  The  only  places 
absolutely  penetrable  in  his  body,  armed 
with  a  cuirass,  are  the  belly,  the  eyes,  and 
round  the  ears  ;  so  that  huntsmen,  instead 
of  attacking  him  standing,  follow  him  at  a 
distance,  by  his  track,  and  approach  him  at 
the  time  that  he  sleeps  or  rests  himself. 

A  rhinoceros,  about  one  year  old,  was 
brought  from  Calcutta  to  Boston  some  years 
since.  The  engraving  at  the  head  of  this 
article  furnishes  a  very  exact  representation 
of  this  animal.  Its  length  from  the  nose  to 
the  insertion  of  the  tail  was  six  feet,  and  its 
height  three  feet  four  inches.  Tlie  length 
of  its  head  was  eighteen  inches,  that  of  its 
tail  thirteen  inches.  The  horn  had  not 
made  its  appearance  upon  the  nose,  but  there 
was  a  large  protuberance  which  indicated 
the  place  where  it  was  growing,  and  seemed 
to  form  the  root  or  basis  of  it.  The  animal 
when  disturbed  made  a  frequent  noise,  like 
a  young  calf.  It  had  very  much  the  air  and 
manners  of  a  hog,  betraying  no  fear  or 
shyness,  but  seemed  constantly  intent  upon 
getting  something  to  eat.  It  fed  upon  hay, 
potatoes,  and  grain,  and  so  greedy  was  its 
appetite,  that  nothing  came  amiss. 


THE   BAMBOO. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  Nature  has  con- 
ferred upon  the  inhabitants  of  hot  countries 
any  boon  more  valuable  than  the  bamboo  — 
to  such  a  multitude  of  useful  purposes  are  i 


THE    CROCODILE. 


311 


its  light,  strong,  and  graceful  stems  applied. 
They  are  pushed  forth  by  a  strong,  jointed, 
l|  subterraneous  root-stock,  which  is  the  trunk 
of  the  tree,  the  shoots  being  the  branches. 
The  latter  are  very  hard,  and  hollow  inside, 
being  divided  by  numerous  partitions. 

When  full  grown,  a  bamboo  is  a  straight 
rod,  bearing  a  number  of  stiff  branches, 
which  shoot  at  nearly  right  angles  from  the 
main  stem.  It  seems,  at  first,  difficult  to 
imagine  how  such  a  stem  elevates  itself 
tlirough  the  dense  mass  of  rigid  branches, 
which  cross  each  other  in  every  direction. 
Tills  is,  however,  arranged  in  a  very  simple 
manner.  The  young  shoot,  when  it  is  first 
produced,  is  a  perfectly  simple  sucker,  like 
a  shoot  of  asparagus  ;  but,  having  a  sharp 
point,  it  easily  pierces  the  dense  and  over- 
iianging  branches.  It  is  oiilv  when  it  has 
arrived  at  its  full  length,  and  has  penetrated 
through  all  obstacles,  that  it  forms  its  lateral 
shoots,  which  readily  interpose  themselves 
amid  the  stems. 

There  are  many  species  of  the  bamboo, 
al!  of  which  are  useful.  The  j'oung  shoots 
of  some  are  eaten  like  asparagus  ;  the  full 
grown  stems,  when  ripe  and  hard,  are  con- 


verted into  bows,  arrows,  quivers,  fishing- 
rods,  masts  of  vessels,  bed-posts,  walking- 
sticks,  floors,  supporters  of  rustic  bridges, 
chairs,  and  a  variety  of  other  purposes.  By 
notching  their  sides,  the  Malays  form  won- 
derfully light  ladders.  Bruised  and  crushed 
in  water,  the  leaves  and  stems  form  Chinese 
paper;  some  species  are  used  for  lining  tea- 
chests  ;  cut  into  lengths,  and  the  partitions 
knocked  out,  they  form  durable  water-pipes. 
Slit  into  strips,  they  form  excellent  mate- 
rials for  weaving  mats,  baskets,  window- 
blinds,  and  even  the  sails  of  boats. 

It  is,  however,  for  the  purposes  of  build- 
ing that  the  bamboo  is  most  important. 
The  frame-work  of  the  houses  in  Sumatra 
is  chieflj'  composed  of  this  material.  Tlie 
floors  are  made  of  the  whole  canes,  laid 
close  to  each  other.  The  sides  are  made 
of  the  stems,  split  and  flattened,  and  the 
roof  is  formed  of  a  thatch  split  into  various 
strips. 

Great  hopes  are  entertained  of  introducing 
this  most  useful  tree  into  other  countries; 
and,  as  it  grows  in  dry  and  stony  places, 
where  nothing  else  flourishes,  its  introduc- 
tion would  be  of  great  importance. 


THE   CROCODILE. 


The  crocodile  belongs  to  the  genus  la- 
ccrta.  It  has  a  compressed,  jagged  tail ;  five 
toes  on  the  fore  feet,  and  four  on  the  hind. 
It  is  the  largest  of  the  lizard  kind. 

An  account  of  one  dissected  at  Siam  was 
sent  to  the  Koyal  Academy  at  Paris.  It 
was   eighteen   and  a  half  feet  long ;    the 


legs  were  short,  —  mcluding  the  thigh  and 
paw,  only  two  feet  two  inches  ;  the  toes 
were  armed  with  large  claws,  nearly  an 
inch  and  a  half  long.  The  head  was  of 
considerable  length ;  the  mouth  fifteen 
inches  long,  having  twenty-seven  teeth  in 
the  upper  and  fifteen  in  the  lower  jaw.    The 


312  THE    SPIDEK. 

eye  was  very  small  in  proportion  to  the  rest 
of  the  body  ;  the  color  of  the  upper  part  of 
the  body  was  a  dark  brown,  and  below  of  a 
whitish  citron  ;  from  the  shoulders  to  the 
extremity  of  the  tail  he  was  covered  with 
larn-e,  square  scales,  in  number  about  fifty- 
two.  The  whole  skin  was  defended  with 
a  kind  of  armor,  contributing  greatly  to  its 
defence. 

The  crocodile  lays  eggs  of  the  size  of 
those  of  a  goose,  to  the  number  of  about 
sixty,  which  she  covers  over  with  sand, 
leaving  them,  like  the  ostrich,  to  be  hatched 


THE   SPIDER. 


The  aranea,  or  spider,  is  a  numerous 
genus  of  insects.  The  mouth  is  furnished 
with  short,  horny  jaws  ;  lip  rounded  at  the 
apex,  feelers  two,  curved,  jointed,  and  sharp 
at  the  tip.  The  eyes  are  eight,  rarely  six  ; 
no  antennae;  its  feet  are  eight;  and  behind, 
it  is  furnished  with  teats,  for  spinning. 
These  are  one  of  the  most  wonderful  con- 
trivances of  nature.  The  thread  of  the 
spider  consists  of  four  thousand  strands. 
Leeuwenhoeck  saj^s  that  it  would  take  four 
millions  of  strands,  of  the  smallest  spiders, 
to  make  a  thread  as  large  as  a  horse  hair. 
The  spiders  fix  the  ends  of  the  threads,  by 
applying  the  nipples  to  any  substance,  and 
the  thread  lengthens  in  proportion  as  the  an- 
imal recedes  from  the  place.  They  are  able, 
by  means  of  their  claws,  to  reiiscend  the 
threads  with  great  ease  and  rapidity,  much 


in  the  same  manner  as  sailors  warp  np  a 
rope. 

Spiders  difTer  much  in  their  appearance, 
size,  and  habits.  Some  are  smooth,  and 
others  are  covered  with  hair.  The  Taran- 
tula, found  in  Italy,  has  a  body  as  large  as 
a  small  nut. 

Many  spiders  are  exceedingly  venomous. 
Their  bite,  though  small,  is  not  only  danger- 
ous, but  in  some  cases  mortal.  Spiders  lay 
from  five  to  six  hundred  eggs.  It  is  astonish- 
ing to  see  the  instinctive  ingenuity  they  em- 
ploy for  ensnaring  flies,  the  objects  of  their 
prey.  When  a  fly  is  caught  in  the  web, 
the  spider,  which  was  before  concealed  in 
ambush,  in  a  moment  rushes  from  its  hiding- 
place,  darts  upon  it,  firmly  fixes  its  claws 
upon  it,  and  then  sucks  out  all  its  juice, 
which  soon  terminates  its  life. 


by  the  heat  of  the  sun.    They  are  to  be  met 
with  in  the  rivers  Nile,  Niger,  and  Ganges, 
and    in    many    other    large    rivers   in    the 
southern  parts  of  Asia  and  Africa.    It  is  of 
enormous  voracity  and  strength;  is  amphib- 
ious, swims  with  amazing  fleetness,  attacks   J 
mankind  and  the  largest  animals  with  most  | 
daring  impetuosity.     Of  all  monsters,  it  has  \ 
the  largest  mouth,  and  moves  both  its  jaws   > 
equally.  < 

The  alligator  of  America  resembles  the 
crocodile,  but  it  is  not  of  the  same  species. 


K-^*'*^ 


POCAHONTAS. 


Tn:s  celebrated  princess,  so  intimately 
connected  with  some  of  the  most  interesting 
events  in  the  history  of  Virginia,  was  born 
about  the  year  1594.  Her  father,  Pow- 
hatan, was  called  Emperor  of  Virginia, 
being  the  most  powerful  and  famous  of  all 
the  Indian  chiefs  in  that  quarter.  His  do- 
minions extended  from  James'  river,  called 
originally  Powhatan  river,  north  to  the 
Patuxent,  and  also  comprised  a  portion  of 
the  territory  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Chesapeake.  Captain  John  Smith,  a  cele- 
brated member  of  the  Virginia  oniony,  paid 
a  visit  to  Powhatan  in  l(i07,  while  on  an 
exploring  expedition  up  James'  river,  in 
companv  with  Capt.  Newport  and  a  small 
party  of  men. 

The  English  were  at  peace  with  the 
savages,  and  were  received  by  them  in  a 
friendly  manner.  The  residence  of  Pow- 
hatan was  tlien  at  a  small  town  on  the  bank 
of  tlie  river,  in  front  of  three  islets,  just 
below  the  spot  where  Kioinnond  now  stands. 
Tlie  Virginian  em|ieror  was  tlien  about  sixty 
years  of  age,  gray-headed,  and  of  a  lofty 


demeanor.  He  was  dressed  in  raccoon-skins, 
and  bore  a  crown  of  feathers.  At  tne  enter- 
tainment given  to  Smith's  party,  some  of 
the  Indians  expressed  their  apprehensions 
of  the  English,  and  counselled  hostilities 
against  them  ;  but  they  were  silenced  by 
Powhatan.  "These  strangers,"  said  he, 
"  want  but  a  little  ground,  which  we  can 
easily  spare.  Why  should  we  object  to 
their  coming  into  our  territory?"  Suppos- 
ing this  language  to  have  been  sincere  — 
the  Virginian  emperor  had  among  his  ad- 
visers men  who  possessed  more  shrewdness 
and  foresight  than  himself. 

Whether  Pocahontas  was  present  at  this 
interview,  we  are  not  told  ;  nor  is  there  any 
mention  of  her  till  the  occurrence  by  which 
she  is  best  known  to  the  world,  —  the  sav- 
ing of  Smith's  life.  Powhatan,  it  is  said, 
was  a  great  dissembler,  and  even  while 
addressing  his  visitors  in  the  language  of 
peace  and  friendship,  and  interchanging 
presents  with  them,  was  plotting  a  sdieme 
for  their  destruction.  Hostilities  broke  out 
shortly  after,  and  before  Smith  and  Newport 


40 


314 


POCAHONTAS. 


could  return  to  Jamestown,  that  settlement 
was  attacked  bj-  a  strong  body  of  the  In- 
dians. The  English  were  quite  defenceless, 
having  no  arms  at  hand,  as  their  imbecile 
governor,  Wingfield,  fearing  a  conspiracy 
of  the  people,  had  locked  up  their  guns,  and 
prohibited  military  exercises.  Jamestown 
would  have  been  taken,  and  the  inhabitants 
massacred,  but  for  a  fortunate  accident.  A 
cannon-shot,  from  a  vessel  in  the  river,  cut 
oft'  the  branch  of  a  tree,  which  fell  among  a 
party  of  the  Indians,  who  were  rushing  to 
the  assault.  This  so  terrified  them,  that 
they  fled  in  all  directions,  and  abandoned 
the  undertaking. 

A  treaty  of  peace  followed,  and  Smith, 
with  a  party  of  men,  made  several  excur- 
sions into  the  interior,  to  obtain  supplies  of 
provisions.  The  rivers  were  covered  with 
innumerable  flocks  of  wild  fowl,  and  the 
woods  abounded  with  deer  and  turkeys. 
The  necessities  of  the  colonists  were  soon 
relieved,  but  the  restless  activity  rf  Smith, 
and  a  desire  to  silence  the  murmurs  of 
some  of  his  countrymen,  who  asserted  that 
he  had  not  made  sufficient  endeavors  to 
explore  the  head  streams  of  the  Chickahomi- 
ny,  induced  him  to  continue  his  enterprises 
during  the  season  of  plenty. 

In  the  winter  of  1607  he  collected  a  small 
number  of  followers,  and  proceeded  once 
more  in  a  barge  up  that  river  as  far  as  it 
was  navigable.  Having  left  the  barge  in  a 
wide  bay,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  Indians, 
with  positive  orders  that  none  of  the  crew 
should  leave  her  on  any  account,  he  rowed 
further  up,  in  a  small  canoe,  attended  by 
two  Englishmen  and  two  friendly  Indians. 
He  was  scarcely  out  of  sight,  when  the 
crew  of  the  barge,  impatient  of  restraint, 
disobeyed  his  orders,  and  went  on  shore. 
At  the  very  spot  where  they  landed,  a 
body  of  three  hundred  savages,  headed 
by  Opechancanough,  brother  to  Powhatan, 
were  lying  in  ambush,  watching  for  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  attack  the  barge. 
One  of  the  Englishmen,  straying  from  the 
rest,  fell  into  their  hands,  and  from  him 
they  extorted  information  of  the  object  and 
route  of  Smith.  They  immediately  put  the 
captive  to  death  in  a  cruel  manner,  and  fol- 
lowed Smith  with  all  their  force  and  with 
the  utmost  caution. 

Twenty  miles  up  the  river,  they  discov- 
ered his  two  English  companions  fast  asleep 
by  a  fire,  in  the  woods  ;  they  immediately 
shot  them  with  their  arrows,  and  then  fol- 
lowed on  the  track  of  Smith,  who  had  gone 
to  shoot  some  wild  fowl,  for  provisions. 
Smith  was  proceeding  up  the  bank  of  the 


river,  not  far  from  his  canoe,  when  he  dis- 
covered the  savages  close  upon  him.  He  en- 
deavored to  retreat,  and,  finding  the  enemy 
pressing  hard  upon  him,  shielded  himself 
by  tying  his  Indian  guide  to  his  left  arm, 
while  he  exercised  the  right  in  his  defence. 
In  this  manner,  he  contrived  to  load  and 
fire  his  musket,  and  ward  off  the  arrows  of 
his  assailants,  while  he  retreated  slowly  to- 
wards the  water.  He  shot  three  of  them 
dead,  and  wounded  several  others  ;  and,  in 
this  manner,  of  facing  one  way  and  walking 
another,  kept  the  enemy,  who  were  aston- 
ished at  his  bravery  and  skill,  at  a  safe 
distance.  But,  not  being  able  to  pay  close  '.' 
attention  to  his  steps,  he  sank,  at  last,  into 
a  miry  spot,  so  deep  that,  owing  to  his  em- 
barrassing connection  with  his  guide,  he 
was  unable  to  extricate  himself.  Here  he 
remained  a  considerable  time,  the  savages 
not  darin^tD  attack  him  so  long  as  he 
held  the  musket.  But,  the  cold  having 
benumbed  his  limbs,  he  could  make  no 
further  resistance  ;  yet  no  man  dared  to  lay 
hands  on  him,  and  those  who  made  the 
nearest  approach  to  him,  were  observed  to 
tremble  with  fear.  He  at  length  threw 
down  his  arms,  and  made  signs  that  he 
had  surrendered.  The  Indians  now  pulled 
him  out  of  the  mud,  and  took  him  to  the 
fire  where  his  two  companions  had  been 
killed.  They  chafed  his  benumbed  limbs, 
and  restored  them  to  activity. 

He  called  for  their  chief,  and  Opechan- 
canough appeared.  Smith,  with  perfect 
self-possession,  entered  into  such  conversa- 
tion with  him  as  could  be  carried  on  by 
signs.  He  had  an  ivory  pocket-compass 
with  him,  which  he  showed  to  Opechan- 
canough and  his  attendants.  "  Much  they 
marvelled,"  says  the  narrative,  "at  the  play- 
ing of  the  fly  and  needle,  which  they  could 
see  so  plainly,  and  yet  not  touch,  because 
of  the  glass  that  covered  them.  But  when 
he  demonstrated,  by  that  g'obe-like  jewel, 
the  roundnesse  of  the  earth  and  skies,  the 
spheare  of  the  sunne,  andmoone,andstarres, 
and  how  the  sunne  did  chase  the  nighte 
about  the  world  continuall}',  —  the  great- 
nesse  of  the  land  and  sea,  the  diversity 
of  the  nations,  the  varietie  of  complexion, 
and  how  we  were  to  them  antipodes,  and  ; 
many  other  such  like  matters,  they  all 
stood  as  amazed  with  admiration."  If  this 
account  of  the  old  narrator  be  correct. 
Capt.  John  Smith  may  claim  the  honor  of 
having  been  the  first  scientific  lecturer  in 
the  United  States.  How  much  of  this  lec- 
ture the  savages  understood,  we  are  not  told. 

Smith  was  carried  in  triumph  to  the  capi- 


THE    JUNIPER-TREE. 


315 


tal  of  the  Indian  king-,  and  after  a  time  it 
was  decided  to  kill  him.  Preparations  were 
made  for  this  object.  Two  large  stones 
were  brought  in  and  placed  at  the  feet 
of  the  emperor.  Smith  was  seized  by  as 
many  of  the  Indians  as  could  lay  hands  on 
him,  dragged  forward,  and  his  head  laid  on 
the  stones.  A  heavy  club  was  then  pro- 
duced, and  laid  before  Powhatan,  for  whom 
was  reserved  the  honor  of  beating  out  the 
brains  of  the  victim.  The  grimly-painted 
warriors  looked  on  in  silence,  with  sensa- 
tions of  awe  at  the  spectacle.  A  dreaded 
and  formidable  enemy  was  to  be  sacrificed 
for  their  safety  ;  but  in  their  most  savage 
mood  they  were  not  insensible  to  the  emo- 
tion of  pity  for  the  hard  fiite  of  a  foe,  whose 
bravery  they  could  not  but  admire. 

And  now  comes  a  scene  which  has  never 
failed  to  touch  the  heart,  and  e.xcite  the  in- 
terest of  the  reader  —  and  one  which  has 
few  parallels  in  history.  The  fatal  club  was 
uplifted  ;  one  instant  more  and  the  wretched 
victim  had  been  struck  dead,  when  Poca- 
hontas, the  young,  amiable  and  beauteous 
daughter  of  the  emperor,  uttered  a  scream 
of  terror  and  agony,  which  arrested  the 
blow.  With  dishevelled  hair,  and  eyes 
streaming  with  tears,  she  threw  herself  upon 


the  body  of  Smith,  clasped  his  head  in  her 
arms,  and  by  the  most  imploring  looks, 
directed  towards  her  father,  solicited  the 
life  of  the  captive.  The  royal  executioner 
suspended  his  blow  in  amazement,  and 
looked  round  upon  his  warriors.  Either  a 
respect  for  the  gallant  prisoner,  or  admira- 
tion of  the  noble  behavior  of  his  fair  friend 
had  moved  their  hearts.  Powhatan  read 
in  their  looks  a  sentiment  of  mercy,  and 
spared  the  life  of  the  doomed  victim.  Such 
is  the  narrative  of  the  most  striking  and 
dramatic  incident  in  the  whole  history  of 
the  North  American  Indians. 

At  this  time  Pocahontas  was  about  thir- 
teen years  of  age.  She  continued  to  be 
the  friend  of  the  English  colonists,  and  was 
of  great  service  to  them  in  the  diflicultics 
and  dangers  which  surrounded  them.  A 
young  Englishman,  named  Rolfe,  became 
attached  to  her,  and  the  young  couple  were 
married  in  April,  1613.  Afterwards  they 
went  to  England,  where  Pocahontas  died. 
She  left  several  children,  and  it  is  said  that 
some  of  the  first  families  in  Virginia  have 
descended  from  her.  The  late  John  Ran- 
dolph, celebratrd  for  his  oratory  and  his 
eccentricities,  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  de- 
scendants of  Pocahontas. 


THE   JUNIPEll-TREE. 


Of  this  tree  there  are  several  varieties. 

;  In  good  soil,  it  will  grow  to  tlie  height  of 
fifteen  feet.  It  is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible 
(1  Kings  chap,  xix.)  as  giving  shelter  to 
the  proph.-t  Elijah. 


Tournefort,the  celebrated  naturalist, men- 
tions five  kinds  of  the  juniper,  but  tlie  num- 
ber of  the  species  of  this  tree  amounts  to 
fourteen.  The  berries  have  been  used  for 
medicinal  purposes.     It  is  remarkable  that 


3J6 


SIAMESE    TWINS. 


the  fniit  requires  two  years  in  ripening. 
Thrushes  and  grouse  feed  on  the  berries. 
The  whole  plant  has  a  strong,  aromatic 
smell.  When  the  wood  is  burned,  it  sends 
forth  a  fragrant  odor,  like  incense.  The 
charcoal  made  from  the  wood  endures 
longer  than  any  other,  insomuch,  that  live 
embers  are  said  to  be  found  in  the  ashes, 
after  being  a  year  covered.  In  Ps.  cx.x.  4, 
there  is  an  allusion  made  to  the  intense 
heat  of  the  juniper  coals,  as  a  figure  em- 
ploj-ed  to  point  out  the  severe  punishment 
to  be  inflicted  upon  those  who  injure  others 
by  their  false  tongue.  "  What  shall  be 
done  unto  thee,  thou  false  tongue  ?  Sharp 
arrows  of  the  mighty  with  coals  of  juniper." 


SIAMESE   TWINS. 

In  the  year  1S29,  Captain  Coffin,  of  the 
American  ship  Sachem,  arrived  in  the 
United  States,  with  two  youths,  born  in 
the  kingdom  of  Siam,  and  united  by  a 
strong  gristly  ligature  at  the  breast.  Their 
names  were  Eng  and  Chang,  and  they  were 
natives  of  Maklong,  a  village  on  the  coast 
of  Siam.  They  were  born  in  May,  ISll, 
of  Chinese  parents,  who  were  in  humble 
circumstances.  They  were  engaged  in  fish- 
ing, keeping  poultry,  and  manufacturing 
cocoa-nut  oil,  till  they  left  their  country. 
When  they  arrived,  they  were  five  feet  two 
inches  in  height,  well  made,  and  muscular. 
They  have  been  known  to  carry  a  person 
weighing  two  hundred  and  eighty  pounds. 

The  band  that  united  these  two  persons 
was  a  cartilaginous  substance,  an  eighth  of 
an  inch  thick,  and  an  inch  and  a  half  wide. 


It  was  flexible,  and  permitted  the  youths  to 
turn  in  either  direction.  It  was  covered 
with  skin,  and  seemed  to  be  without  pulsa- 
tion. It  was  very  strong,  and  of  so  little 
sensibility,  that  it  might  be  smartly  pulled, 
without  seeming  to  give  uneasiness.  When 
touched  in  the  centre,  it  was  equally  felt  by 
both  ;  but  at  half  an  inch  from  the  centre, 
it  was  felt  by  only  one. 

They  were  agile,  could  walk  or  run  with 
swiftness,  and  could  swim  well.  Their  in- 
tellectual powers  were  acute  ;  they  played 
at  chess  and  draughts  remarkably  well,  but 
never  against  each  other.  Their  feelings 
were  warm  and  affectionate,  and  their  con- 
duct amiable  and  well-regulated.  They 
never  entered  into  conversation  with  each 
other,  beyond  a  simple  remark  made  by 
one  to  the  other,  which  seemed  to  be  ra- 
tionally accounted  for,  by  the  fact  that, 
their  experience  being  all  in  common,  they 
had  nothing  to  communicate.  The  attempt 
has  frequently  been  made  to  engage  them 
in  separate  conversation  with  difl'erent  indi- 
viduals, but  always  without  success,  as  they 
are  invariably  inclined  to  direct  their  atten- 
tion to  the  same  thing  at  the  same  time. 

In  their  movements  perfect  equanimity  is 
observed  ;  the  one  always  concurring  with 
the  other,  so  that  they  appear  as  if  actuated 
by  a  common  mind.  In  their  employments 
and  amusements,  they  have  never  been 
known  to  utter  an  angry  word  towards  each 
other.  Whatever  pleases  or  displeases  one, 
has  the  same  effect  on  the  other.  They 
feel  hunger  and  thirst  at  the  same  time,  and 
the  quantity  of  food  taken  by  them  is  as 
nearly  alike  as  possible.  Both  feel  the 
desire  to  sleep  simultaneously,  and  they 
always  awake  at  the  same  moment.  Upon 
the  possibility  of  separating  them  with 
safety,  there  is  some  difTerence  of  opinion 
among  medical  men. 

These  two  youths  excited  an  extraordina- 
ry sensation  upon  their  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try. For  three  or  four  years,  they  were 
exhibited  here  and  in  Europe,  and,  finally, 
having  obtained  a  competence,  they  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  North  Carolina,  and  estab- 
lished themselves  as  planters,  where  they 
still  reside.  They  furnish  the  only  instance 
in  which  two  individuals  have  been  thus 
united,  and  their  case  has  probably  e.xcited 
more  interest  than  any  other  freak  of  nature 
that  has  ever  happened. 

The  most  curious  part  of  the  story  of  Eng 
and  Chang  is,  that  on  the  13th  of  April, 
1S13,  they  were  married  to  two  sisters, 
Sarah  and  Adelaide  Yeates,  of  Wilkea 
county.  North  Carolina. 


I 


i 


PASCAL. 


Blaise  Pascal,  "  perhaps  the  most  bril- 
liant intellect  that  ever  lighted  on  this  lower 
world,"  was  born  nt  Clermont,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Auvcrgne,  France,  Jane  10,  1623. 
He  was  descended  from  one  of  the  best 
families  in  that  province.  As  soon  as  he 
was  able  to  speak,  he  discovered  marks  of 
extraordinary  capacit)'.  This  he  evinced, 
not  only  by  the  general  pertinency  and 
acutencss  of  his  replies,  bnt  also  by  the 
questions  that  he  asked  concerning  the 
nature  of  things,  and  his  reasonings  upon 
them,  which  were  much  superior  to  what 
is  common  at  his  age.  His  mother  having 
died  in  1626,  his  father,  who  was  an  excel- 
lent scholar  and  an  able  mathematician, 
and  who  lived  in  habits  of  intimacy  with 
several  persons  of  the  greatest  learning  and 
science  at  that  time  in  France,  determined 

:    to  take  upon  himself  the  whole  charge  of 

'   his  son's  education. 

One  of  the  instances  in  which  young  Pas- 
cal displayed  his  disposition  to  reason  upon 
everything,  is  the  following.  He  had  been 
told  that  God  rested  from  his  labors  on  the 
seventh  day,  and  hallowed  it,  and  had  com- 
manded ail  mankinAo  suspend  their  labor 
and  do  no  work  on  the  Sabbath.  When  he 
was  about  seven  years  of  age,  he  was  seen. 


of  a  Sabbath  morning,  meosuring  some 
blades  of  grass.  When  asked  what  he  was 
doing,  he  replied  that  he  was  going  to  see 
if  the  grass  grew  on  Sunday,  and  if  God 
ceased  working  on  the  Sabbath,  as  he  had 
commanded  mankind  to  do. 

Before  j-oung  Pascal  had  attained  his 
twelfth  year,  two  circumstances  occurred, 
which  deserve  to  be  recorded,  as  they  dis- 
covered the  turn,  and  evinced  the  superior- 
ity, of  his  mind.  Having  remarked,  one 
day,  at  table,  the  sound  produced  by  a  per- 
son accidentally  striking  an  earthen-ware 
plate  with  a  knife,  and  that  the  vibrations 
were  immediately  stopped  by  putting  his 
hand  on  the  plate,  he  became  anxious  to 
investigate  the  cause  of  this  phenomenon  ; 
he  employed  himself  in  making  a  number 
of  experiments  on  sound,  the  results  of 
which  he  committed  to  writing,  so  as  to 
form  a  little  treatise  on  the  subject,  which 
was  found  very  correct  and  ingenious. 

The  other  occurrence  was  his  first  ac- 
quisition, or,  as  it  might  not  be  improperly 
termed,  his  invention  of  geometry.  His 
fatlier,  though  very  fond  of  mathematics, 
had  studiously  kept  from  his  son  all  the 
means  of  becoming  acquainted  with  this 
subject.     This  he  did,  partly  in  conformity 


;; 


318 


FASCAL. 


to  the  maxim  he  had  hitherto  followed,  of 
keeping  his  son  superior  to  his  task,  and 
partly  from  an  apprehension  that  a  science 
so  engaging,  and  at  the  same  time  so  ab- 
stracted, and  which,  on  that  account,  was 
peculiarly  suited  to  the  turn  of  his  son's 
mind,  would  probably  absorb  too  much  of 
his  attention,  and  stop  the  progress  of  his 
other  studies,  if  he  were  at  once  initiated 
into  it. 

But  the  activity  of  an  inquisitive  and 
penetrating  mind  is  not  to  be  so  .easily  re- 
strained. As,  from  respect  to  his  father's 
authority,  the  youth  had  so  far  regarded 
his  prohibition  as  to  pursue  this  study  only 
in  private,  and  at  his  hours  of  recreation, 
he  went  on  for  some  time  undiscovered. 
But,  one  day,  while  he  was  employed  in 
this  manner,  his  father  accidentally  came 
into  the  room,  unobserved  by  Pascal,  who 
was  wholly  intent  on  the  subject  of  his  in- 
vestigation. His  father  stood  for  some  time 
unperceived,  and  observed  with  the  greatest 
astonishment,  that  his  son  was  surrounded 
with  geometrical  figures,  and  was  then  ac- 
tually employed  in  finding  out  the  propor- 
tion of  the  angles  formed  by  a  triangle,  one 
side  of  which  is  produced  ;  which  is  the 
subject  of  the  thirty-second  proposition  in 
the  First  Book  of  Euclid. 

The  father  at  length  asked  his  son  what 
he  was  doing.  The  latter,  surprised  and 
confused  to  find  his  father  was  there,  told 
him  he  wanted  to  find  out  this  and  that, 
mentioning  the  different  parts  contained  in 
that  theorem.  His  father  then  asked  how 
he  came  to  inquire  about  that.  He  replied, 
that  he  had  found  out  such  a  thing,  naming 
some  of  the  more  simple  problems  ;  and 
thus,  in  reply  to  different  questions,  he 
showed  that  he  had  gone  on  in  his  own  inves- 
tigations, totally  unassisted,  from  the  most 
simple  definition  in  geometry,  to  Euclid's 
thirty-second  proposition.  This,  it  must  be 
remembered,  was  when  Pascal  was  but 
twelve  years  of  age. 

His  subsequent  progress  perfectly  ac- 
corded with  this  extraordinary  display  of 
talent.  His  father  now  gave  him  Euclid's 
Elements  to  peruse  at  his  hours  of  recrea- 
tion. He  read  them,  and  understood  them 
without  any  assistance.  His  progress  was 
so  rapid,  that  he  was  soon  admitted  to  the 
meetings  of  a  society  of  which  his  father, 
Roberval,  and  some  other  celebrated  mathe- 
maticians, were  members,  and  from  which, 
afterwards,  originated  the  Royal  Academy 
of  Sciences  at  Paris. 

During  Pascal's  residence  with  his  father 
at  Rouen,  and  while  he  was  only  in  his 


nineteenth  year,  he  invented  his  famous 
arithmetical  machine,  by  which  all  numeri- 
cal calculations,  however  complex,  can  be 
made  by  the  mechanical  operation  of  its  dif- 
ferent parts,  without  any  arithmetical  skill 
in  the  person  who  uses  it.  He  had  a  patent 
for  this  invention  in  1649.  His  studies, 
however,  began  to  be  interrupted  when  he 
had  reached  his  eighteenth  year,  by  some 
symptoms  of  ill  health,  which  were  thought 
to  be  the  effect  of  intense  application,  and 
which  never  afterwards  entirely  quitted 
him  ;  so  that  he  was  sometimes  accustomed 
to  say,  that  from  the  time  he  was  eighteen, 
he  had  never  passed  a  day  without  pain. 
But  Pascal,  though  out  of  health,  was  still 
Pascal ;  ever-active,  ever-inquiring,  and  sat- 
isfied only  with  that  for  which  an  adequate 
reason  could  be  assigned.  Having  heard 
of  the  experiments  instituted  by  Torricelli, 
to  find  out  the  cause  of  the  rise  of  water  in  ) 
fountains  and  pumps,  and  of  the  mercurj' 
in  the  barometer,  he  was  induced  to  repeat 
them,  and  to  make  others,  to  satisfy  himself 
upon  the  subject. 

In  1654,  he  invented  his  arithmetical 
triangle,  for  the  solution  of  problems  re- 
specting the  combinations  of  stakes,  in  un- 
finished games  of  hazard  ;  and  long  after 
that,  he  wrote  his  Demonstrations  of  the 
Problems  relating  to  the  Cycloid  ;  besides 
several  pieces  on  other  subjects,  in  the  i 
higher  branches  of  the  mathematics,  for  < 
which  his  genius  was  probably  most  fitted,  j 
Pascal,  though  not  rich,  was  independent  J 
in  his  circumstances  ;  and  as  his  peculiar 
talents,  his  former  habits,  and  the  state  of  his 
health,  all  called  for  retirement,  he  adopted  a 
secluded  mode  of  life.  From  1655,  he  as- 
sociated only  with  a  few  friends  of  the  same 
religious  opinions  with  himself,  and  lived  for 
the  most  part  in  privacy  in  the  society  of 
Port  Royal.  At  this  period,  the  Catholics 
being  divided  into  Jesuits  and  Jansenists, 
Pascal,  being  of  the  latter,  published  his 
famous  Provincial  Letters.  These  are  so 
distinguished  for  their  admirable  wit,  their 
keen  argument,  and  their  exquisite  beauty 
of  style,  as  to  have  even  extorted  praise 
from  Voltaire  and  D'Alembert.  He  also 
wrote  other  pieces  agninst  the  Jesuits, 
marked  with  great  talent. 

Pascal's  health,  however,  continued  to 
decline  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  his  mind 
suflered  in  consequence.  Though  his  life 
had  been  singularly  blameless,  still  he 
seemed  to  be  pained  with  a  sense  of  inward 
sin.  He  was  accustomed  to  wear  as  iron 
belt  around  his  waist,  in  which  were  sharp 
points,  upon   which   he   would   strike  his 


CASPAR    HAUSER. 


319 


I  elbows  or  his  arms,  when  any  unholy  pas- 
■  sion  crossed  his  mind.  He  continued  to 
practise  charity  towards  all  mankind,  and 
severe  austerities  to  himself,  until  at  last 
he  was  attacked  with  sickness,  and  on  the 
nineteenth  of  August,  1662,  he  died.  His 
last  words  were,  "  Alay  God  never  forsake 
me    " 

The  latter  part  of  his  life  was  wholly 
spent  in  religious  meditations,  though  he 
committed  to  paper  such  pious  thoughts  as 
occurred  to  him.  These  were  published 
after  his  death,  under  the  title  of  "  Thoughts 
on  Religion  and  other  Subjects."  They 
have  been  greatly  admired  for  their  depth, 
eloquence,  and  Christian  spirit. 


CASPAR   HAUSER. 

In  the  year  182S,  a  great  sensation  was 
created  throughout  the  civilized  world,  by 
the  story  of  Caspar  Hauser.  This,  as  it 
appears,  was  in  substance  as  follows  :  — 

On  the  twentieth  of  May,  in  the  year 
above  named,  as  a  citizen  of  Nuremberg, 
in  Bavaria,  was  proceeding  along  one  of 
the  streets,  he  happened  to  see  a  young 
man,  in  the  dress  of  a  peasant,  who  was 
standing  like  one  intoxicated,  attempting  to 
move  forward,  yet  appearing  hardly  to  have 
command  of  his  legs.  On  the  approach  of 
the  citizen,  this  stranger  held  out  to  him  a 
letter  directed  to  a  well-known  and  respect- 
able military  officer,  living  in  Nuremberg. 

As  the  house  of  this  person  lay  in  the 
direction  of  the  citizen's  walk,  he  took  the 


youth  thither  with  him.  When  the  servant 
opened  the  door,  the  stranger  put  the  letter 
into  his  hand,  uttering  some  unintelligible 
words.  The  various  questions  which  were 
asked  as  to  his  name,  whence  he  came,  &:c., 
he  seemed  not  to  comprehend.  He  appeared 
e.xcessively  fatigued,  stagirered,  as  if  ex- 
hausted, and  pointed  to  his  feet,  shedding 
tears,  apparently  from  pain.  As  he  seemed 
to  be  suffering  from  hunger,  a  piece  of  meat 
was  given  to  him,  but  scarcely  had  he  tasted 
it,  when  he  spat  it  out,  and  shuddered  as  if 
with  abhorrence.  He  manifested  the  same 
aversion  to  beer.  He  ate  some  bread,  and 
drank  water,  with  signs  of  satisfaction. 

Meanwhile,  all  attempts  to  gain  any  in- 
formation from  him  were  fruitless.  To 
every  question  he  answered  with  the  same 
unintelligible  jargon.  He  seemed  to  hear, 
without  understanding,  and  to  see,  without 
perceiving.  He  shed  many  tears,  and  his 
whole  language  seemed  to  consist  of  moans 
and  unintelligible  sounds. 

The  letter  to  the  ofiicer  above-mentioned 
contained  no  satisfactory  infonnation.  It 
stated  that  the  writer  was  a  poor  day-la- 
borer, with  a  family  of  ten  children  ;  that 
the  bearer  had  been  left  with  him  in  Octo- 
ber, 1812,  and  he  had  never  since  been 
suffered  to  leave  his  house  ;  that  he  had 
received  a  Christian  education,  been  lap- 
tized,  &c.  He  was  sent  to  this  officer  with 
the  request  that  he  might  be  taken  care  of 
till  seventeen  years  old,  and  then  be  made 
a  trooper,  and  placed  in  the  sixth  regiment, 
as  his  father  had  been  of  that  corps.  This 
letter  was  supposed,  of  course,  to  be  de- 
signed to  mislead,  and  no  reliance  was 
placed  upon  it. 

The  otlicer,  suspecting  some  imposition, 
sent  the  stranger  to  the  police.  To  all 
inquiries  the  latter  replied  as  before,  dis- 
playing a  childish  simplicity,  and  awkward 
dulness.  He  was  continually  whimpering, 
and  pointing  to  his  feet.  While  he  had 
the  size  of  a  young  man,  his  face  had  the 
expression  of  a  child.  When  writing  ma- 
terials were  placed  before  him,  he  took  the 
pen  with  alacrity,  and  wrote  Kaspar  Hauser. 
This  so  contrasted  with  his  previous  signs 
of  ignorance  and  dulness,  as  to  excite  sus- 
picions of  imposture,  and  he  was  therefore 
committed  to  a  tower  used  for  the  confine- 
ment of  rogues  and  vagabonds.  In  going 
to  thii  place,  he  sank  down,  groaning  at 
every  step. 

The  body  of  Caspar  seemed  perfectly 
formed,  but  his  face  bore  a  decided  aspect 
of  vulgarity.  When  in  a  state  of  tranquil- 
lity, it  was  either  destitute  of  expression,  or 


jK^»%i%^^  v^*%^v^^.v%. 


320 


CASPAR    HAUSER. 


had  a  look  of  brutish  indifference.  The 
formation  of  his  face,  however,  changed  in 
a  few  months,  and  rapidly  gained  in  ex- 
pression and  animation.  His  feet  bore  no 
marks  of  having  been  confined  by  shoes, 
and  were  finely  formed  ;  the  soles  were  soft 
as  the  palms  of  his  hands.  His  gait  was  a 
waddling,  tottering  progress,  groping  with 
his  hands  as  he  went,  and  often  falling  at 
the  slightest  impediment.  He  could  not. 
for  a  long  time,  go  up  and  down  stairs 
without  assistance.  He  used  his  hands  with 
the  greatest  awkwardness.  In  all  these 
respects,  however,  he  rapidly  improved. 

Caspar  Hauser  soon  ceased  to  be  consid- 
ered either  an  idiot  or  an  impostor.  The 
mildness,  good  nature,  and  obedience  he 
displayed,  precluded  the  idea  that  he  had 
grown  up  with  the  beasts  of  the  forest. 
Yet  he  was  destitute  of  words,  and  seemed 
to  be  disgusted  with  most  of  the  customs 
and  habits  of  civilized  life.  All  the  circum- 
stances combined  to  create  a  belief  that  he 
had  been  brought  up  in  a  state  of  complete 
imprisonment  and  seclusion,  during  the  pre- 
vious part  of  his  e.xistence. 

He  now  became  an  object  of  general  in- 
terest, and  hundreds  of  persons  came  to  see 
him.  He  could  be  persuaded  to  taste  no 
other  food  than  bread  and  water.  Even 
the  smell  of  most  articles  of  food  was  suf- 
ficient to  make  him  shudder.  When  he  first 
saw  a  lighted  candle,  he  appeared  greatly 
delighted,  and  unsuspectingly  put  his  fingers 
into  the  blaze.  When  a  mirror  was  shown 
him,  he  looked  behind,  to  find  the  image  it 
reflected.  Like  a  child,  he  greedily  reached 
for  every  glittering  object,  and  cried  when 
any  desired  thing  was  denied  him.  His 
whole  vocabulary  seemed  hardly  to  exceed 
a  dozen  words,  and  that  of  ross  (horse)  an- 
swered for  all  quadrupeds,  such  as  horses, 
dogs,  and  cats.  When,  at  length,  a  wooden 
horse  was  given  as  a  plaything,  it  seemed 
to  effect  a  great  change  in  him  ;  his  spirits 
revived,  and  his  lethargy  and  indifference 
were  dissipated.  He  would  never  eat  or 
drink  without  first  offering  a  portion  to  his 
horse. 

His  powers  seemed  now  to  be  rapidly 
developed  ;  he  soon  quitted  his  toy,  and 
learned  to  ride  the  living  horse,  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity.  He,  however,  was  greatly 
oppressed,  as  he  acquired  knowledge,  at 
discovering  how  much  inferior  he  was  in 
knowledge  to  those  around  him,  and  this 
led  him  to  express  the  wish  that  he  could 
go  back  to  the  hole  in  which  he  had  always 
been  confined.  From  his  repeated  state- 
ments, now  that  he  had  learned  to  speak,  it 


appeared  that  he  had  been,  from  his  earliest 
recollections,  confined  in  a  narrow  space,  his 
legs  extended  forward  upon  the  floor,  and 
his  body  upright ;  and  here,  without  light, 
and  without  the  power  of  locomotion,  he 
had  remained  for  years.  The  date  or  pe- 
riod of  his  confinement  he  knew  not,  for  in  ; 
his  dungeon  there  was  no  sunrise  or  sunset  ; 
to  mark  the  lapse  of  time.  When  he  awoke 
from  sleep,  he  found  some  bread  and  water 
at  his  side ;  but  who  ministered  to  his 
wants,  he  knew  not ;  he  never  saw  the  face 
of  his  attendant,  who  never  spoke  to  him, 
except  in  some  unintelligible  jargon.  In  his 
hole  he  had  two  wooden  horses,  and  some 
ribands,  as  toys, — and  these  afforded  him 
his  only  amusement.  One  day  had  passed 
as  another  ;  he  had  no  dreams  ;  time  run 
on,  and  life  ebbed  and  flowed,  with  a  dull 
and  almost  unconscious  movement.  After 
a  time  his  keeper  gave  him  a  pencil,  of 
which  he  learned  the  use ;  he  was  then  par- 
tially taught  to  walk,  and  shortly  after,  was 
carried  from  his  prison,  a  letter  put  into  his 
hand,  and  he  was  left,  as  the  beginning  of 
our  story  finds  him,  in  the  streets  of  Nu- 
remberg. 

The  journals  were  now  filled  with  ac- 
counts of  this  mysterious  young  man.  A 
suspicion  was  at  last  started  that  he  was  of 
high  birth,  and  that  important  motives  had 
led  to  the  singular  treatment  he  had  re- 
ceived. He  was  himself  haunted  with  the 
fear  of  assassination,  from  the  idea  that  the 
circumstances  which  led  to  his  incarcera- 
tion, now  that  his  story  was  known,  might 
tempt  his  enemies  to  put  a  period  to  his 
life,  —  thus  seeking  at  once  the  removal  of  a 
hated  object,  and  security  against  detection. 
His  fears  were  at  last  partially  realized  ; 
while  he  was  under  the  care  and  protection 
of  Professor  Daumer,  he  was  attacked  and 
seriously  wounded,  by  a  blow  upon  the  fore- 
head. 

After  this  event.  Earl  Stanhope,  who 
happened  to  be  in  that  part  of  Germany, 
caused  him  to  be  removed  to  Anspach, 
where  he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  an 
able  schoolmaster.  Here  his  fears  subsided ; 
but  in  December,  1S33,  a  stranger,  wrapped 
in  a  large  cloak,  accosted  him,  under  the 
pretence  of  having  an  important  communi- 
cation to  make,  and  proposed  a  meeting. 
Caspar  agreed,  and  they  met  in  the  palace- 
garden,  alone.  The  stranger  drew  some 
papers  from  beneath  his  cloak,  and  while 
Caspar  was  examining  them,  the  ruffian 
stabbed  him  in  the  region  of  the  heart. 
The  wound  did  not  prove  immediately  fatal. 
He  was  able  to  return  home,  and  relate 


I 


k 


DANIEL    LAMBERT. 


what  had  happened.  Messengers  were 
sent  in  pursuit  of  the  assassin,  hut  in  vain. 
Hauser  lingered  tlirce  or  four  days,  —  that 
is,  till  the  seventeenth  of  December,  1S33, 
when  he  died.  On  dissection,  it  appeared 
that  the  knife  had  pierced  to  the  heart, 
making  an  incision  in  its  outer  covering, 
and  slightly  cutting  both  the  liver  and  the 
stomach.  A  reward  of  five  thousand  florins 
was  offered  by  Lord  Stanhope,  for  the  dis- 
covery of  the  assassin,  but  without  effect  — 
nor  was  the  mystery  which  involved  Cas- 
par's story  ever  fully  unravelled. 

Such  was  the  tale  of  tiiis  extraordinary 
individual,  as  it  appeared  a  few  years  ago. 
Since  that  period,  the  fiicts  in  the  case  have 
been  carefully  sifted,  and  the  result  is  a 
settled  convii-tion  that  Hauser  was  an  im- 
postor;  that  the  story  of  his  confinement 
was  a  fabrication  ;  that  his  pretended  igno- 
rance, his  stupidity,  his  childishness,  were 
but  skilful  acting  to  enforce  his  story  ;  and, 
strange  as  it  may  appear,  there  is  no  good 
reason  to  doubt  tliat  the  wounds  he  re- 
ceived, in  both  instances,  were  inflicted  by 
himself.  Such  were  the  deliberate  convic- 
tions of  Earl  Stanhope,  and  others,  who 
investigated  the  facts  on  the  spot,  and  with 
the  best  advantages  for  the  discovery  of  the 
truth.  Caspar's  motive  for  wounding  him- 
self, doubtless,  was  to  revive  the  flagging 
interest  of  the  public  in  his  behalf,  —  a 
source  of  excitement  he  had  so  long  en- 
joyed as  to  feel  unhappy  without  it.  In 
the  latter  instance,  he  doubtless  inflicted  a 
severer  wound  than  he  intended,  and  thus 
put  an  undesigned  period  to  his  existence. 

His  story  presents  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful instances  of  imposture  on  record.  It 
appears  probable  that  he  was  aided  in  his 
imposition  by  the  narrative  of  Fuerbach, 
one  of  the  judges  of  Bavaria,  who  adopted 
some  theory  on  the  subject,  which  he  sup- 
ported with  gross,  though  perhaps  unde- 
signed, misrepresentation.  He  published 
an  interesting  account  of  Hauser,  in  which 
he  rather  colored  and  exaggerated  the  facts, 
thus  maliing  the  narrative  far  more  won- 
derful than  the  reality  would  warrant.  It 
was,  doubtless,  owing  to  these  statements 
of  Fuerbach,  that  an  extraordinary  interest 
|;  in  the  case  was  everywhere  excited  ;  and  it 
is  highly  probable  that  Hauser  himself  was 
encouraged  to  deeper  and  more  extended 
duplicity,  by  the  aid  wiiich  the  mistaken 
credulity  of  the  judge  aflbrdcd  iiim,  tlian  at 
first  he  liad  meditated.  He  probably  looked 
with  surprise  and  wonder  at  the  success  of 
his  tiick,  and  marvelled  at  seeing  himself 
Kuddcnly  converted  from  a  poor  German 


mechanic,  as  he  doubtless  was,  into  a 
prodigy  and  a  hero,  —  exciting  a  .sensation 
throughout  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe. 

The  whole  storv  affords  a  good  illustra- 
tion of  the  folly  of  permitting  the  imagina- 
tion to  lead  us  in  the  investigation  of  (acts, 
and  the  extended  impositions  that  may  flow 
from  the  want  of  exact  and  scrupulous  ve- 
racity in  a  magistrate. 


DANIEL  LAMBERT. 

This  individual  was  born  at  Leicester, 
England,  in  1770,  and  was  apprenticed  to 
the  business  of  a  die-sinker  and  engraver. 
He  afterwards  succeeded  his  father  as 
keeper  of  the  prison  ;  and  from  this  period, 
his  size  began  to  increase  in  a  remarkable 
degree.  In  this  situation  he  continued  for 
some  years,  and  so  exemplary  was  his  con- 
duct, that  when  his  oflice  was  taken  away, 
in  consequence  of  some  new  arrangements, 
he  received  an  annuity  of  £50,  for  life,  as 
a  mark  of  esteem,  and  tlie  iniivcrsal  satis- 
faction he  had  given  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties. 

His  size  increased  to  such  a  degree,  that 
he  was  an  object  of  universal  wonder,  and 
was  at  last  persuaded  to  exhibit  himself  in 
London.  Here  he  was  visited  by  crowds 
of  people,  and,  among  the  rest,  by  Count 
Boruwlaski,  the  Polish  dwarf  The  con- 
trast between  the  two  must  have  been 
striking  indefed ;  for  as  Lambert  was  the 


K  v^'^v^^^^^'^'V^fv^^fV^  v^^^v^.^.^  ^ 


41 


322 


THE    LEOPARD. 


largest  man  ever  known,  so  the  count  was 
one  of  the  smallest.  The  one  weighed 
seven  hundred  and  thirty-nine  pounds,  and 
the  other  probably  not  over  sixty.  Here 
were  the  two  extremes  of  human  stature. 

In  general,  the  health  of  Lambert  was 
good,  his  sleep  sound,  his  respiration  free. 
His  countenance  was  manly  and  intelli- 
gent ;  he  possessed  great  information,  much 
ready  politeness,  and  conversed  with  ease 
and  propriety.      It  is  remarkable    that  he 


was  an  excellent  singer,  his  voice  being  a 
melodious  tenor,  and  his  articulation  clear 
and  unembarrassed.  He  took  several  tours 
through  the  principal  cities  and  towns  of 
Great  Britain,  retaining  his  health  and 
spirits  till  within  a  day  of  his  death,  which 
took  place  in  June,  1809.  His  measure 
round  the  body  was  nine  feet  four  inches, 
and  a  suit  of  clothes  cost  him  one  hundred 
dollars  ! 


THE   LEOPARD. 


Tins  animal  is  more  slender  and  graceful 
than  the  African  panther,  yet  it  has  all 
the  savage  qualities  of  the  feline  race.  Its 
skin  is  exceedingly  beautiful,  being  of  a 
light  fawn  color,  marked  with  black  spots. 
Nothing  can  surpass  the  ease,  grace,  and 
agility  of  its  movements. 

Two  boors,  in  southern  Africa,  in  1S22, 
returning  from  hunting  the  hartebeest,  fell 
in  with  a  leopard  in  a  mountain  ravine, 
and  immediately  gave  chase  to  him.  The 
animal,  at  first,  endeavored  to  escape,  by 
clambering  up  a  precipice,  but  being  hotly 
pressed,  and  slightly  wounded  by  a  musket- 
ball,  he  turned  upon  his  pursuers,  with  that 
frantic  ferocity  which,  on  such  emergencies, 
he  frequently  displays.  Springing  upon 
the  man  who  had  hred  at  him,  he  tore  him 
from  his  horse  to  the  ground,  biting  him  at 
the  same  time  very  severely  on  the  shoul- 
der, and  tearing  his  face  and  arms  with  his 
claws.  The  other  hunter,  seeing  the  danger 
of  his  comrade,  sprang  from  his  horse,  and 
attempted  to  shoot  the  leopard  through  the 


head  ;  but,  whether  owing  to  trepidation, 
the  fear  of  wounding  his  friend,  or  the  sud- 
den motions  of  the  animal,  he  unfortunately 
missed  his  aim. 

The  leopard,  abandoning  his  prostrate 
enemy,  darted  with  redoubled  fury  upon 
this  second  antagonist ;  and  so  fierce  and 
sudden  was  this  onset,  that,  before  the  boor 
could  stab  him  with  his  hunting-knife,  he 
struck  him  in  the  eyes  with  his  claws,  and 
had  torn  the  scalp  over  his  forehead.  In 
this  frightful  condition,  the  hunter  grappled 
with  the  raging  beast,  and  struggling  for 
life,  they  both  rolled  together  down  a  steep 
declivity.  All  this  passed  so  rapidly,  that 
the  other  man  had  scarcely  time  to  recover 
from  the  confusion  into  which  his  feline  foe 
had  thrown  him,  to  seize  his  gun,  and  rush 
forward  to  aid  his  commde,  —  when  he  be- 
held them  rolling  together  down  the  steep 
bank,  in  mortal  conflict.  In  a  few  moments 
he  was  at  the  bottom  with  them,  but  too 
late  to  save  the  life  of  his  friend,  who  had 
so  gallantly  defended   him.     The   leopard 


«^* 


THE    ASP. 


22-^ 


had  torn  open  the  jugular  vein,  and  so 
dreadfully  mangled  the  throat  of  the  unfor- 
tunate man,  that  his  death  was  inevitable  ; 
and  his  comrade  had  only  the  melancholy 
satisfaction  of  completing  the  destruction 
of  the  savage  beast,  which  was  already 
much  exhausted  by  several  deep  wounds  in 
the  breast,  from  the  desperate  knife  of  the 
expiring  huntsman. 

Mr.  Bromi  gives  us  the  following  account. 
"  There  are  at  present  in  the  Tower  a  pair 
of  these  animals,  from  Asia,  confined  in  the 
same  den.  The  female  is  very  tame,  and 
gentle  in  her  temper,  and  will  allow  herself 
to  be  patted  and  caressed  by  the  keepers, 
while  she  licks  their  hands,  and  purs.  She, 
however,  has  one  peculiarity,  —  that  she 
cannot  bear  many  of  the  appendages  which 
visitors  bring  with  them  to  the  menagerie. 
She  has  a  particular  predilection  for  the  de- 
struction of  parasols,  umbrellas,  muffs,  and 
hats,  which  she  frequently  contrives  to  lay 


hold  of  before  the  unwarj-  spectator  can 
prevent  it,  and  tears  them  to  pieces  in  an 
instant.  She  has  been  five  years  in  the 
Tower,  during  which  time  she  has  seized 
and  destroyed  several  hundred  of  these  arti- 
cles, as  well  as  other  parts  of  ladies'  dresses 
While  this  creature  is  in  a  playful  mood, 
she  bounds  about  her  cell  with  the  quick- 
ness of  thought,  touching  the  four  sides  of 
it  nearly  at  one  and  the  same  instant.  So 
rapid  are  her  motions,  that  she  can  scarcely 
be  followed  by  the  eye  ;  and  she  will  even 
skim  along  the  ceilingof  her  apartment  with 
the  same  amazing  rapidity,  evincing  great 
pliability  of  form  and  wonderful  muscular 
powers.  The  male  has  been  about  two 
years  in  the  Tower,  and  is  only  beginning 
to  suffer  familiarities  ;  but  he  seems  jealous 
of  the  slightest  approach.  He  is  larger  than 
the  female,  the  color  of  his  skin  more  high- 
ly toned,  and  the  spotting  more  intensely 
black." 


THE   ASP. 


Tins  malignant  species  of  reptile  is  con- 
fined to  hot  countries.  It  is  about  a  foot  in 
length,  and  nearly  half  an  inch  in  thickness. 
It  is  oviparous  ;  and,  in  a  very  short  time 
after  it  bites  and  injects  its  venom,  death  is 
the  consequence.  After  the  wound  is  in- 
flicted, slumber  takes  place,  then  a  deep 
slci'p,  then  death.  Galen,  the  ancient  and 
celebrated  physician,  says  he  witnessed  the 
activity  of  the  poison.  It  was  in  the  case 
of  a  criminal  in  Alexandria,  condemned  to 
death,  whose  sufferings  were  to  be  easily 
and  speedily  terminated.     An  asp  was  ap- 


plied to  his  breast,  and  after  it  had  crawled 
there  for  a  short  time,  he  expired. 

In  Scripture,  wicked  men  arc  compared 
to  asps,  on  account  of  their  subtletv,  their 
malignity,  and  their  gradual,  but  certain,   ;| 
murdering  of  themselves  and  others  with    ' 
the    cruel    venom  of  sin  ;   (Horn.   iii.   13.) 
"  The  poison  of  asps  is  under  their  lips." 

It  seems  that  Cleopatra,  the  celebrated 
Queen  of  Egypt,  after  the  death  of  her  lover, 
and  the  defeat  of  her  armies,  in  order  to  avoid 
being  taken  in  triumph  to  Rome,  applied  an 
asp  to  her  breast,  and  thus  speedily  died. 


LUMINOUS   PLANTS   AND   ANIMALS. 


Before  the  creation  of  light,  the  world 
must  have  been  involved  in  darkness.  A 
state  of  darkness  is  the  natural  condition 
of  the  universe  without  light.  We  are  very 
apt  to  think  of  everything  as  a  matter  of 
course,  and  we  are  not  apt  to  reflect  that 
everything  has  been  made,  created  —  by 
God.  Now,  let  us  bear  in  mind  the  fact, 
that  darkness  was  the  original  state  of  the 
universe  ;  then  let  us  reflect  upon  the  stu- 
pendous, beautiful  and  benignant  creation 
of  light.  How  wonderful  must  have  been 
the  first  rising  of  the  sun  upon  this  world 
of  ours,  before  involved  in  the  shades  of 
midnight !  How  wonderful  must  have  been 
the  first  appearance  of  the  thousand  stars  in 
the  sky  —  and  how  wonderful  that  of  the 
pale,  but  lovely  moon,  hung  like  a  bow  in 
the  heavens,  or  bursting  in  its  full  splendor 
upon  our  world  below  ! 

And  let  us  consider  a  moment  what  a 
wonderful  element  light  is.  We  do  not 
understand  all  its  properties,  but  we  know 
that  it  proceeds  in  a  straight  direction  from 
its  source.  Now  the  sun  produces  light, 
and  it  comes  to  us  with  an  inconceivable 
velocity.  The  distance  of  the  sun  is  ninety- 
five  millions  of  miles  from  us  —  yet  the 
rays  of  light  reach  us  in  seven  minutes  and 
a  half;  thus  showing  that  the  rays  fly  at 
the  rate  of  two  hundred  thousand  miles  in 
a  second ! 


Let  us  consider,  for  one  instant,  what  a 
stupendous  work  it  was  to  make  and  sustain 
the  sun,  which  is  every  instant  pouring  ofl' 
a  flood  of  lighten  all  sides, -reaching  ninety- 
five  millions  of  miles,  and  flowing  constantly 
at  the  rate  of  two  hundred  thousand  miles 
a  second  ;  and  consider,  also,  that  this  pro- 
cess has  been  in  operation  for  at  least  six 
thousand  years!  This  is  indeed  enough  to 
overwhelm  us  with  wonder  and  admiration  ; 
and  yet  we  are  only  considering  one  source 
of  light  —  the  sun  —  while  every  fixed  star 
in  the  firmament  is  another,  and  presents 
the  same  topic  of  admiration. 

We  might  now  pass  from  this  view  of 
the  subject,  to  the  uses  of  light  —  and  re- 
mark upon  the  fact,  that  by  means  of  it  we 
see  things.  Color  and  form  —  all  that  con- 
stitutes the  beauty  of  the  world  of  vision  — 
is  revealed  to  us  by  light.  The  production 
of  light — its  manufacture  and  supply  —  is 
a  stupendous  thing  —  but  yet  its  conception, 
its  invention,  was  still  more  wonderful. 
There  was  a  time  when  all  was  darkness. 
It  was  then  that  God  said,  "  Let  there  be 
light,  and  there  was  light ! "  But  he  had 
an  object  in  producing  light.  He  intended 
that  his  creatures  should  see  by  it.  How 
great,  then,  were  his  wisdom  and  goodness 
in  designing  it  —  how  wonderful  his  power 
in  producing  it ! 

The  philosophy  of  light  is  exceedingly 


LUMINOUS    PLANTS    AND    ANIMALS. 


325 


curious,  but  our  intention,  at  present,  is  to 
speak  only  of  some  curious  particulars  in 
relation  to  it.  In  tlie  first  place,  we  remark 
that  there  are  some  plants  which  throw  out 
light.  A  gentleman  observed,  in  the  shady 
recesses  of  some  of  the  rocks  of  Derbyshire, 
England,  a  brilliant  gold  and  green  light, 
which  appeared  to  proceed  from  a  fine  net- 
work of  moss,  growing  upon  the  rocks.  In 
the  coal  mines  near  Dresden,  in  Germany, 
there  are  certain  mosses,  which  are  said  to 
be  abundant  and  luminous.  They  are  de- 
scribed by  a  visitor  as  appearing  in  "  won- 
derful beauty,"  and  he  says,  "  The  impres- 
sion produced  by  the  spectacle,  I  can  never 
forget.  The  abundance  of  these  plants  was 
so  great,  that  the  roof,  and  the  wails,  and 
the  pillars,  were  entirely  covered  with  them. 
The  beautiful  light  they  cast  around  was 
almost  dazzling;  it  resembled  faint  moon- 
shine, so  that  two  persons,  near  each  other, 
could  readily  distinguish  their  bodies." 

The  phosphorescence  of  the  sea  presents 
a  most  remarkable  spectacle.     Sometimes 


the  vessel,  while  ploughing  her  way  through 
the  billows,  appears  to  mark  out  a  furrow 
of  fire.  Each  stroke  of  an  oar  gives  rise  to 
sparks  of  light,  sometimes  tranquil  and 
pearly,  at  others  brilliant  and  dazzling. 
T&hese  movable  lights,  too,  are  grouped  in 
endless  varieties  ;  their  thousand  luminous 
points,  like  little  stars,  appearing  to  float  on 
the  surface  ;  and  their  matter  Ibrming  one 
vast  sheet  of  light.  At  such  times,  the 
bright  waves  heave,  roll,  and  break  in  shin- 
ing foam  ;  or  large  sparkling  bodies,  resem- 
bling the  forms  of  fishes,  pursue  each  other, 
disappearing  and  bursting  forth  anew. 

Beautiful  illuminations  of  the  same  kind 
are  frequently  seen  at  a  great  depth  in  the 
clear  water,  which  in  the  night  time  becomes 
jet  black.  Often,  througli  this  dark,  yet 
limpid  medium,  have  voyagers  amused 
themselves,  by  tracking  the  routes  of  large 
fishes,  such  as  porpoises  or  sharks,  gleaming 
along  in  lines  of  light  beneath  the  abyss, 
itself  invisible  w'ith  gloom. 

As  Captain  Tuckey  passed  in  his  voyage 


Luminous  marine  animals,  magnified. 


towards  Prince's  Island,  the  ship  seemed  to  I  hoop,  was  kept  overboard  and,  by  means 
be  sailintr  on  a  sea  of  milk.  In  order  to '  of  it,  vast  numbers  of  sma..  animals  were 
discover  the  cause  of  such  an  appearance, '  collected.  Among  them,  were  a  great  many 
a  bag,  having  its   mouth  distended   by  a ,  small  sea  animals,  with   iimiimerable  little 


326 


LUMINOUS    PLANTS    AND    ANUIALS. 


creatures  attached  to  them,  to  which  Cap- 
tain Tuckey  principally  attributed  the 
whitish  color  of  the  water. 

Thirteen  species  of  cancer  were  observed, 
not  above  one  fourth  of  an  inch  long;  eight 
having  the  shape  of  crabs,  and  five  that  of 
shrimps.  Among  these,  some  luminous 
creatures  were  discernible.  When  one 
species  was  examined  by  the  microscope, 
in  candle-light,  the  luminous  property  was 
observed  to  reside  in  the  brain,  which, 
when  the  animal  was  at  rest,  resembled  a 
most  brilliant  amethyst,  about  the  size  of  a 
large  pin's  head  ;  and  from  this  there  darted, 
when  the  animal  moved,  flashes  of  a  bril- 
liant and  silvery  light. 

Of  the  number  of  these  little  creatures, 
of  some  of  which  a  magnified  representation 
is  here  annexed,  some  interesting  state- 
ments are  furnished  by  Captain  Scoresby. 
"  During  a  run  of  fifty  leagues,"  he  says, 
"  the  sea  was  constantly  of  an  olive-green 
color,  remarkably  tinted  ;  but,  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  17th  of  April,  it  changed  to 
transparent  blue.  This  green  appearance 
of  the  sea,  in  these  latitudes,  was  occasioned 
by  myriads  of  small  marine  animals.  A 
calculation  of  the  number  of  these  animals, 
in  the  space  of  two  miles  square,  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  fathoms  deep,  gave  an 
amount  of  23,8SS,000,000,000  ! 

"  On  September  1st,  the  sea  was  colored 
in  veins  or  patches,  of  a  brown  color,  or 
sometimes  with  a  yellowish  green ;  and 
this  water,  on  being  examined  by  the  mi- 
croscope, appeared  swarming  with  minute 
marine  animals.  A  drop  of  this  water  con- 
tained twenty-six  thousand  five  hundred 
animalcula2.  Hence,  reckoning  sixty  drops 
to  a  drachm,  there  would  be  a  number  in  a 
gallon  of  water  exceeding  by  one  half  the 
amount  of  the  whole  population  of  the  globe. 
It  afibrds  an  interesting  conception  of  the 
minuteness  of  some  tribes  of  animals,  when 
we  think  of  more  than  twenty-six  thousand 
individuals,  living,  obtaining  subsistence, 
and  moving  perfectly  at  their  ease,  in  a 
single  drop  of  water  !  " 

A  sea  is  required  for  a  whale  to  spout  in ; 
but  a  common  tumbler  allbrds  abundant 
space  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of 
these  little  creatures  !  The  phosphorescent 
appearances  presented  by  them  are  not, 
however,  without  an  important  design.  It 
is  probable  that  God,  whose  knowledge  is 
unbounded,  foreseeing  that  man  would  learn 
to  traverse  the  mighty  deep,  and  explore 
the  most  distant  regions  of  the  globe,  has 
given  this  brightness  to  the  ocean  to  lessen 


his  dangers,  and  to  render  his  nights  less 
gloomy.  _ 

Especially  will  this  seem  likely,  when  it 
is  remembered  that  it  is  seen  only  in  the 
night  season,  and  is  vivid  in  proportion  to 
the  darkness.  It  disappears  even  before 
the  feeble  light  of  the  moon,  and  increases 
with  the  agitation  of  the  sea ;  so  that,  dur- 
ing the  prevalence  of  a  storm,  it  generally 
diminishes  the  dense  gloom,  which  at  such 
times  even  the  moon  and  stars  cannot  pen- 
etrate. It  casts  such  a  light  on  the  ship 
and  rigging,  that  the  sailors  may  execute 
their  allotted  tasks  with  certainty,  and  at 
all  times  it  points  out  to  the  cautious  mari- 
ner the  lurking  danger  of  sunken  rocks, 
shoals  and  unknown  coasts. 

It  is  well  known  that  sea  animals,  larger 
than  those  minute  creatures  of  which  we 
have  been  speaking,  have  also  the  power 
of  emitting  light.  Pliny  tells  us,  that  some 
of  the  old  Romans,  in  his  time,  used  to  sup 
in  darkened  apartments  upon  the  pkdas,  a 
kind  of  shell-fish,  which  gave  out  sparks  of 
light,  and  amused  the  people,  while  they 
gratified  their  appetites.  A  traveller  in  a 
remote  land  speaks  of  fishes  that  played 
around  the  boats,  each  being  encircled  by  a 
halo  of  light. 

But  the  land  has  its  luminous  animals, 
as  well  as  the  sea.  The  glow-worm  is 
common  in  Europe  ;  this  is  a  female  beetle, 
without  wings.  It  emits  a  light  of  a  sul- 
phur color,  so  strong  that  if  placed  at  night 
on  a  page  of  small  print,  it  may  be  easily 
read.  In  Africa  there  is  an  insect  that 
emits  light  from  two  globes,  like  lamps, 
upon  its  horns. 

The  fire-fly  of  South  America  is  very 
common,  and  its  light  is  so  brilliant  as  that 
several  put  together  will  enable  a  person  to 
see  to  write.  The  fire-fly  of  our  country, 
which  seems  to  make  the  landscape  at  night 
sparkle  as  with  a  thousand  gems,  is  smaller 
than  that  of  South  America. 

In  the  East  Indies,  thousands  of  lantern- 
flies,  sending  forth  a  beautiful  illumination, 
are  seen  dancing  at  night  amid  the  banyan 
trees;  and  candle-flies,  of  which  we  give  a 
cut  at  the  head  of  this  article,  have  a  simi- 
lar power. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  facts  connected 
with  the  luminous  qualities  of  plants  and  i 
animals.  We  do  not  fully  understand  the 
uses  of  these  powers,  but  we  can  see  that 
the  subject  of  light  is  very  extensive,  and 
that  the  study  of  it  leads  to  a  great  many 
curious  and  wonderful  realities. 


DESERTS   OF  AFRICA   AND   ASIA, 


bj  Africa,  as  well  as  Asia,  there  are  im- 
meriSe  tracts  of  land  called  deserts,  which 
consist  of  vast  plains  composed  of  loose 
sand.  Large  portions  of  these  are  utterly 
destitute  of  vegetation,  and  sometimes,  in 
crossing  them,  the  traveller  sees  not  a  hill 
or  mountain,  or  human  dwelling,  or  even  a 
tree  or  shrub,  or  blade  of  grass.  All  around 
is  a  sea  of  sand,  and  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  it  is  one  scene  of  lifeless  solitude  and 
desolation. 

These  trackless  wastes  are  traversed  by 
caravans,  which  are  companies  of  travellers 
usually  mounted  upon  camels.  Horses 
travel  in  these  sands  with  difficultv.  Their 
feet  sink  in  the  soil ;  they  are  overcome 
with  heat,  and  parched  with  drought.  The 
camel,  on  the  contrary,  has  a  large,  spongy 
foot,  which  does  not  sink  in  the  sand  ;  he 
can  bear  e.xcessive  heat,  and  by  a  curious 
contrivance  of  nature,  is  enabled  to  go  with- 
out water  for  five  or  six  days.  This  valua- 
ble creature  is  called  the  ship  of  the  desert, 
because  it  enables  the  merchants  of  Asia 
and  Africa  to  transport  their  merchandise 
over  the  sea  of  sand,  just  as  a  ship  carries 
goods  from  one  part  of  the  world  to  another, 
across  the  briny  ocean.  It  seems  really  as 
if  Providence  had  provided  this  singular 
animal  on  purpose  to  enable  mankind  to 
tnivcrse  the  great  deserts  which  are  spread 
out  upon  the  eastern  continent. 

The  desert  of  Sahara  stretches  nearly 
from  the  eastern  to  the  western  coast  of 
Africa,  a  distance  of  almost  three  thousand 
miles.     Its  width   is  about  eight  hundred 


mncs.  Its  whole  extent  is  nearly  eq\ial  to 
that  of  the  United  States.  This  vast  region, 
though  for  the  most  part  a  scene  of  absolute 
desolation,  has  a  few  spots  where  the  water 
collects  in  pools,  around  which  some  vege- 
tation springs  up.  These  places,  which 
bear  a  delightf\d  contrast  to  the  surround- 
ing sterility,  and  cheer  the  eye  of  the  thirsty, 
weary  traveller,  are  called  oases.  Here  the 
caravans  quench  their  thirst,  and  repose  in 
the  delicious  shadow  of  the  trees.  The 
deserts  of  Arabia  are  far  less  extensive,  but 
they  are  of  a  similar  character  to  that  of 
Sahara. 

It  might  seem  that  those  inhospitable 
regions  would  be  deserted  by  man ;  hut 
they  arc  not  only  crossed  bv  companies  of 
travellers  who  wish  to  pass  from  one  coun- 
try to  another,  but  by  bands  of  wandering 
Arabs,  who  spend  their  whole  lives  upon 
these  deserts.  These  are,  for  the  most  part, 
desperate  robbers.  Thus,  the  lonely  desert 
has  its  pirates,  as  well  as  the  lonely  sea. 
These  thieves  have  not  only  swift  camels, 
but  swifi.  horses ;  and  it  is  amazing  to  see 
how  rapidly  they  will  speed  over  the  sandy 
plains.  They  come  upon  the  traveller  almost 
as  suddenh'  as  the  hawlc  that  descends  from 
the  sky  upon  its  unsuspecting  prey,  and  they 
disappear  almost  as  suddenly. 

It  might  seem  that  these  inhabitants  of 
the  desert  would  lead  a  miserable  life,  and 
especially  that  they  would  often  be  swal- 
lowed up  in  the  terrific  san  i  storms,  which 
sometimes  sweep  over  these  wastes.  The 
sand,  being  loose  and  dry,  is  borne  upward 


32S 


THE    PRONG-HOKNED    ANTELOI'E. 


by  the  whirling  tempest,  and  is  seen  driving 
over  the  plain,  like  a  terrific  thunder-cloud. 
The  experienced  traveller  sees  the  coming 
danger,  and  prepares  himself  for  it.  He 
throws  himself  upon  the  ground,  and  covers 
his  face  so  as  not  to  be  choked  with  the 
dust.  The  horses  and  camels,  guided  by 
instinct,  also  put  their  noses  to  the  earth  to 
prevent  being  suffocated.  If  the  storm  is 
slight,  the  party  escapes ;  but  sometimes, 
such  immense  waves  of  sand  are  drifted 
upon  the  wind,  as  to  bury  the  traveller  so 
deeply  beneath  it,  as  to  make  it  his  wind- 
ing-sheet forever.  Sometimes  whole  cara- 
vans, with  their  horses  and  camels,  have 
been  in  this  manner  overwhelmed  —  thus 


making  the  waves  of  the  desert  as  fatal  as 
the  waves  of  the  sea. 

Yet,  despite  the  terrors  of  the  desert,  the 
Arabs  are  a  lively  and  cheerful  race.  On 
their  march,  they  stop  at  night;  and  in  their 
tents,  spread  beneath  the  starry  canopv,  the 
laugh,  the  jest  and  the  song  go  round.  There 
are  among  them  professed  story-tellers,  who 
delight  the  listeners  with  fanciful  tales  of  en- 
chantment, adventure,  and  love,  or  perhaps 
they  repeat,  in  an  animated  manner,  some 
fine  specimens  of  Arabic  poetry.  Thiis  it  is, 
that  mankind,  occupying  the  gloomiest  parts 
of  the  earth,  have  amusements.  As  the  steel 
is  made  to  yield  its  spark,  so  the  Arab  finds 
pleasure  in  the  desert. 


THE  PRONG-HORNED  ANTELOPE. 


The  Antelope  has  ever  been  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  animals.  It 
resembles  the  common  deer,  but  it  is  smaller 
and  more  elegant.  There  are  several  vari- 
eties in  Asia  and  Africa,  and  one  in  the 
western  and  northern  parts  of  North  Amer- 
ica. This  bears  the  name  of  the  Prong- 
horned  Antelope,  on  account  of  the  shape 
of  the  horns. 

It  is  sometimes  a  solitary  animal,  some- 
times assembled  in  herds  of  ten  or  twelve. 
Its  sight  and  sense  of  smell  are  acute,  and 
its  speed  is  greater  than  that  of  any  other 
inhabitant  of  the  plains,  although,  when 
there  is  a  little  snow  on  the  ground,  it  may, 
with  some  little  management,  be  run  down 
by  a  high-bred  horse.  The  Indian  hunters 
have  uo  difficulty  in  bringing  an   antelope 


within  gun-shot  by  various  stratagems,  such 
as  lying  down  on  their  backs,  and  kicking 
their  heels  in  the  air,  holding  up  a  white 
rag,  clothing  themselves  in  a  white  shirt, 
and  showing  themselves  only  at  intervals. 
By  these  and  similar  manoeuvres,  the  curi- 
osity of  a  herd  of  antelopes  is  so  much 
roused,  that  they  wheel  round  the  object 
of  their  attention,  and  at  length  approach 
near  enough  to  enable  the  hunter  to  make 
sure  of  his  mark.  From  this  disposition 
of  the  prong-horned  antelopes,  they  are 
more  easily  killed  than  any  of  the  deer  of 
the  district  they  inhabit.  They  are  however 
objects  of  little  interest  to  the  Indians,  who 
eat  their  flesh  only  when  the  bison,  moose, 
or  wapiti  are  not  to  be  procured ;  and  their 
skins  are  of  no  value  as  an  article  of  trade. 


COVENT-GARDEN    FLOWER-BIARKET. 


329 


The  most  northerly  rancre  of  the  prongf- 
horned  antelope  is  latitude  53°  on  the  banks 
of  the  north  branch  of  the  Saskatchewan. 
Some  of  them  remain  the  whole  year  on 
the  south  branch  of  that  river,  bnt  they  are 
merely  summer  visitors  to  the  north  branch. 
They  also  abound  on  the  plains  of  the  Co- 
lumbia to  the  west  of  the  Kocky  Mountains, 
and  as  far  south  as  California.  They  fre- 
quent open  prairies  and  low  hills,  inter- 
spersed with  clumps  of  wood,  but  are  not 
met  with  in  the  continuously-woo'ded  coun- 


tr}'.  They  feed  on  the  grass  of  the  plains 
durinn-  the  summer,  but  migrate  towards  the 
mountains  at  the  commencement  of  winter, 
and  subsist  there  during  that  season  on 
leaves  and  shrubs. 

This  animal  has  a  jTraceful  form,  and 
slender  head,  with  large  eyes,  and  long  and 
delicate  limbs.  The  horns  are  black,  and 
rise  directly  upwards.  The  upper  parts  of 
the  body  are  of  a  clear  yellowish  brown 
color,  the  under  parts  are  pure  white. 


COVENT-GARDEN   FLOWER-MARKET. 


TiiF.KF.  is  no  place  more  curious  than  the 
maiKct  of  a  great  city;  and  of  all  markets, 
one  of  the  most  wonderful  is  that  of  Covcnt 
Garden,  London.  It  is  a  vast  sq\iare  build- 
ing, with  a  court  in  the  centre,  where  the 
articles  are  chiefly  sold. 

The  flower-market  is  but  one  small  por- 
tion of  this  head-quarters  of  fish,  flesh,  and 
fowl.  But  in  the  season  of  flowers,  it  pre- 
sents a  spectacle  that  may  well  excite  admi- 
ration. The  number  of  cut  flowers,  as  well 
as   those   in   pots,   surpasses   computation. 


The  brilliancy  and  perfume  of  the  place 
make  it  seem  like  the  "  garden  of  Giil  in 
her  bloom."  Here  is  the  camellia  for  the  hair 
of  the  beauty  ;  the  half-crown  rose  for  the 
button-hole  of  the  beau ;  and  the  bouquet 
for  the  belt  or  gloved  hand  of  the  favorite. 

It  is  really  delightful,  after  wandering 
about  in  the  smoke  and  mud  of  London,  to 
come  to  this  charmed  spot,  and  think  of  the 
country  where  these  lovely  things  are  all 
at  home. 


4i2 


THE   LEMING. 


The  Leming,  which  is  a  native  of  Scan- 
dinavia, is  somewhat  larger  than  a  dormouse, 
having  a  short,  hushy  tail.  Its  fore  legs  are 
short,  and  its  hind  ones  are  long,  which  give 
it  a  degree  of  swiftness.  It  is  particularly 
remarkable  for  its  migrations,  in  which  many 
millions  remove  from  their  native  mountains 
and  descend  like  a  torrent  upon  the  plains. 
They  move,  for  the  most  part,  in  a  square, 
marching  forward  by  n'ght  and  lying  still 
by  day.  Thus,  like  an  animated  torrent, 
th"'''  are  often  seen  more  than  a  mile  broad, 
covering  the  ground,  and  that  so  thick,  that 
the  hindmost  touches  the  leader. 

It  is  in  vain  that  the  poor  inhabitant  re- 
sists or  attempts  to  stop  their  progress ;  thej' 
still  keep  moving  forward;  and  though  thou- 
sands aie  destroyed,  myriads  are  seen  to 
succeed,  and  make  their  destruction  imprac- 
ticable. They  generally  move  in  lines, 
which  are  about  three  feet  from  each  other, 
and  exactly  parallel.  Their  march  is  always 
directed  from  the  north-west  to  the  south- 
east, and  renularly  conducted  from  the  be- 
ginning. Wherever  their  motions  are 
turned,  nothing  can  stop  them;  they  go 
directly  forward,  impelled  by  some  strange 
power ;  and  from  the  time  they  first  set  out 
they  never  once  think  of  retreating.  If  a 
lake  or  a  river  happens  to  intercept  their 
progress,  they  all  together  take  to  the  water 
and  swim  over  it ;  a  fire,  a  deep  well,  or  a 
torrent,  does  not  turn  them  out  of  their 
direction  ;  they  boldly  plunge  into  the 
flames,  or  leap  down  the  well,  where  they 
are  sometimes  seen  climbing  up  on  the 
other  side. 


If  they  are  interrupted  by  a  boat  across 
a  river,  while  they  are  swimming,  they 
never  attempt  to  swim  round  it,  but  mount 
directly  up  its  sides,  and  the  boatmen,  who 
know  how  vain  resistance  in  such  a  case 
may  be,  calmly  suffer  the  living  torrent  to 
pass  on,  v.'hich  it  does  without  further  dam- 
age. If  they  meet  with  a  stack  of  hay  or 
corn  that  interrupts  their  passage,  instead 
of  going  over  it,  they  gnaw  their  way 
through.  It  is  happy, however,  for  man- 
kind, that  they  eat  nothing  that  is  prepared 
for  human  subsistence ;  they  never  enter  a 
house  to  destroy  the  provisions,  but  are  con- 
tented with  eating  everj-  root  and  vegetable 
that  they  meet.  If  they  happen  to  pass 
through  a  meadow,  they  destroy  it  in  a  very 
short  time,  and  give  it  the  appearance  of 
being  burnt  up  and  strewed  with  ashes. 

An  enemy  so  numerous  and  destructive 
would  quickly  render  the  countries  where 
they  appear,  utterly  uninhabitable,  did  it 
not  fortunately  hapjjen  that  the  same  rapac- 
ity that  animates  them  to  destroy  the  labor 
of  mankind,  at  last  impels  them  to  destroy 
and  devour  each  other.  After  committing 
incredible  devastation,  they  are  at  last  seen 
to  separate  into  two  armies,  opposed  with 
deadly  hatred,  and  the}'  continue  their  en- 
gagements till  one  party  overcomes  the 
other.  From  that  time  they  utterly  disap- 
pear; some  suppose  that  they  rush  headlong 
into  the  sea  ;  others,  that  they  kill  them- 
selves ;  but  the  most  probable  opinion  is, 
that  having  devoured  the  vegetable  produc- 
tions of  the  country,  they  fall  to  devouring 
one  another.     However  this  may  be,  they 


THE    INDIAN    DANDY. 


331 


are  found  dead  by  thousands,  and  their  car- 
casses have  been  known  to  infect  the  air 
for  several  miles  around,  so  as  to  produce 
very  malignant  disorders. 

The  Swedes  and  Norwegians,  who  live 
by  husbandry',  consider  an  invasion  from 
these  vermin  as  a  terrible  visitation  ;  but  it 
is  very  different  with  respect  to  tlie  Lap- 


THE   INDIAN   DANDY. 


It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  love  of 
fine  dress  is  confined  to  city  dandies  and 
dandiscttes.  By  no  means;  for  travellers 
tell  us  that  among  the  tribes  that  inhabit 
the  far  west,  the  young  Indian  men  have  a 
groat  fancy  for  dressing  themselves  up  in  a 
fanciful  way. 


The  picture  at  the  head  of  this  article '  ann.  His  robe  is  made  of  ornamented  deer 
roproscnts  a  young  man  whose  name  was  'skins;  —  his  kilt  is  of  leather,  fringed  with 
Prairie  Wolf,  and  it  is  a  very  good  likeness.  I  wampum. 


landers,  who  lead  a  vagrant  life  like  the 
beings  themselves.  They  are  never  so 
happy  as  when  an  army  of  these  creatures 
come  down  amongst  them,  for  then  they 
have  a  feast  upon  their  flesh,  which  they 
esteem  ven,*  good  eating,  altliough  rejected 
both  by  cats  and  dogs. 


He  has  upon  his  head  the  horns  of  a  bufl^ilo 
which  he  slew  in  the  chase  ;  and  beneath 
is  the  hair  of  the  buflalo's  pate,  with  a  cir- 
cular and  notched  piece  of  leather,  forming 
togetiier  a  sort  of  crown.  He  has  beads 
around  his  neck,  with  a  necklace  of  bears' 
claws.     He  has,  also,  a  bracelet  on  his  left 


^'^^'^^^M 


332 


THE    CHINCHILLA. 


This  dress  is  very  modest  for  a  young 
Indian.  Very  often  the.  young  fellows, 
wl"^n  they  wish  to  appear  lovely  in  the  eyes 
of  the  girls,  paint  themselves  red,  blue  and 
green  :  they  decorate  their  heads  with 
feathers,  and,  altogether,  make  a  most  ex- 
traordinary display.  They  then  mount  a 
horse,  and  ride  swiftly  around  the  village, 
coming  often  before  the  women  to  excite 
their  admiration. 

The  grave  old  warriors  and  hunters,  who 
have  done  great  deeds  in  their  day,  laugh 
at  such  things,  and  ridicule  them  as  very 
contemptible.  Indeed,  when  an  Indian  has 
performed  some  distinguished  feat  in  battle, 


or  the  chase,  he  usually  ceases  to  be  a  dandy 
in  dress. 

One  thing  is  curious  among  the  Indians, 
and  that  is,  that  this  love  of  dress  is  chiefly 
confined  to  the  men.  The  women,  indeed, 
decorate  themselves  with  a  few  beads  and 
other  ornaments ;  but  real  dandyism  belongs 
wholly  to  the  other  se.x.  The  females  are 
usually  modest  in  their  attire,  and  seldom 
seek  to  excite  admiration  by  their  dress.  It 
seems  to  be  among  the  Indians  as  among 
the  turkeys  —  the  cocks  are  the  only  ones 
that  strut  about,  showing  off  their  fine 
feathers  ! 


THE   CHINCHILLA. 


This  pretty  little  animal  is  six  inches  long, 
with  small  rounded  ears,  large  black  eyes, 
and  a  tail  of  moderate  length.  It  is  a  spe- 
cies of  field  rat,  found  in  the  northern  parts 
of  Chili,  in  South  America.  It  lives  in 
burrows,  and  feeds  upon  the  roots  of  bulbous 
plants.  Its  fur  is  in  great  esteem,  being 
very  fine  and  of  an  ash-gray  color.  It  is 
very  docile  in  temper,  and  extremely  timid. 
If  placed  in  the  bosom,  it  remains  as  still 
and  quiet  as  if  it  were  in  its  own  nest.  It 
is  very  agile,  and  can  leap  to  the  height  of 
several  feet,  its  hind  legs  being  longer  than 
the  fore  legs.  It  usually  sits  upon  its 
haunches,  and  is  able  to  raise  itself  up  and 
stand  upon  its  hinder  feet.     It  feeds  in  a 


sitting  posture,  grasping  its  food  in  its  fon; 
paws,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  squirrel. 

There  is  a  variety  of  the  chinchilla  in 
Peru,  but  it  is  larger  in  size,  and  the  fur  is 
not  so  fine  as  that  of  the  Chilian  animal. 
It  is  equally  good-tempered,  and  mild  in  its 
disposition,  and,  when  domesticated,  is  very 
tame  and  playful. 

Great  numbers  of  these  animals  are 
caught,  by  boys  with  dogs,  and  sold  to  tra- 
ders, who  take  them  to  Santiago.  The 
extensive  use  of  thejur  has  occasioned  great 
destruction  of  them;-<  The  ancient  Peruvi- 
ans made  coverlets  for  beds  of  this  fur. 

A  Spanish  writer,  in  1591,  thus  mentions 
this  animal :  "  The  chinchilly  is  a  kind  of 


THE    OCELOT. 


333 


s»nall  beast,  like  squirrels;  they  have  a] 
wonderful  smooth  and  soft  skin,  which  thei 
peofile  wear  as  a  healthful  thing  to  cover, 
those  parts  which  have  need  of  a  moderate  ■ 
heat."  I 

A  seaman,  in  1593,  also  describes  them:| 
"  In  Peru,  they  have  little  beastes,  like  unto 
a  squirrel,  but  that  hee  is  gray;  his  skinnej 


is  the  most  delicate,  soft,  and  curious  furre 
that  I  have  seene,  and  of  much  estimation, 
as  is  reason ;  few  of  them  go  info  Spain, 
because  difficult  to  be  come  by,  for  that  tlie 
princes  and  nobles  laic  waite  for  them.  They 
call  this  beast  Chinchilla,  and  of  them  they 
have  great  abundance." 


THE   OCELOT. 


This  handsome  member  of  the  cat  family 
is  found  in  the  tropical  parts  of  America. 
Nearly  equal  in  size  to  the  lynx,  but  shorter 
in  its  proportions  and  more  graceful  in  its 
form,  it  holds,  as  it  were,  a  middle  station 
between  the  leopard  and  the  domestic  cat. 
Its  body,  when  full  grown,  is  nearly  three 
feet  in  length,  and  its  tail  rather  more  than 
one  ;  while  its  medium  height  may  be  reck- 
oned at  about  eighteen  inches.  The  ground 
color  of  its  fur  is  gray,  mingled  with  a  slight 
tinge  of  fliwn,  and  on  tliis  it  is  elegantly 
marked  with  numerous  longitudinal  bands, 
the  dorsal  one  being  continuous  and  entirely 
black,  and  the  lateral,  to  the  number  of  six 
or  seven  on  each  side,  consisting  for  the 
most  part  of  a  series  of  elongated  spots  with 
black  margins,  sometimes  completely  dis- 
tinct, and  sometimes  running  together.  The 
cars  arc  short  and  rounded,  and  externally 
margined  with  black,  surrounding  a  large 
central  whitish  spot.  The  under  parts  of 
the  bidy  arc  whitish,  spotted  with  black, 


and  the  t^ail,  which  is  of  the  same  ground 
color  with  the  body,  is  also  covered  with 
blackish  spots. 

As  the  ocelot  is  an  active  climber,  it  follows 
the  birds  even  to  their  nests.  It  is  easily 
tamed,  but  seldom  loses  all  traces  of  its  nat- 
ural ferocity.  D'Azava,  however,  speaks  of 
one  which  was  so  completely  domiciliated 
as  to  be  left  at  perfect  liberty  ;  it  was  strongly 
atlaciied  to  its  master,  and  never  attempted 
to  make  its  escape.  A  specimen  in  the 
Towerof  London,  a  male,  was  perfectly  good- 
tempered,  exceedingly  fond  of  play,  and  had, 
in  fact,  much  of  the  character  and  manners 
of  the  domestic  cat.  Its  food  consisted  prin- 
cipally of  rabbits  and  of  birds,  the  latter  of 
which  it  plucked  with  the  greatest  dexterity, 
and  always  commenced  its  meal  with  their 
heads,  of  which  it  appeared  to  be  particularly 
fond.  It  did  not  eat  with  the  same  raven- 
ous avidity  which  characteiizes  nearly  all 
the  animals  of  its  tribe. 


I  i  %%%»%%^'%WWV  %^^i^V^.^^  V%^»%%^<%% W^^.^i%^<%%^^V^.%^^^^ WV»^<W^%%^V^V%V»^rti^.%%^^^ W%'V».VW% v%^ivwv^.^/vwv%» 


CHARLOTTE   CORDAY 


There  are  few  incidents  of  the  French 
Revohition  more  intensely  interesting-  than 
those  which  relate  to  Charlotte  Corday. 
Paris  was  the  scene  of  the  most  violent 
commotions  that  have  ever  been  witnessed 
in  civilized  society.  All  France  was  agi- 
tated with  the  strife  of  parties  that  wrestled 
with  each  other  in  the  capital.  The  hearts 
of  men  seemed  to  be  filled  with  frenzy. 
The  common  bonds  of  society  were  rent 
asunder  ;  new  and  strange  ideas  took  pos- 
session of  the  minds  of  the  people.  In  the 
midst  of  this  excitement,  and  wrought  up,  by 
the  fever  of  the  time,  to  a  design  beyond 
her  sex,  Charlotte  Corday  ajjpeared  upon 
the  theatre  of  action,  and  arrested  even 
the  attention  of  the  maddened  populace  of 
Paris,  by  her  heroic  self-devotion. 

The  triumph  of  the  Jacobins  over  the  ri- 
val Girondists,  in  May,  1793,  rendered  their 
power  uncontrollable.  Marat  was  treated 
with  more  honor  and  respect  than  any  in- 
dividual since  the  revolution,  and  exerted  a 
sway  in  the  Convention  and  the  clubs  more 
absolute  than  was  ever  before  known  in 
bodies  styled  deliberative.  In  fact,  they 
submitted  to  all  his  whims  and  caprices, 
and  seemed  to  derive  to  themselves  honor 


from  the  submission.  His  extravagances 
were  more  bearable  from  the  obvious  cer- 
tainty that  the  wretch  was  hastening  to 
the  grave,  and  that  nothing  could  save  him. 
His  constitution  was  never  good,  and  at 
this  time  he  was  preyed  upon  by  a  leprous 
complaint,  which,  adding  its  ravages  to  his 
natural  deformity,  and  habitual  want  of 
personal  cleanliness,  rendered  him  a  most 
disgusting  object.  But  this  man  of  blood 
was  not  destined  to  end  his  days  by  disease. 
Of  the  Girondists,  some  were  arrested 
and  executed,  others  succeeded  in  escaping, 
and  were  outlawed.  Of  this  latter  class 
a  number, — among  them  Barbaroux,  he 
whose  beauty  of  person  and  energy  of  mind 
could  move  the  heart  of  the  philosophic 
Madame  Roland,  —  had  taken  refuge  at 
Caen.  They  held  daily  meetings  at  the 
town-hall,  and  thither  frequently  came 
Charlotte  Corday,  a  young  lady  of  statply 
figure,  with  an  open  and  intelligent  counte- 
nance, about  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Her 
deportment  was  modest ;  she  was  of  studious 
and  meditative  habits,  and  was  a  republican 
before  the  revolution.  In  her  visits  to  the  > 
town-hall,  she  was  always  attended  by  a  > 
servant,  and  her  inquiry  was  for  Barbaroux,  i 


CHARLOTTE    CORDAY. 


3D5 


with  whom  she  had  long  been  acquainted, 
and  with  whom  she  pretended  to  have  busi- 
ness. She  now  heard  much  of  the  atrocities 
of  the  Terrorists,  of  the  ferocity  of  Marat, 
who  held  in  his  hands  the  destiny  of  her 
country,  and  what  was  as  much  to  her,  the 
fate  of  Barbaroux.  Patriotism  and  love 
both  prompted  her  to  the  commission  of  an 
act,  by  which,  at  the  sacrilice  of  her  own 
life,  she  should  be  the  savior  both  of  her 
country  and  her  friend. 

A  nun  of  Caen  was  desirous  to  obtain 
some  family  papers,  wliich  wore  in  the 
ofHce  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  at  Paris. 
Charlotte  otTered  to  proceed  tliither  to  pro- 
cure them,  and  was  furnished  by  Barbarou.x 
with  a  letter  of  introduction  to  his  friend 
Dupcnct,  who  would  aid  her  in  procuring 
them.  On  the  ninth  of  July,  we  lind  her 
seated  in  the  diligence,  and  the  details  of 
her  journey  are  thus  given  in  a  letter  to 
Barbarou.\. 

"  You  requested  an  account  of  my  jour- 
ney, and  I  will  not  excuse  you  from  the 
slightest  anecdotes.  I  travelled  with  good 
mountaineers,  whom  1  suffered  to  talk  as 
much  as  they  pleased,  and  their  discourse, 
which  was  as  absurd  as  their  persons  were 
disagreeable,  contributed  not  a  little  to  lull 
me  to  sleep.  I  was  not  perfectly  awake  till 
I  arrived  at  Paris.  One  of  my  fellow- 
travellers,  who  is  undoubtedly  an  admirer 
of  sleepy  women,  took  me  for  the  daughter 
of  one  of  his  old  friends,  supposed  me  pos- 
sessed of  a  fortune,  which  I  iiave  not,  gave 
me  a  name  which  I  never  heard,  and,  in 
conclusion,  offered  me  his  hand  and  fortune. 
When  I  was  tired  of  his  conversation,  I 
said,  '  We  arc  admirable  comedians  ;  what 
a  pity  that,  with  such  talents,  we  have  no 
spectators  !  I  will  go  and  fetch  our  fellow- 
travellers,  that  they  may  have  their  share 
of  the  amusement ! '  I  left  him  in  a  very 
ill-humor; — all  night  he  sung  plaintive 
songs,  excellent  procreatives  of  sleep.  At 
length  I  parted  with  him  at  Paris,  refusing 
to  give  liim  my  address,  or  that  of  my  father, 
of  whom  he  wished  to  ask  me  in  marriage." 

Site  delivered  her  letter  to  Dupenet, 
and  the  ostensible  object  of  her  journey 
was  accomplished.  But  she  said  nothing 
of  returning.  She  visited  the  Convention. 
Marat  was  not  there  ;  he  was  confined  to 
his  iiouse  by  sickness.  She  proceeded 
thither,  but  was  refused  admittance.  She 
returned  to  her  inn,  and  despatched  a  note, 
telling  him  that  she  was  from  Caen,  the 
seat  of  rebellion  ;  that  she  desired  earnestly 
to  see  him,  and  would  put  it  in  his  power 
to  do  France  a  great  service.    She  received 


no  answer.  She  wrote  another  note  still 
more  pressing,  and  carried  it  herself  to  the 
door.  He  was  just  leaving  his  bath  ;  but 
her  business  was  urgent,  and  she  was  ad- 
mitted to  his  presence.  "  I  am  from  Caen," 
said  she,  "and  wished  to  speak  with  you." 
"  Be  seated,  my  child.  What  are  the  trai- 
tors doing  at  Caen  ?  —  W^hat  deputies  are 
at  Caen  ?"  He  took  out  his  tablets,  and 
wrote  down  the  names  as  Charlotte  gave 
them,  —  Louvct,  Petion,  Barbaroux.  "  I  will 
have  them  all  guillotined  at  Paris,  within  a 
fortnight."  "Then  you  shall  precede  them," 
exclaimed  Charlotte,  and  plunged  a  dagger 
through  his  heart !  She  was  at  once  seized 
and  connnitted  to  prison.  We  will  again 
quote  from  her  letter  to  Barbaroux. 

"I  expected  to  have  been  instantly  put 
to  death,  but  some  men,  truly  courageous, 
preserved  me  from  the  excusable  rage  of 
those  I  had  rendered  unhappy.  As  I  really 
preserved  my  presence  of  mind,  1  felt  hurt 
at  the  exclamations  of  some  women  ;  —  but 
those  who  save  their  country  think  nothing 
of  the  cost.  May  peace  be  established  as 
soon  as  I  wish  it !  For  these  two  days  I 
have  enjoyed  a  delicious  state  of  mental 
repose.  The  happiness  of  my  country  con- 
stitutes mine  ;  there  is  no  act  of  self-devo- 
tion which  does  not  over-pay  in  pleasure 
the  pain  of  resolving  to  adopt  it.  I  never 
hated  but  one  single  being,  and  I  have 
demonstrated  how  violent  that  hatred  was. 
Hut  there  arc  thousands  whom  I  love  with 
more  warmth  than  I  hated  him.  A  lively 
imagination  and  a  feeling  heart  promise  but 
a  stormy  life  ;  I  beg  those  who  may  regret 
my  fate  to  think  of  this,  and  they  will 
rejoice  at  seeing  me  enjoy  repose  in  the 
Elysian  fields,  with  Brutus  and  a  few  of 
the  ancients.  As  for  the  moderns,  there 
are  few  real  patriots,  who  know  how  to  die 
for  their  country  !  they  are  almost  all  selfish. 
What  a  people  to  form  a  republic  ! 

"  I  am  exceedingly  well  accommodated 
in  my  prison  ;  the  jailers  are  the  best  kind 
of  people  in  the  world  ;  to  keep  away  €7mui 
they  have  placed  soldiers  in  my  room !  I 
have  no  objection  to  this  by  day,  but  by 
night  it  is  not  so  pleasant.  I  have  com- 
plained of  the  indecency,  but  no  one  has 
thought  fit  to  attend  to  my  remonstrance. 
*  *  My  trial  comes  on  tomorrow,  at 
eight ;  probably,  at  noon,  according  to  the 
Koman  phrase,  I  shall  have  lived.  I  cannot 
say  how  I  shall  encounter  my  last  moments  ; 
I  have  no  need  to  aflect  insensibility,  for  I 
never  yet  knew  the  fear  of  death,  and  never 
loved  life,  but  in  proportion  to  its  possible 
utility." 


336 


CHINESE    DANDY. 


On  the  seventeenth  of  July  she  was  put 
on  trial,  and  avowed  the  fact  and  all  the 
circumstances,  alleging,  as  justification,  that 
she  considered  Marat  a  criminal  already 
convicted  by  public  opinion,  and  that  she 
had  a  right  to  put  him  to  death.  She 
added,  that  she  did  not  expect  to  have  been 
brought  to  trial,  but  to  have  been  delivered 
up  to  the  rage  of  the  populace,  torn  to 
pieces,  and  that  her  head,  borne  on  a  pike 
before  the  corpse  of  Marat,  would  have 
served  as  a  rallying  point  to  Frenchmen,  if 
any  still  existed  worthy  of  the  name. 

She  was  led  from  the  place  of  trial  to 
that  of  execution.  On  the  way  she  dis- 
played a  firmness  and  tranquillity  which 
even  awed  into  silence  the  poissardes,  those 


furies  of  the  guillotine,  who  in  general  pur- 
sued the  victim  to  death,  with  execrations 
and  reproaches.  She  submitted  to  her  fate 
with  the  same  composure  that  had  marked 
all  her  previous  conduct. 

The  circumstances  which  attended  this 
extraordinary  action,  the  privacy  with  which 
it  was  concerted,  the  resolution  with  which 
it  was  executed,  the  openness  of  confession, 
the  contempt  of  punishment,  and,  above  all, 
the  execrable  character  of  the  monster  who 
was  tlie  subject  of  it,  have  taken  off  so  much 
of  the  horror  generally  felt  at  an  act  of 
assassination,  that  the  name  of  Charlotte 
Corday  is  generally  pronounced  with  re- 
spect, and  a  great  degree  of  admiration. 


CHINESE   DANDY. 


The  following  description  of  a  Chinese 
exquisite,  is  from  a  work  on  China,  by  P. 
Dobel,  formerly  Russian  consul  to  China, 
and  a  resident  in  that  country  for  seven 
years  :  — 

"  His  dress  is  composed  of  crapes  and 
silks,  of  great  price  ;  his  feet  are  covered 
with  high-heeled  boots,  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful Nankin  satin  ;  and  his  legs  are  encased 
in  gaiters,  richly  embroidered,  and  reaching 
to  the  knee.  Add  to  this  an  acorn-shaped 
cap,  of  the  latest  taste,  an  elegant  pipe, 
richly  ornamented,  in  which  burns  the 
purest  tobacco  of  the  Fokien,  an  English 
watch,  a  tooth-pick,  suspended  to  a  button 
by  a  string  of  pearls,  a  Nankin  fan,  exhal- 
ing the  perfume  of  the  tcholane,  (a  Chinese 
flower,)  and  you  will  have  an  exact  idea 
of  a  fashionable  Chinese. 


"  The  Chinese  dandy,  like  dandies  of  all 
times  and  all  countries,  is  seriously  occu- 
pied with  trifles.  He  belongs  either  to  the 
Quail  Club,  or  the  Cricket  Club.  Like  the 
ancient  Romans,  the  Chinese  train  quails, 
quarrelsome  birds,  intrepid  duellists,  whose 
combats  form  the  subjects  of  senseless  wa- 
gers. In  imitation  of  the  rich,  the  poorer 
Chinese  place  at  the  bottom  of  an  earthen 
basin  two  field-crickets.  These  insects  they 
excite  and  provoke,  until  they  grow  angry, 
attack  each  other,  and  the  narrow  field  of 
battle  is  soon  strewed  with  their  claws,  an- 
tennjB,  and  corselets  !  There  is  between 
the  Chinese  and  the  old  Romans  as  great 
a  difference  as  there  is  between  the  combats 
of  the  crickets  and  the  terrible  combats  of 
the  gladiators." 


%  ^/V^i^^^^^^^^'^^.^i^^^.^^^.^^^  jif 


»«~»~)K 


JOHN   HOWARD. 


This  eminent  and  laborious  philanthro- 
pist was  born  in  1727.  His  father  was  a 
London  tradesman,  who,  dj'ing  early,  left 
him  in  possession  of  a  handsome  fortime. 
Having  always  been  fond  of  travelling:,  he 
conceived  a  desire  to  visit  Lisbon,  imme- 
diately after  the  great  earthquake.  He 
accordingly  embarked,  but  was  captured  by 
a  French  privateer.  To  this  accident  the 
world  is  probably  indebted  for  the  exertions 
made  afterwards  by  Howard  for  the  relief 
of  prisoners.  The  sufferings  which  he  en- 
dured himself,  and  witnessed  in  his  fellow- 
captives,  made  an  ineffaceable  impression 
»ipon  his  mind.  This  was  strengthened  by 
his  being  made  sheriff  of  Bedfordshire, 
when  he  had  charge  of  all  the  prisons  in 
the  county.  Shocked  by  the  miseries  and 
abuses  which  he  found  prevailing  in  these 
abodes  of  crime  and  misfortune,  he  set  him- 
self diligently  to  work  to  inquire  into  the 
nature  of  the  evil,  and,  if  possible,  to  find  a 
remedy. 

During  the  year  1773,  he  visited  most 
of  the  county  gaols  in  England,  and  having 
obtained  information  on  their  management, 
he  laid  the  result  of  his  inquiries  before  the 
House  of  Commons.     In   1774,  two  acts 


43 


were  passed  ;  one  for  relieving  acquitted 
prisoners  from  the  payment  of  fees,  the 
other  for  preserving  the  health  of  the 
prisoners.  Howard,  being  once  actively 
engaged,  became  more  and  more  devoted 
to  his  benevolent  pursuits.  He  travcllrd 
repeatedly  over  Great  Britain,  sometimes 
even  extending  his  journeys  to  the  conti- 
nent, visiting  the  most  noisome  places,  and 
relieving  the  wants  of  the  most  wretched 
objects. 

In  1777,  he  published  a  quarto  volume, 
containing  details  of  prisons  in  various 
places,  and  a  mass  of  information  really 
astonishing,  when  we  consider  that  it  was 
obtained  at  the  constant  hazard  of  his  life 
from  infection,  and  by  untiring  and  un- 
assisted labor.  The  importance,  both  in 
prisons  and  hospitals,  of  preventing  tlie 
spread  of  infectious  diseases,  produced  in 
Mr.  Howard  the  desire  to  witness  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Lazaretto  system  in  the  south 
of  Europe,  more  especially  as  a  safeguard 
against  the  plague.  Danger  or  disgust 
never  turned  him  from  his  path,  and  on 
this  occasion  he  went  without  a  servant, 
not  thinking  it  right,  for  convenience'  sake, 
to  expose  another  person  to  such  a  risk. 


333 


THE    DESMAN. 


In 
Italy, 


17S5,  he  travelled  through  France, 
and  thence  to  Smyrna,  where  the 
plague  was  raging,  in  order  that  he  might 
undergo  the  quarantine  at  Venice,  to  which 
place  he  sailed.  In  1787,  this  devoted  man 
returned  home  and  published  the  result  of 
his  foreign  travels.  Two  years  after,  he 
renewed  his  travels  on  the  continent,  in- 
tending to  go  to  Turkey.  He  had,  how- 
ever, proceeded  no  further  than  the  Crimea, 
when  a  rapid  illness,  which  he  believed  to 
be  an  infectious  lever,  caught  in  prescribing 
for  a  lady,  put  an  end  to  his  life,  January 
20,  1790.     He  was  buried  at  Cherson,  and 


the  utmost  respect  was  paid  to  his  memory 
by  the  Russian  government. 

Mr.  Howard's  character  was  pure  and 
simple  ;  v/ithout  great  talents,  but  accom- 
plishing much  by  devoting  his  whole  ener- 
gies to  one  good  object.  He  was  abstemious 
in  his  habits,  and  capable  of  going  through 
great  fatigue,  spending  freely  both  his  for- 
tune and  constitution  in  the  cause  to  which 
his  life  was  devoted.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  lived  at  Cardington,  near  Bedford. 
He  had  one  son,  who  unfortunately  became 
insane. 


THE   DESMAN. 


There  are  three  kinds  of  muskrat  — 
'.]  the  desman,  marked  by  a  long  snout;  the 
ondatra,  or  common  muskrat  of  our  coun- 
try', and  the  pilori,  of  the  West  Indies. 
The  desman  resembles  the  common  musk- 
rat,  and  is  found  both  in  Russia  and  Swe- 
den. It  is  about  the  size  of  the  hedge- 
hog, the  body  being  eight  or  nine  inches 
long.  Its  coat  is  like  that  of  the  beaver, 
and  is  composed  of  hair,  intermixed  with 
soft,  clear,  and  delicate  fur.  The  color  is 
brown  above,  and  silvery  beneath.  The 
tail,  which  is  seven  inches  long,  is  one  of 
the  most  e.xtraordinai-y  mechanical  instru- 
ments in  the  whole  animal  kingdom.  It  is 
composed  of  three  parts,  each  of  which  has 
a  motion  peculiar  to  itself. 

The  desman  chooses  the  margin  of  such 
places  as  are  convenient  for  the  burrows 
which  it  digs  under  water.  These  are 
sometimes  seven  yards  in  length,  and  are 
used  as  hiding-places.     The  water  freezes 


over  these  entrances,  and  numbers  of  the 
animals  are  sufTocated  every  winter.  If 
there  are  any  cracks  or  fissures  in  the  ice, 
they  crowd  to  them,  eagerly  thrusting  their 
noses  up  to  get  the  air. 

The  desman  preys  at  the  bottom  of  the 
water,  and  dabbles  with  its  nose  in  the  mud, 
in  search  of  the  small  insects  which  inhabit 
it.  Its  senses  of  touch  and  smell  are  very 
acute  ;  this  is  rendered  necessary  from  the 
fact  that  the  animals  upon  which  it  preys 
are  silent  and  invisible.  Although  nearly 
blind,  it  is  not  a  nocturnal  animal,  but 
sleeps  during  the  night,  at  which  time  it 
keeps  its  nose  constantly  moving,  in  order, 
it  is  supposed,  to  retain  the  organs  in  a 
proper  state  for  work.  Water  is  indispen- 
sable to  its  existence,  and  after  having  re- 
mained in  a  small  quantity  for  any  time,  it 
is  rendered  very  offensive,  from  a  strong 
musky  odor,  from  which  it  derives  its  com- 
mon name  of  muskrat. 


AMUSING  ANECDOTES. 


: 


The  Conjugating  Dutchman.  —  Two 
English  (jcntlemcn  once  stepped  into  a  cnf- 
fec-honse  in  Paris,  wticro  they  observed  a  tall 
oild-looking  man,  who  appeared  not  to  l)c  a 
native,  sitting  at  orteof  the  tables,  and  look- 
ing around  him  with  the  most  stone-like 
gravity  of  countenance  upon  every  object. 
Soon  after  the  Englishmen  enter-d,  one  of 
them  told  the  other  that  a  celebnitcd  dwarf 
had  arrived  in  Paris.  At  this  the  grave- 
looking  person  above  mentioned  opened  his 
mouth  and  spake  :  —  "I  arrive,  thou  arriv- 
es!, he  arrives,  we  arrive,  you  anive,  they 
arrive." 

The  Englishman,  whose  remark  seemed 
to  have  suggested  this  m)'stcrious  speech, 
stepped  up  to  the  stranger,  and  asked,  "Did 
yo\i  mean  to  speak  to  me,  sir  ? "  —  "I  speak, 
yo\i  speak,  they  speak."  —  "  How  is  this  ? " 
said  the  Englishman  ;  "  do  you  mean  to  in- 
sult me?"  The  other  replied,  "I  insult, 
thou  insultest,  he  insult.s,  we  insult,  you 
insult,  they  insult."  "  This  is  too  much," 
said  the  Englishman ;  "  I  will  have  satisfac- 
tion :  if  you  have  any  spirit  with  your  rude- 
ness, come  along  with  me."  To  this  defi- 
ance the  imperturbable  stranger  replied,  "  I 
come,  thoucomest,  he  comes,  we  come,  you 
come,  they  come."  And  hereupon  he  rose 
with  great  coolness,  and  followed  the  chal- 
lenger. 

In  those  days,  when  every  gentleman 
wore  a  sword,  duels  were  (juickly  despatched. 
They  went  into  a  neighboring  alley ;  and 


the  Englishman,  unsheathing  his  weapon, 
said  to  his  antagonist,  "  Now,  sir,  you  must 
fight  me."  "I  fight,"  replied  the  other, 
drawing  his  sword,  "  thou  figlitest,  he  fights, 
we  fight"  —  here  he  made  a  thrust  —  "you 
fight,  they  fight"  —  and  here  he  disarmed 
his  adversary.  "Well,"  said  the  English- 
man, "  you  have  the  best  of  it,  and  I  hope 
you  are  saiisfied."  "I  am  satisfied,"  said 
the  original,  sheathing  his  sword,  "  thou  art 
sati.sfiod,  he  is  satisfied,  wo  are  satisfied, 
you  are  satisfied,  they  arc  satisfied."  "  I 
am  glad  that  every  one  is  satisfied,"  said  the 
Englishman,  "but  pray  leave  oflf  (piizzing 
me  in  this  strange  manner,  and  tell  me 
what  is  your  object,  if  you  have  any,  in 
doing  so." 

The  grave  gentleman  now,  for  the  first 
time,  became  intelligible.  "  I  am  a  Dutch- 
man," said  he,  "and  am  learning  your  lan- 
guage. I  find  it  very  difficult  to  remember 
the  peculiarities  of  the  verbs,  and  my  tutor 
has  advised  mo,  in  order  to  fix  tliem  in  my 
mind,  to  conjugate  every  English  verb  that 
I  hear  spoken.  This  I  have  made  it  a  rule 
to  do,  and  don't  like  to  have  my  plans 
broken  in  upon  while  they  are  in  operation, 
or  I  should  have  told  you  this  before."  The 
Englishmen  laughed  heartily  at  this  expla- 
nation, and  invited  the  conjugating  Dutch- 
man to  dine  with  them.  "I  will  dine," 
said  he,  "  thou  wilt  dine,  he  will  dine,  we 
will  dine,  they  will  dine  —  we  will  all  dine 
together."     This  they  accordingly  did  ;  and 


340 


AMUSING    ANECDOTES. 


it  was  difficult  to  say  whether  the  Dutch- 
man ate  or  conjugated  with  most  perse- 
verance.   

The  Duke  of  Norfolk. — When  the  Roy- 
al Hotel  at  Birmingham  was  kept  by  Mr. 
Styles,  a  gentleman,  who  occupied  during 
his  stay  in  the  town  a  suite  of  apartments 
in  the  house,  sent  for  his  host,  and  requested 
him  to  fake  him  to  some  warehouse  where 
he  might  purchase  a  few  wire-fenders.  Mr. 
Styles  accompanied  him  to  the  shop  of  Mr. 
Busby,  wire-drawer  in  that  town,  who,  from 
the  plain  dress  and  manners  of  the  stranger, 
took  him  for  a  homely  farmer  of  humble 
circumstances.  Some  fenders  were  shown, 
at  a  price  which  appeared  to  Mr.  Busby 
suitable  for  such  a  customer.  He,  however, 
inquired  for  others  of  a  finer  make,  which 
were  accordingly  produced ;  these,  too, 
failed  to  please,  and  an  article  of  the  very 
best  quality  was  inquired  for. 

"  I  will  toll  thee  what,"  said  Busby,  "  old 
chap !  thou  'It  excuse  me,  but  the  price  of 
even  these  will  dip  pretty  deep  into  thy 
pocket."  "  Well,  Mr.  Wiseman,"  said  the 
purchaser,  "  I  '11  endeavor  to  find  money  to 
pay  for  them,  and  1  want  the  very  best  you 
manufacture."  They  were  shown  and  ac- 
cepted. "  But,"  said  the  vender,  "  I  must 
either  have  security,  old  gentleman,  or  the 
money,  before  they  leave  my  shop."  "  Send 
them,  when  packed  up,"  said  the  stranger, 
"  to  Mr.  Styles',  and  they  will  be  paid  for 
on  delivery."  This  was  agreed  upon,  and 
Busby,  turning  familiarly  to  the  stranger, 
said,  "  Now,  old  chap,  a  glass  of  good  ale 
would  be  no  bad  thing  —  wilt  have  a  glass  ? " 
"  With  all  my  heart,  sir,"  was  the  reply. 

Busby  led  the  way  to  the  kitchen,  which 
he  thought  the  most  suitable  apartment  for 
the  humble  guest,  and  they  there  discussed 
the  contents  of  a  flowing  can  of  home- 
brewed. After  some  chat,  the  wire-worker 
said,  "  I  say,  old  chap  !  thou  knowest  some- 
thing about  pigs, dost  not?  won't  come  and 
see  my  little  runts?"  Without  waiting 
for  a  reply,  he  conducted  the  stranger  to  his 
yard,  where  they  saw  and  admired  the 
pigs,  and  other  et  ccteras  of  domestic  econo- 
my. Mr.  Busby  and  the  stranger  then 
parted. 

At  the  appointed  time  Busby  appeared  at 
the  bar  of  the  Royal  Hotel  with  the  fenders. 
■"Well,  Styles!"  was  his  salute,  "where  is 
the  old  farmer  chap  ? "  —  "  Show  Mr.  Bus- 
by up,"  said  the  innkeeper.  Mr.  Busby 
was  somewhat  startled  on  being  ushered  up 
the  great  stair-case  ;  at  the  top  of  which  he 
was  encountered  by  two  servants  in  splendid 


liveries.  "  This  room,  sir,"  said  one  of 
them,  as  he  opened  the  door,  and  hurried  in 
the  bewildered  man  of  wire  —  introducing 
him  as  "Mr.  Busby,  your  grace  !" 

Hearing  the  words  "  your  grace,"  and 
finding  himself  in  a  rich  apartment  occupied 
by  the  "  old  chap"  himself,  with  a  full  sense 
of  the  familiarity  he  had  used  to  the  great 
unknown,  he  was  about  to  leave  the  room 
in  confusion  ;  but  his  grace  rose  from  his 
chair,  saluted  him  with  cordiality,  forced 
him  to  take  a  seat  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  fire,  produced  a  bottle  of  e.xcellent  wine, 
and  filling  him  a  glass,  said,  "  Come,  Mr. 
Busby,  I  admire  your  caution  and  your 
frankness ;  and  as  I  drank  ale  with  you  in 
the  morning,  you  must  now  drink  wine 
with  me." 

The  kindness  of  his  grace's  manner,  and 
the  generosity  of  the  liquor,  soon  dispelled 
the  bashfulness  of  the  wire-drawer  ;  and  it 
was  not  till  they  had  finished  the  second 
bottle  that  Mr.  Busby,  after  receiving  his 
money  for  the  fenders,  rose  and  took  his 
leave,  highly  gratified  by  his  interview  with 
the  jolly  "Duke  of  Norfolk. 


A  Child's  Answer. — A  celebrated  tutor 
in  Paris  was  in  the  habit  of  relating  to  his 
pupils,  as  they  stood  in  a  half  circle  before 
him,  anecdotes  of  illustrious  men,  and  ob- 
taining their  opinions  respecting  them,  re- 
warding those  who  answered  well  with 
prizes.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  he  men- 
tioned an  anecdote  of  Marshal  Turenne. 

On  a  fine  summer's  day,  while  the  Mar- 
shal was  leaning  out  of  his  window,  his 
valet  entered  the  room,  and  approaching  his 
master  on  tiptoe,  gave  him  a  violent  blow 
with  his  hand.  The  Marshal,  turning  sud- 
denly round,  beheld  the  valet  on  his  knees, 
imploring  his  forgiveness,  saying  that  he 
thought  it  had  been  George,  his  fellow-ser- 
vant. The  question  was  then  put  to  each 
of  the  scholars,  "  What  would  you  have 
done  to  the  servant,  had  you  been  in  the 
Marshal's  situation  ?" 

A  little  French  boy,  who  stood  first,  said, 
"  I  would  have  run  him  through  with  my 
sword."  He  then  asked  a  little  English 
girl  of  about  eight  years  old,  "  Well,  my 
dear,  and  what  would  you  have  done  on 
this  occasion,  supposing  you  had  been  Mar- 
shal Turenne?"  She  replied,  "I  should 
have  said,  '  Suppose  it  had  been  George,  why 
should  you  strike  so  hard?'"  The  sim- 
plicity and  sweetness  of  this  reply  excited 
smiles  of  approbation  from  the  whole  school, 
and  the  master  awarded  her  the  prize. 


^■'*i^'>'^-^'^i'\^'^i'V^^'%'V^'W^>^^V^-^i'V^fV^'^^^^^^/W^^W^%^^»^>^^'V^»i^^%^*»^.^<^W^^^<^%i^^>X'V^^/\^^^JK 


AMUSING    ANECDOTES. 


341 


Benevolent  Singer.  —  The  principal 
singer  of  the  great  theatre  of  Lyons,  in 
France,  one  day  observed  a  poor  woman 
begging-  in  the  street.  Her  decent  and  re- 
spectable appearance,  in  the  midst  of  ex- 
treme poverty,  interested  the  kind-hearted 
vocalist.  He  desired  the  poor  woman  to 
follow  him  to  the  Place  Bellcour,  where, 
placing  himself  in  a  corner  with  his  hack  to 
the  wall,  his  face  covered  with  a  handker- 
chief, and  his  hat  at  his  feet,  he  began  to 
sing  his  most  favorite  opera  airs.  The 
beauty  of  his  voice  drew  a  crowd  round 
him,  the  idea  of  some  mystery  stimulated 
the  generosity  of  the  bystanders,  and  five 
franc  pieces  fell  in  showers  into  his  hat. 

When  tlie  singer,  who  had  thus,  in  the 
goodness  of  his  heart,  transformed  himself 
into  a  street  minstrel,  thought  he  had  got 
enough,  he  took  up  his  hat,  and  emptied  its 
contents  into  the  apron  of  the  poor  woman, 
who  stood  motionless  with  amazement  and 
happiness.  He  then  disappeared  among 
the  crowd.  His  talent,  however,  betrayed 
him,  although  his  face  was  concealed;  the 
story  spread,  and  the  next  evening,  when  he 
appeared  on  the  stage,  shouts  of  apjilause 
from  all  parts  of  tlie  house  proved  that  a 
good  action  is  never  thrown  away. 


Too  Late.  —  A  country  servant  was 
sent  one  day  by  his  mistress  to  a  friend's 
about  two  miles  distance,  with  her  compli- 
ments, to  inquire  after  the  health  of  the  lady 
of  the  house  and  her  infant  son.  Having 
a  great  propensity  to  liquor,  he  could  not 
pass  the  public  house  without  taking  a  glass 
of  brandy.  When  a  drunkard  loses  his 
senses,  he  is  sure  to  lose  his  time.  The 
first  he  may  recover,  but  never  the  last. 
When  he  came  to  himself,  he  bethought 
him  of  his  errand,  but  was  totally  uncon- 
scious of  the  time  lost,  and  did  not  think  of 
inquiring. 

To  his  neighbor's  gate  he  at  last  found 
the  way.  He  knocked,  he  beat,  he  rang, 
he  hallooed  ;  for  he  began  to  be  sure  that  he 
was  late,  and  he  wanted  to  return  home. 

The  inmates  of  the  house  were  now  in 
great  confusion  ;  it  being  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning!  "Thieves!  lire'"  was  the  gen- 
eral cry.  Some  ran  about  half  clad  —  some 
looked  out  of  the  window  —  dogs  barked, 
and  women  screamed.  The  master  took 
his  blunderbuss,  opened  the  window,  and 
called  out  stoutly,  "  Who  's  there  ?  who  's 
there?"  Trinculo  answered,  but  not  very 
intilligibly. 

At  last,  the  master  of  the  house  dresses, 
unbolts  and  unbars  his  doors,  and  with  one 


or  two  servants  behind,  boldly  walks  down 
the  long  path  to  the  gate.  "  What 's  the 
matter?"  said  he,  "who  are  you'"  Trin- 
culo stammered  out,  "  My  master  and  mis- 
tress' compliments,  and  be  glad  to  know 
how  Mrs. and  the  baby  is." 


Canine  Pride.  —  A  gentleman,  a  good 
shot,  lent  a  favorite  pointer  to  a  friend,  who 
had  not  inuch  to  accuse  himself  of  in  the 
slaughter  of  partridges  —  however  much  he 
might  frighten  them.  After  ineflectually  fir- 
ing at  some  birds  which  the  pointer  had 
found  for  him,  the  dog  turned  away  in  ap- 
parent disgust,  went  home,  and  never  could 
be  persuaded  to  accompany  the  same  person 
afterwards ! 

The  Deaf  Mother. — "I  say,  Pat,  why 
are  you  writing  in  such  a  large  hand?" 
"  Arrah,  honey,  and  is  n't  it  to  my  poor 
mother, who  is  very  deaf,  that  I'm  writing 
a  loud  letter?" 

Reading.  —  Reading  sometimes  produces 
whimsical  coincidences.  Joe  Miller  records 
tlie  story  of  a  clergyman,  who,  reading  to 
his  congregation  a  chapter  in  Genesis, 
found  the  last  sentence  in  the  page  to  be, 
"And  the  Lord   gave  unto  Adam  a  wife, 

and   she   was" on   turning  over  two 

leaves  together,  he  continued  in  an  audible 
voice  —  " pitched  u-ithin  and  u-i//ioul."  (He 
had  unhappily  got  into  the  description  of 
Noah's  Ark.) 

Witty  Thief. — A  robber,  who  was  seized 
in  the  shop  of  a  tobacconist,  by  way  of  ex- 
cusing himself  e.xclaimed,  that  he  had  never 
heard  of  a  law  which  forbade  a  man  to  take 
snuff.  

Curious  Excise  Entry.  —  Alexander 
Gun,  an  e.xcise  officer,  in  Scotland,  being 
dismissed  from  his  emplovment,  for  miscon- 
duct —  an  entry  was  made  in  a  book  kept  for 
the  purpose,  as  follows  : 

"  A.  Gun  discharged  for  making  a  false 
report."  

Curious  Advertisement.  —  The  follow- 
ing lines  are  in  the  window  of  a  shoemaker's 
shop,  nearly  opposite  Apotliecaries'  Hall, 
London.  "  Surgery  performed  upon  old 
boots  and  shoes,  by  adding  of  feet,  making 
good  the  legs,  binding  the  broken,  healing 
the  wounded,  mending  the  constitution,  and 
supporting  the  body  with  a  new  soul.  Ad- 
vice gratis,  by  S.  Giles." 


;: 


342 


ASIUSING   ANECDOTES. 


Tobacco.  —  In  a  magazine,  of  the  year 
1654,  we  meet  with  a  song  in  praise  of 
tobacco,  which  contains  as  much  perhaps, 
as  can  be  said  in  its  defence  : 

"  Much  meat  doth  gluttening  procure, 
To  feeJ  men  fat  as  swine, 
But  he 's  a  frugal  man  indeed 
That  on  a  leaf  can  dine  ; 
He  needs  no  nankin  for  his  hands, 
His  fingers'  ends  to  wipe, 
That  hath  his  kitchen  in  a  box,  * 
His  roast  meat  in  a  pipe." 


A  Simple  Question. — A  party  had  lately 
climbed  a  considerable  way  up  the  usual 
track  on  Niddaw,  when  a  gentleman  who 
had  given  frequent  broad  hints  of  being  a 
man  of  superior  knowledge,  said  to  the 
guide,  "  Pray  which  is  the  highest  part  of 
this  mountain  ?"  —  "  The  top,  sir,"  replied 
the  guide.  

A  PtiN.  — Two  Oxonians  dining  together, 
one  of  them  noticed  a  spot  of  grease  on  the 
neckcloth  of  his  companion,  and  said,  "  I  see 
you  are  a  Grecian."  "Pooh!"  said  the 
other,  "  that 's  far-fetched."  "  No,  indeed," 
said  the  punster,  "  I  made  it  on  the  spot.''' 


Chester  in  an  Upuoar. — Aboutthetime 
of  Bonaparte's  departure  for  St.  Helena,  a 
respectably  dressed  man  caused  a  number 
of  handbills  to  be  distributed  through  Ches- 
ter, in  which  he  informed  the  public,  that  a 
great  number  of  genteel  families  had  em- 
barked at  Plymouth,  and  would  certainly 
proceed  with  the  British  regiment  appointed 
to  accompany  the  ex-emperor  to  St.  Helena  ; 
he  added  further,  that  the  island  being 
dreadfully  infested  with  rats,  nis  majesty's 
ministers  had  determined  that  it  should  be 
forthwith  effectually  cleared  of  those  nox- 
ious animals.  To  facilitate  this  important 
purpose,  he  had  been  deputed  to  purchase 
as  many  cats  and  thriving  kittens  as  could 
possibly  be  procured  for  money  in  a  short 
space  of  time ;  and  therefore  he  publicly 
offered  in  his  handbills  \Gs.  for  every  ath- 
letic full-grown  tom-cat ;  10^.  for  every  adult 
female  puss ;  and  half-a-crown  for  every 
thriving  vigorous  kitten  that  could  swill 
milk,  pursue  a  ball  of  thread,  or  fasten  its 
young  fangs  in  a  dying  mouse.  On  the 
evening  of  the  third  day  after  this  adver- 
tisement had  been  distributed,  the  people 
of  Ciiester  were  astonished  with  an  irrup- 
tion of  a  multitude  of  old  women,  boys  and 
girls,  in  their  streets,  all  of  whom  carried 
on  their  shoulders  either  a  bag  or  a  basket, 
which  appeared  to  contain  some  restless  an- 
imal. 


Ever}'  road,  every  lane  was  thronged  with 
this  comical  procession,  and  the  wondering 
spectators  of  the  scene  were  involuntarily 
compelled  to  remember  the  old  riddle  about 
St.  Ives  : 

"  As  I  was  going  to  St.  Ives,  j 

I  met  fifty  old  wives  ; 
Every  wife  had  fifty  sacks, 
Every  sack  had  fifty  cats. 
Every  cat  had  fifty  kittens. 
Kittens,  cats,  sacks  and  wives. 
How  many  were  going  to  St.  Ives  ?" 

Before  night  a  congregation  of  nearly 
3000  cats  was  collected  in  Chester.  The 
happy  bearers  of  these  sweet-voiced  crea-  ; 
tures  proceeded  all  (as  directed  by  the  ad- 
vertisement) towards  one  street  with  their 
delectable  burdens.  Here  they  became 
closely  wedged  together.  A  vocal  concert 
soon  ensued.  The  women  screamed  ;  the 
cats  squalled  ;  the  boys  and  girls  shrieked 
treble,  and  the  dogs  of  the  street  howled 
bass,  so  that  it  soon  became  difficult  for  the  ; 
nicest  ear  to  ascertain  whether  the  canine,  : 
the  feline,  or  the  human  tones  were  pre- 
dominant. Some  of  the  cat-bearing  ladies, 
whose  dispositions  were  not  of  the  most 
placid  nature,  finding  themselves  annoyed  ! 
by  their  neighbors,  soon  cast  down  their 
burdens,  and  began  to  box.  A  battle  royal  ; 
ensued.  The  cats  sounded  the  war-whoop  v 
with  might  and  main.  Meanwhile,  the  boys 
of  the  town,  who  seemed  mightily  to  relish 
the  sport,  were  actually  employed  in  open- 
ing the  mouths  of  the  deserted  sacks,  and 
liberating  the  cats  from  their  forlorn  situa- 
tion. The  enraged  animals  bounded  imme- 
diately on  the  shoulders  and  heads  of  the 
combatants,  and  ran  spitting,  squalling,  and 
clawing,  along  the  undulating  sea  of  skulls, 
towards  the  walls  of  the  houses  of  the  good 
people  of  Chester.  The  citizens,  attracted 
by  the  noise,  had  opened  their  windows  to 
gaze  at  the  fun.  The  cats,  rushing  with 
the  rapidity  of  lightning  up  the  pillars,  and 
then  across  the  balustrades  and  galleries, 
for  which  the  town  is  so  famous,  leaped 
slap-dash  through  the  open  windows  into 
the  apartments.  Never  since  the  days  of 
the  celebrated  Hugh  Lupus  were  the  draw- 
ing-rooms of  Chester  filled  with  such  a 
crowd  of  unwelcome  guests.  Now  were 
heard  the  crashes  of  broken  china;  the 
howling  of  aflTrighted  dogs  ;  the  cries  of  dis- 
tressed damsels,  and  the  groans  of  well-fed 
citizens.  All  Chester  was  soon  in  anns  ;  ; 
and  dire  were  the  deeds  of  vengeance  e.xe-  ' 
cuted  on  the  feline  race.  Next  morning 
about  five  hundred  dead  bodies  were  seen 
floating  on  the  river  Dee,  where  they  had 
been  ignominiously  thrown  by  their  two- 


AJIUSmO   ANECDOTES. 


343 


;: 


legged  victors.  The  rest  of  the  invading 
host,  having  evacuated  the  town,  dispersed 
in  the  utmost  confusion  to  their  respective 
homes.  

Patrick  Henry. — When  Patrick  Henr^', 
who  gave  the  first  impulse  to  the  ball  of  the 
American  revolution  in  Virginia,  introduced 
his  celebrated  resolution  on  the  Stamp  Act 
into  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia, 
(May,  1765,)  he  exclaimed,  when  descant- 
ing on  the  tyranny  of  the  obnoxious  act, 
"  Ca;sar  had  his  Brutus ;  Charles  I.  his 
Cromwell;  and  George  III." "Trea- 
son!" cried  the  speaker;  "treason,  trea- 
son !  "  echoed  from  every  part  of  the  house. 
It  was  one  of  those  trying  moments  which 
are  decisive  of  character.  Henry  faltered 
not  for  an  instant ;  but  rising  to  a  loftier 
attitude,  and  fixing  on  the  speaker  an  eye 
flashing  with  fire,  continued,  "may  profit 
by  their  example.  If  this  be  treason,  make 
the  most  of  it." 

Highwayman  and  Sailor.  —  One  of  the 
Dover  stages,  on  its  way  to  London,  was 
stopped  by  a  single  highwajntian,  who  was 
informed  by  the  coachman  there  were  no 
passengers  inside,  and  only  one  in  the  bas- 
ket, and  he  was  a  sailor.  The  robber  then 
proceeded  to  exercise  his  emplojTiient  on 
the  tar ;  when  waking  him  out  of  his  sleep. 
Jack  demanded  what  he  wanted  ;  to  which 
the  son  of  plunder  replied,  "  Your  money." 
"  You  shan't  have  it,"  said  Jack.  "  No  ! " 
replied  the  robber;  "then  I'll  blow  your 
brains  out."  "  Blow  away,  then,  you  land- 
lubber," cried  Jack,  squirting  the  tobacco 
juice  out  of  his  mouth  ;  "  I  may  as  well  go 
to  London  without  brains  as  without  money : 
drive  on,  coachman." 


Four  Merry  Fellows.  —  Theo.  Cibbcr, 
in  company  with  three  other  good  livers, 
made  an  excursion.  One  had  a  false  set  of 
teeth  ;  a  second,  a  glass  eye  ;  a  third,  a  cork 
leg;  but  the  fourth  had  nothing  particular, 
except  a  remarkable  way  of  shaking  his 
head.  They  travelled  in  a  post-coach,  and 
while  at  the  first  stage,  after  each  had  made 
merry  with  his  neighbor's  infirmity,  they 
agreed  at  every  baiting-place  they  would  all 
alTect  the  same  singularity.  When  they 
came  to  breakfast,  they  were  all  to  squint ; 
and  as  the  countrymen  stood  gaping  round 
when  they  first  alighted,  "  Od  rot  it,"  cried 
one,  "  how  that  man  squints!"  —  "Why, 
doin  me,"  said  a  second,  "  here  be  another 
squinting  fellow ! "  The  third  was  thought 
to  be  a  better  squinter  than  the  other  two, 


and  the  fourth  better  than  all  the  rest.  In 
short,  language  cannot  express  how  admira- 
bly they  squinted,  for  they  went  one  degree 
beyond  the  superlative.  At  dinner,  they 
appeared  to  have  cork  legs,  and  their  stump- 
ing about  made  more  diversion  than  they 
had  done  at  breakfast.  At  tea,  they  were 
all  deaf;  but  at  supper,  which  was  at  the 
Ship,  at  Dover,  each  man  resumed  his  char- 
acter, the  better  to  play  his  part  in  a  farce 
they  had  concerted  among  them.  When 
they  were  ready  to  go  to  bed.  Gibber  called 
out  to  the  waiter,  "  Here,  you  fellow,  take 
out  my  teeth!"  —  "Teeth,  sir!"  said  the 
man.  "  Ay,  teeth,  sir.  Unscrew  that  wire, 
and  they  '11  all  come  out  together."  After 
some  hesitation,  the  man  did  as  he  was  or- 
dered. This  was  no  sooner  performed  than 
a  second  called  out,  "  Here,  you,  take  out 
my  eye!"  —  "Lord,  sir!"  said  the  waiter, 
"  your  eye  ! "  —  "  Yes,  my  eye.  Come  here, 
you  stupid  dog  ;  pull  up  that  eyelid,  and  it 
will  come  out  as  easy  as  possible."  This 
done,  the  third  cried  out,  "  Here,  you  rascal, 
take  off  my  leg!"  This  he  did  with  less 
reluctance,  being  before  apprized  that  it  was 
cork,  and  also  conceived  that  it  would  be 
his  last  job.  He  was,  however,  mistaken. 
The  fourth  watched  his  opportunity,  and 
while  the  frightened  waiter  was  surveying 
with  rueful  countenance  the  eye,  teeth,  and 
leg,  lying  on  the  table,  cried  out,  in  a  fright- 
ful hollow  voice,  "  Come  here,  sir,  —  take  off 
my  head  I "  Turning  round,  and  seeing  the 
man's  head  shaking  like  that  of  a  mandarin 
upon  a  chimney-piece,  he  darted  out  of  the 
room,  and  after  tumbling  headlong  down 
stairs,  he  ran  about  the  house  declaring  that 
the  gentlemen  up  stairs  were  certainly  all 
demons.  

Laughter  no  Proof  of  a  Merry  Heart. 
—  That  laughter  is  by  no  means  an  une- 
quivocal symptom  of  a  merry  heart,  there  is 
a  remarkable  anecdote  of  Carlini,  the  drollest 
buffoon  ever  known  on  the  Italian  stage  at 
Paris.  A  French  physician  being  consulted 
by  a  person  who  was  subject  to  the  most 
gloomy  fits  of  melancholy,  advised  his  pa- 
tient to  mi.x  in  scenes  of  gayety,  and,  par- 
ticularly, to  frequent  the  Italian  theatre ; 
"  And,"  said  he,  "  if  Carlini  does  not  dispel 
your  gloomy  complaint,  your  case  must  be 
desperate  indeed!"  —  "Alas,  sir,"  replied 
the  patient,  "  I  myself  am  Carlini,  but  while 
I  divert  all  Paris  with  mirth,  and  make 
them  almost  die  with  laughter,  I  am  myself 
actually  dying  witli  chagrin  and  melan- 
choly!" lyimodcrate  laughter,  like  the 
immoderate   use   of  strong  cordials,   gives 


344 


AMUSING   ANECDOTES. 


only  a  temporary  appearance  of  cheerful- 
ness, which  is  soon  terminated  by  an  in- 
creased depression  of  spirits. 


Mosquitoes. — The  following  amusing 
account  of  the  annoyance  suffered  in  hot 
climates  by  mosquitoes  at  night,  while  in 
bed,  is  from  the  third  series  of  Captain  Basil 
Hall's  entertaining  "Fragments."  As  the 
curtains  are  carefully  tucked  in  close  under 
the  mattress  all  round,  you  must  decide  at 
what  part  of  the  bed  you  choose  to  make 
your  entry.  Having  surveyed  the  ground, 
and  clearly  made  up  your  mind  on  this 
point,  you  take  in  your  right  hand  a  kind 
of  brush  or  switch,  generally  made  of  a 
horse's  tail ;  or,  if  you  be  tolerably  expert, 
a  towel  may  answer  the  purpose.  With 
your  left  hand  you  then  seize  that  part  of 
the  skirt  of  the  curtain  which  is  thrust  un- 
der the  bedding  at  the  place  you  intend  to 
enter,  and  by  the  light  of  the  cocoa-nut  oil 
lamp,  which  burns  on  the  floor  of  every  bed- 
room in  Hindoostan,  you  first  drive  away 
the  mosquitoes  from  your  immediate  neigh- 
borhood, by  whisking  round  your  horse-tail ; 
and  before  proceeding  further,  you  must  be 
sure  that  you  have  effectually  driven  the 
enemy  back. 

If  you  fail  in  this  manner,  your  repose  is 
effectually  dashed  for  that  night ;  for  these 
confouftded  animals  —  it  is  really  difficult 
to  keep  from  swearing  even  at  the  recol- 
lection of  the  villains,  though  at  the  distance 
of  ten  thousand  miles  from  them  —  these 
well-cursed  animals,  then,  appear  to  know 
perfectly  well  what  is  going  to  happen,  and 
assemble  with  the  vigor  and  bravery  of  flank 
companies  appointed  to  head  a  storming 
party,  ready  in  one  instant  to  rush  into  tiie 
breach,  careless  alike  of  horse-tails  and 
towels.  Let  it  be  supposed,  however,  that 
you  have  succeeded  in  beating  back  your 
enemy.  You  next  promptly  form  an  open- 
ing not  a  hair's  breadth  larger  than  your 
own  person,  into  which  you  leap,  like  Har- 
lequin through  a  hoop,  or,  to  use  Jack's 
phrase,  "  as  if  the  devil  had  kicked  you  on 
end  ! " 

Of  course,  with  all  the' speed  of  intense 
fear,  you  close  up  the  gap  through  which 
you  have  shot  yourself  into  your  sleeping 
quarters.  If  all  these  arrangements  have 
been  well  managed,  you  may  amuse  your- 
self for  a  while  by  scoffing  at,  and  triumph- 
ing over,  tlie  clouds  of  baffled  mosquitoes 
outside,  who  dash  themselves  against  the 
meshes  of  the  net  in  vain  attempts  to  enter 
your  sanctum.  If,  however,  for  your  sins, 
any  one  of  their  number  has  succeeded  in 


entering  the  place  along  with  yourself,  he 
is  not  such  an  ass  as  to  betray  his  presence 
while  you  are  flushed  with  victory,  wide 
awake,  and  armed  with  the  means  of  his 
destruction.  Far  from  this,  the  scoundrel 
allows  you  to  chuckle  over  youi  fancied 
great  doings,  and  to  lie  down  with  all  the 
complacency  and  fallacious  security  of  your 
conquest,  and  under  the  entire  assurance  of 
enjoying  a  tranquil  night's  rest.  Alas  for 
such  presumptuous  hopes  !  Scarcely  have 
you  dropped  gradually  from  these  visions 
of  the  day  to  the  yet  more  blessed  visions 
of  the  night,  and  the  last  faint  pressure  of 
your  eyelids  has  been  quite  overcome  by 
the  gentle  pressure  of  sleep,  when,  in  de- 
ceitful slumber,  you  hear  something  like 
the  sound  of  trumpets. 

Straightway  your  imagination  is  kindled, 
and  you  fancy  yourself  in  the  midst  of  a 
fierce  fight,  and  struggling,  not  against  petty 
insects,  but  against  armed  men  and  thunder- 
ing cannon  !  In  the  excitement  of  the  mor- 
tal conflict  of  your  dream,  you  awake,  not 
displeased,  mayhap,  to  find  that  you  are 
safe  and  snug  in  bed.  But,  in  the  next 
instant,  what  is  your  dismay  when  you  are 
again  saluted  by  the  odious  notes  of  a  mos- 
quito close  to  your  ear !  The  perilous  fight 
of  the  previous  dream,  in  which  your  honor 
had  become  pledged,  and  your  life  at  hazard, 
is  all  forgotten  in  the  pressing  reality  of  this 
waking  calamity.  You  resolve  to  do  or  die, 
and  not  to  sleep,  or  even  attempt  to  sleep, 
till  you  have  overcome  the  enemy.  Just  as 
you  have  made  this  manly  resolve,  and,  in 
order  to  deceive  the  foe,  have  pretended  to 
be  fast  asleep,  the  wary  mosquito  is  again 
heard  circling  over  you  at  a  distance,  but 
gradually  coming  nearer  and  nearer,  in  a 
spiral  descent,  and  at  each  turn  gaining 
upon  you  one  inch,  till  at  length  he  almost 
touches  your  ear,  and,  as  you  suppose,  is 
just  about  to  settle  upon  it.  With  a  sudden 
jerk,  and  full  of  wrath,  you  bring  up  your 
hand,  and  give  yourself  such  a  box  on  the 
ear  as  would  have  staggered  the  best  friend 
you  have  in  the  world,  and  might  have 
crushed  twenty  thousand  mosquitoes,  had 
they  been  there  congregated. 

Being  convinced  that  you  have  now  done 
for  him,  you  must  mutter  between  your 
teeth  one  of  those  satisfactory  little  apolo- 
gies for  an  oath  which  indicate  gratified 
revenge,  and  down  you  lie  again.  In  less 
than  ten  seconds,  however,  the  very  same 
felon  whom  you  fondly  hoped  you  had  exe- 
cuted is  again  within  hail  of  you,  and  you 
can  almost  fancy  there  is  scorn  in  the  tone 
of  his  abominable  hum.      You  of  course 


V  V^^V^r^^.^^^  V 


AMUSING    ANECDOTES. 


345 


watch  his  motions  still  more  intently  than 
before,  but  only  by  the  ear,  for  you  can 
never  see  him.  We  shall  suppose  that  you 
fancy  that  he  is  aiming  at  your  left  hand  : 
indeed,  as  you  are  almost  sure  of  it,  you 
wait  till  he  has  ceased  his  song,  and  then 
you  give  yourself  another  smack,  which,  I 
need  not  say,  proves  quite  as  harmless  as 
the  first.  About  this  stage  of  the  action, 
you  discover,  to  your  horror,  that  you  have 
been  soundly  bit  in  one  ear  and  in  both 
heels,  but  when  or  how  you  cannot  tell. 

These  wounds,  of  course,  put  you  into  a 
fine  rage,  partly  from  the  pain,  and  partly 
from  the  insidious  manner  in  which  they 
have  been  inflicted.  Up  you  spring  on 
your  knees  —  not  to  pray.  Heaven  knows  ! 
but  to  fight.  You  seize  your  horse's  tail 
with  spiteful  rage,  and  after  whisking  it 
round  and  round,  and  cracking  it  in  every 
corner  of  the  bed,  you  feel  pretty  certain 
that  you  must  at  last  have  demolished  your 
friend.  In  this  unequal  warfare  you  pass 
the  live-long  night,  alternately  scratching 
and  cuffing  yourself — fretting  and  fuming 
to  no  purpose  —  feverish,  angry,  sleepy, 
provoked,  and  wounded  in  twenty  different 
places.  At  last,  just  as  the  long-expected 
day  begins  to  dawn,  you  drop  off  quite  ex- 
hausted into  an  unsatisfactory  heavy  slum- 
ber during  which  your  triumphant  enemy 
banquets  on  your  carcass  at  his  convenient 
leisure.  As  the  sun  is  rising,  the  barber 
enters  the  room  to  remove  your  beard  be- 
fore you  step  into  the  bath,  and  you  awaken 
only  to  discover  the  bloated  and  satiated 
monster  clinging  to  the  top  of  your  bed,  an 
easy  but  useless  and  inglorious  prey. 

SjPERSTmoN  OF  Sailors.  — The  follow- 
ing is  from  Messrs.  Bennet  and  Tyerman's 
Voyages  and  Travels  :  —  "  Our  chief  mate 
said,  that  on  board  a  ship  where  he  had 
served,  the  mate  on  duty  ordered  some  of 
the  youths  to  reef  the  main-top-sail.  When 
the  first  got  up,  he  heard  a  strange  voice 
saying  — '  It  blows  hard.'  The  lad  waited 
for  no  more  ;  he  was  down  in  a  trice,  and, 
telling  his  adventures,  a  second  immediately 
ascended,  laughing  at  the  folly  of  his  com- 
panion, but  returned  even  more  quickly, 
declaring  that  he  was  quite  sure  that  a 
voice,  not  of  this  world,  had  cried  in  his  ear 
— '  It  blows  hard.'  Another  went,  and 
another,  but  each  came  back  with  the  same 
t;ile. 

"  At  length  the  mate,  having  sent  up  the 

whole  watch,  ran  up  the  shrouds  himself; 

'  and   when   ho   reached   the   haunted    spot, 

heard  tlie  dreadful  words  distinctly  uttered 


in  his  ears  —  'It  blows  hard.'  —  'Ay,  ay, 
old  one ;  but  blow  it  ever  so  hard,  we  must 
ease  the  carings,  for  all  that,'  replied  the 
mate  undauntedly  ;  and,  looking  round,  he 
spied  a  fine  parrot  perched  on  one  of  the 
chies  —  the  thoughtless  author  of  all  the 
false  alarms,  which  had  probably  escaped 
from  some  other  vessel,  but  had  not  been 
discovered  to  have  taken  refuge  on  this. 
Another  of  our  officers  mentioned,  that  on 
one  of  his  voyages,  he  remembered  a  boy 
having  been  sent  up  to  clear  a  rope  which 
had  got  foul  above  the  mizen-top.  Pres- 
ently, however,  he  came  back,  trembling, 
and  almost  tumbling  to  the  bottom,  declar- 
ing that  he  had  seen  '  Old  Davy' aft  the 
cross-trees.  Moreover,  that  the  Evil  One 
had  a  huge  head  and  face,  with  pricked  ears, 
and  eyes  as  bright  as  fire.  Two  or  three 
others  were  sent  up  in  succession  ;  to  all 
of  whom  the  apparition  glared  forth,  and 
was  identified  by  each  to  be  'Old  Davy,' 
sure  enough. 

"  The  mate,  in  rage,  at  length  mounted 
himself,  when,  resolutely,  as  in  the  former^ 
case,  searching  for  the  bugbear,  he  soon 
ascertained  the  innocent  cause  of  so  much 
terror  to  be  a  large  horned  owl,  so  lodged 
as  to  be  out  of  sight  to  those  who  ascended 
on  the  other  side  of  the  vessel,  but  which, 
when  any  one  approached  the  cross-trees, 
popped  up  his  portentous  visage  to  see  what 
was  coming.  The  mate  brought  him  down 
in  triumph,  and  '  Old  Davy,'  the  owl,  be- 
came a  very  peaceable  shipmate  among  the 
crew,  who  were  no  longer  scared  by  his 
horns  and  eyes  ;  for  sailors  turn  their  backs 
on  nothing  when  they  know  what  it  is. 
Had  the  birds,  in  these  two  instances,  de- 
parted as  they  came,  of  course  they  would 
have  been  deemed  supernatural  visitants  to 
the  respective  ships,  by  all  who  had  heard 
the  one  or  seen  the  other." 


George  IV.  —  When  this  monarch  was 
in  Ireland,  he  told  Lord  Koden  that  on  a 
particular  morning  he  was  coming  to  break- 
fast with  him.  He  accordingly  came;  and 
bringing  with  him  two  or  three  of  the  no- 
bility, happened  to  arrive  just  as  his  lord- 
ship and  family  assembled  for  domestic 
worship.  Lord  Roden,  being  told  that  his 
guest  had  arrived,  went  to  the  door,  and 
met  him  with  every  expression  of  respect, 
and  seated  him  and  the  gentlemen  that  ac- 
companied him  in  the  parlor.  He  then 
turned  to  the  king  and  said,  "  Your  majesty 
will  not  doubt  that  I  feel  highly  honored  by 
this  visit;  but  there  is  a  duty,  which  I  have 
not  yet  discharged  this   morning,  which  I 


44 


346 


AMUSINO   AJJECDOTES. 


owe  to  the  King  of  kings  —  that  of  perform- 1 
ing-  domestic  worship ;  and  )'our  majesty  | 
will  be  kind  enough  to  excuse  me  while  I 
retire  with  my  household  to  attend  to  it." 
"  Certainly,"  replied  the  king,  "  but  I  am 
going  with  you,"  —  and  immediately  rose 
and  followed  him  into  the  hall,  where  the 
family  were  assembled,  and  taking  his  sta- 
tion in  an  old-arm  chair,  remained  during 
the  family  devotions. 

This  anecdote  certainly  reflects  honor 
both  upon  the  king  and  the  nobleman,  dis- 
playing in  the  one  the  dignity  of  Christian 
principle,  and  in  the  other,  the  courtesy  of 
a  gentleman,  and  the  regard  felt  for  a  con- 
sistent religious  character. 


George  III.  —  A  respectable  mechanic, 
who  was  personally  known  to  the  king,  was, 
through  affliction  in  his  family,  brought  into 
great  pecuniary  difficulty.  He  was  advised 
to  present  a  petition  to  the  king,  stating 
his  circumstances.  He  did  so,  and  his 
majesty  was  pleased  to  appoint  a  certain 
liour  the  next  morning,  when  he  would  see 
him. 

He  went  accordingly  to  the  door  of  the 
queen's  lodge,  but  through  diffidence  did 
not  ring  for  admittance.  He  lingered  till 
the  appointed  time  was  past  a  few  minutes, 
when  the  king  came  out  with  some  attend- 
ants. He  instantly  observed  the  petitioner 
and  said,  "  I  desired  you  to  be  here  precisely 
at  such  an  hour ;  it  is  now  five  minutes  past 
the  time ;  you  know  that  I  am  punctual. 
Follow  me." 

The  king  then  proceeded  through  several 
rooms  to  his  private  closet,  and  having  shut 
the  door,  went  to  his  desk,  and  look  out  a 
purse  and  gave  it  to  the  applicant  and  said, 
"  There  is  money  to  pay  your  debts,  and  a 
trifle  for  yourself."  The  humble  petitioner, 
overwhelmed  with  the  king's  goodness,  drop- 
ped on  his  knees,  and  made  a  stammering 
efiort  to  thank  the  king,  but  a  flood  of  tears 
prevented  him.  His  majesty  instantly  put 
forth  his  hand,  and  with  considerable  emo- 
tion said,  "  Get  up,  get  up ;  thank  God  that 
I  have  it  in  my  power  to  help  an  honest 
man."  ^__^__ 

Marshal  Titrenne.  —  A  young  officer 
of  noble  family  imagined  he  had  received 
an  insult  from  Marshal  Turenne,  and  de- 
manded satisfaction  in  the  usual  manner. 
The  marshal  made  no  reply  to  his  chal- 
lenge ;  the  officer  repeated  it  several  times, 
but  the  marshal  still  maintained  the  same 
silence.  Irritated  at  this  apparent  contempt, 
the  officer  resolved  to  compel  him  to  the 


acceptance  of  his  invitation.  For  this  pur- 
pose, he  watched  him  upon  his  walks,  and 
at  length  met  him  in  the  public  street,  ac- 
companied by  two  other  general  officers  : 
he  hurried  towards  him,  and  to  the  aston- 
ishment and  even  terror  of  those  who  saw 
him,  he  spat  in  the  marshal's  face. 

The  companions  of  the  marshal  started 
back  in  amazement ;  the  marshal,  his  coun- 
tenance glowing  with  a  sense  of  indignity, 
seized  the  hilt  of  his  sword,  and  had  already 
half  unsheathed  it,  when,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  spectators,  he  suddenly  returned 
it  to  the  scabbard,  and  taking  his  handker- 
chief from  his  pocket,  "  Young  man,"  said 
he,  "  could  I  wipe  your  blood  from  my  con- 
science with  as  much  ease  as  I  can  youi 
spittle  from  my  face,  I  would  take  your  life 
on  the  spot.     Go,  sir  ! " 

Saying  this,  the  marshal  retired  in  all  the 
majesty  of  triumphant  virtue.  The  young 
officer  was  so  much  struck,  as  well  with  his 
manner  as  with  his  virtue,  that  he  did  not 
rest  till  he  had  obtained  pardon  of  the  mar- 
shal. Turenne  afterwards  became  his  pat- 
ron, and  under  such  a  preceptor,  he  became 
almost  a  rival  of  his  fame. 


Cykus,  King  of  Persia.  —  Cyrus,  when 
quite  a  youth,  at  the  court  of  his  grand- 
father Astyages,  undertook  one  day  to  per- 
form the  office  of  cup-bearer.  He  delivered 
the  cup  very  gracefully,  but  omitted  the 
usual  custom  of  first  tasting  it  himself.  The 
king  reminded  him  of  it,  supposing  that  he 
had  forgotten  the  practice.  "  No,  sir,"  re- 
plied Cyrus,  "but  1  was  afraid  there  might 
be  poison  in  it;  for  I  have  observed  that 
the  lords  of  your  court,  after  drinking  it, 
became  noisy,  quarrelsome,  and  frantic,  and 
that  even  you,  sire,  seem  to  have  forgotten 
that  you  are  a  king."  "  Does  not  the  same 
thing,"  replied  Astyages,  "  happen  to  your 
father?"  "Never,""  said  Cyrus.  "How 
then  ?"  "  Why,  when  he  has  taken  what 
wine  he  requires,  he  is  no  longer  thirsty, 
that  is  all."  

Gen.  Wolfe.  —  When  George  III.  was 
once  expressing  his  admiration  of  General 
Wolfe,  some  one  observed  that  the  general 
was  mad.  "  Oh  !  he  is  mad,  is  he  ? "  said 
the  king,  with  great  quickness.  "  Tiien 
I  wish  he  would  bite  some  of  my  other 
generals."  __^___ 

A  Forcible  Argument.  —  The  erudite 
Bishop  Burnett,  preaching  before  Charles 
II.,  being  much  warmed  with  his  subject, 
uttered  some   rehgious  truths  with   great 


vehemence,  and  at  the  same  time  striking 
his  fist  on  the  pulpit  with  much  violence, 
cried  out,  "Who  dare  deny  this?"  "Faith," 
;:  said  the  king,  "  nobody  that  may  be  within 
reach  of  that  fist  of  yours  ! " 


AMUSLNS    ANECDOTES. 


347 


I/ons  XVI.  —  The  Abbe  preached  a  fast- 
day  sermon  before  Louis  XVI.,  which  con- 
tained a  great  deal  of  politics,  finance,  and 
government,  and  very  little  of  the  gospel. 
"  It  is  a  pity,"  said  the  king,  as  he  came 
out  of  church,  "  that  the  Abbe  has  not 
touched  on  religion  ;  he  would  then  have 
told  us  everything." 


Bonaparte.  —  One  great  secret  of  Napo- 
leon's popularity  with  the  army  was  the 
fact,  that  he  never  forgot  those  who,  by  their 
bravery  and  devotion,  had  rendered  them- 
selves conspicuous.  On  the  day  of  a  review 
he  could,  at  a  single  glance,  perceive  the 
men  who  had  distinguished  themselves  in 
battle.  He  would  go  up  to  them,  address 
them  by  their  names,  and  say,  "  Oh  !  so 
you  are  here  ?  You  are  brave  fellows.  I 
saw  you  at  Aboukir  —  at  Marengo  —  at 
Auslcrlitz  —  what!  have  you  not  got  the 
legion  of  honor?  Stay  —  I  will  give  it 
you."  Then  the  delighted  soldiers  would 
say  to  each  other  —  "  You  see  the  emperor 
knows  us  all — he  knows  where  we  have 
served."  What  a  stimulus  was  this  to  sol- 
diers !  

Magnanimity  of  Frederic  the  Great. 
—  Near  Potsdam  was  a  mill  which,  by  its 
situation,  interfered  with  the  view  from  the 
windows  of  Sans  Souci  —  the  favorite  resi- 
dence of  Frederic.  Annoyed  at  this,  and 
wishing  to  remove  it,  the  emperor  sent  to 
inquire  the  price  at  which  the  owner  of  the 
mill  would  sell  if.  "  For  no  price,"  was  the 
reply  of  the  sturdy  Prussian.  In  a  moment 
of  anger,  Frederio>gave  orders  that  the  mill 
should  be  pulled  down.  "The  king  may 
do  this,"  said  the  miller,  quietl)'  folding  his 
arms,  "but  there  are  laws  in  Prussia." 
And  forthwith  he  commenced  proceedings 
against  the  monarch,  the  result  of  which 
was,  that  the  court  sentenced  Frederic  to 
rebuild  the  mill,  and  to  pay,  beside,  a  large 
sum  of  money  as  compensation  for  the  in- 
jury that  he  had  done.  The  king  was  mor- 
tified, but  had  the  magnanimity  to  say, 
addressing  himself  to  his  courtiers,  "  I  am 
glad  to  find  that  just  laws  and  upright  judges 
exist  in  my  kingdom." 

A  few  years  after,  the  head  of  the  honest 
miller's  family,  who  had,  in  due  course  of 


time,  succeeded  to  the  possession  of  the 
little  estate,  finding  himself,  after  a  long 
struggle,  involved  in  pecuniary  ditTiculties 
that  had  become  insurmountable,  wrote  to 
the  king,  reminding  him  of  the  refusal  e.\- 
perienced  by  him  at  the  hands  of  his  ances- 
tor, and  stating  that  if  his  majesty  now 
entertained  n  similar  desire  to  obtain  posses- 
sion of  the  properly,  it  would  be  very  agree- 
able to  him,  in  his  present  embarrassed 
circumstances,  to  sell  the  mill.  Frederic 
immediately  wrote  with  his  own  hand  the 
following  reply  : 

"My  dear  Neighbor — I  cannot  allow  j-ou 
to  sell  the  mill;  it  must  remain  in  your 
possession  so  long  as  one  member  of  your 
family  exists ;  for  it  belongs  to  the  his- 
ton,'  of  Prussia.  I  lament,  however,  to 
hoar  that  you  are  in  circumstances  of  em- 
barrassment ;  and  therefore  send  you  6000 
dollars  to  arrange  your  affairs,  in  the  hope 
that  this  sum  will  be  sullicient  for  the  pur- 
pose. Consider  me  always  your  afllxtion- 
ate  neighbor  Frederic  Willuji." 


A  FnENXn  IMinister.  —  Some  years  ago, 
a  traveller,  passing  through  Clermont  in 
Franco,  wished  to  see  the  country-house 
where  Massillon  used  to  spend  the  greater 
part  of  the  year,  and  applied  to  an  old  vicar, 
who,  since  the  death  of  the  bishop,  had 
never  entered  the  house.  He  consented, 
however,  to  gratify  the  traveller,  notwith- 
standing the  profound  grief  he  would  suffer 
from  revisiting  a  place  so  dear  to  his  remem- 
brance. 

They  accordingly  set  out  together,  and 
the  vicar  pointed  out  to  the  stranger  the 
different  places  of  importance.  "  There," 
said  he,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "  is  the  alley 
in  which  the  excellent  prelate  used  to  walk 
with  us;  there  is  the  arbor  in  which  he 
used  to  sit  and  read  ;  this  is  the  garden  he 
used  to  cultivate  with  his  own  hands." 
They  then  entered  the  house,  and  when 
they  came  to  the  room  where  Massillon 
died,  "  This,"  said  he,  bursting  into  tears, 
"  is  the  place  where  we  lost  him." 


;: 


Henry  IV.  —  This  monarch  was  stand- 
ing one  day  with  some  of  his  courtiers,  at 
the  entrance  of  a  village,  and  a  poor  man, 
passing  by,  bowed  down  to  the  very  ground. 
The  king,  with  great  condescension,  returned 
his  salutation  ;  at  which  one  of  his  attend- 
ants ventured  to  express  his  surprise,  when 
the  monarch  replied  to  him,  "  Would  you 
have  your  king  exceeded  in  politeness  by 
one  of  the  lowest  of  his  subjects  ? " 


CHANDALAHS. 


The  Chandalahs,  or  Chandalus,  are  a 
tribe  of  Hindoos,  who  lead  a  life  of  poverty 
and  degradation  on  account  of  their  irregu- 
lar parentage.  They  exist  in  all  parts  of 
Hindostan. 

The  Hindoos  have  been  from  time  imme- 
morial divided  into  castes,  or  distinct  orders. 
These  castes  are  four,  namely:  1.  The 
Brahmins,  or  priests,  whose  especial  duty  it 
is  to  read,  pray,  and  instruct.  2.  The 
Chatryas,  who  exercise  the  military  profes- 
sion, and  hold  political  offices.  3.  The 
Bkyse,  consisting  of  merchants  and  agricul- 
turists. 4.  The  Sitdras,  whose  duty  is  sub- 
jection, labor,  and  servitude. 

This  separation  of  castes  is  supposed  by 
the  Hindoos  to  have  sprung  from  the  origi- 
nal formation  of  mankind,  and  the  first  clas- 
sification of  human  beings.  The  custom  is 
undoubtedly  of  the  most  remote  antiquity, 
and  has  become  inseparably  connected  with 
the  social  institutions  and  national  manners 
of  the  people  of  Hindostan.  Such  has  been 
the  effect  of  this  wonderful  system,  and  so 
deep  a  root  has  it  taken  in  the  prejudices 
and  habits  of  the  Hindoos,  that,  in  the  midst 
of  all  the  wars,  revolutions,  and  civil  tumults 
which  have  disturbed  their  country  for  thou- 
sands of  years  past,  the  four  castes  have 
been  kept  distinct,  each  exercising  its  pecu- 
liar occupations,  and  abstaining   from  all 


interference  with  the  others.  The  Brahmin 
is  still  the  sacred  depositary  of  religious 
knowledge,  and  to  him  all  the  other  classes 
pay  the  highest  deference.  The  Chatrya 
is  the  only  regular  soldier,  the  Bhyse  the 
only  regular  cultivator  and  mercliant,  in 
Hindostan ;  and  the  Sudra  remains  the 
"  servant  of  all  work." 

The  more  honorable  the  caste  is,  the  more 
numerous  are  the  restrictions  under  which 
its  members  are  laid,  and  the  prerogatives 
which  they  enjoy  are  the  more  valuable. 
Very  severe  penalties  are  imposed  upon 
those  who  disregard  any  of  the  rules  of  their 
caste.  To  this  point  of  honor  the  Hindoo 
patiently  sacrifices  his  comfort,  his  health, 
and  his  life.  An  anecdote  will  illustrate 
this  in  a  very  forcible  manner. 

A  Brahmin  of  Calcutta,  while  laboring 
under  a  severe  disease,  exposed  himself  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  where  he  passed 
some  hours  in  contemplation  and  prayer. 
He  waited,  motionless,  for  the  tide  to  ad- 
vance and  bear  him  into  the  sacred  waves, 
where,  according  to  the  superstitious  belief 
of  the  Hindoos,  a  blessed  and  delightful 
death  was  to  await  him.  A  party  of  Eng- 
lish people  happened  to  pass  near  him  in  a 
boat,  and,  supposing  the  Brahmin  to  be  suf- 
fering from  the  effects  of  some  unfortunate 
accident,  they  took  him  on  board,  and  re- 


CARRIER    DOVE. 


349 


stored  him  to  animation  by  the  help  of  Cor- 
el iale.  and  food. 

His  brother  Brahmins  now  pronounced 
him  infamous,  degraded  from  his  caste,  and 
unworthy  of  being  spoken  to  by  a  Hindoo. 
It  was  to  no  purpose  that  the  Englishmen 
showed,  by  undeniable  testimon)',  that  the 
fault  was  theirs,  and  not  the  Brahmin's,  as 
the  latter  was  found  by  them  in  a  state  of 
utter  insensibility.  The  Hindoo  law  was 
inflexible.  He  had  received  drink  and  food 
from  strangers,  contrary  to  its  express  com- 
mands ;  and  for  this  he  was  deprived  of  all 
the  means  of  subsistence,  and  made  an  out- 
cast from  society. 

The  English  courts  of  justice  decided  that 
those  who  had  saved  his  life  should  main- 
tain him.  The  unhappy  Brahmin,  deserted 
by  all  his  friends,  and  followed  everywhere 
by  demonstrations  of  contempt  and  scorn, 
dragged  out  a  miserable  existence  for  three 
years,  and  then  put  an  end  to  his  own  life. 

Besides  the  four  great  castes,  there  are 


numerous  mixed  classes  of  Hindoos,  who 
have  arisen  from  unlawful  intermarriages 
between  the  castes,  and  other  circumstances 
by  which  individuals  become  degraded  from 
their  rank.  The  Chandalalis  constitute  one 
of  these  impure  classes.  They  arose  origi- 
nally, it  is  said,  from  the  marriage  of  a 
Sudra  with  a  female  Brahmin.  A  Chan- 
dalah  is  esteemed  a  very  degraded  being. 
His  occupation  is  genemlly  that  of  a  fisher- 
man, or  day-laborer.  He  carries  the  dead 
to  their  graves,  olUciates  as  public  execu- 
tioner, and  perfonnsall  those  deeds  of  abject 
drudgery  that  in  other  countries  are  de- 
volved upon  slaves  and  criminals.  On  the 
Malabar  and  Coromandel  coast,  such  is  the 
abomination  in  which  this  unfortunate  class 
is  held,  that  if  one  of  them  were  to  touch  a 
Rajpoot  or  a  Nair,  the  person  touched  would 
instantly  put  him  to  death.  Even  the 
shadow  of  a  Chandalah  falling  upon  an  in- 
dividual of  another  class,  is  considered  as 
polluting  him. 


CARRIER   DOVE. 


: 


This  interesting  bird  was  known  and  em- 
ployed in  very  ancient  times,  throughout  the 
east,  for  conveying  intelligence.  Linna;us, 
the  naturalist,  gives  it  the  name  of  columba 
tabdlaria,  which  is  derived  from  a  word  sig- 
nifying a  letter. 

'fhis  species  of  dove,  or  pigeon,  is  of  a 
larger  size  than  the  greater  part  of  the 
pigeons,  being  fifteen  inches  in  length,  and 
sometimes  weighing  twenty  ounces.  The 
symmetry  of  its  form  is  quite  striking. 
Those  which  are  of  a  blue  or  a  piebald  color 
are  most  esteemed  by  pigeon-fanciers.    We 


know  not  the  country  to  which  the  carrier 
originally  belonged. 

Pliny,  the  ancient  Roman  writer,  makes 
a  striking  remark  upon  the  intelligence  con- 
veyed by  pigeons  at  the  siege  of  Modena. 
"  Of  what  avail,"  he  says,  "  were  sentinels, 
circumvallations,  or  nets  obstructing  the 
view,  when  intelligence  could  be  conveyed 
by  aerial  messengers?" 

If  carrier  pigeons  are  hoodwinked,  and  in 
this  state  conveyed  from  twenty  to  a  hun- 
dred miles,  they  will  find  their  way  back  tc 
the  place  of  their  nativity.     They  are  regu- 


350 


larly  trained  to  this  service  in  Turkey  and 
Persia.  They  are  carried  first,  while  young-, 
short  flights  of  half  a  mile  ;  afterwards  the 
distance  is  gradually  increased,  till  at  length 
they  will  return  from  the  farthest  part  of  the 
kingdom,  and  even  from  foreign  lands,  across 
the  sea.  It  was  customary,  and  it  is  probably 
the  case  now,  that  every  bashaw  had  a  basket 
of  these  pigeons,  bred  in  the  seraglio,  which 
were  used  in  cases  of  pressing  emergency. 

It  is  said  that,  while  an  army  was  besieg- 
ing Tyre  in  the  time  of  the  crusades,  intel- 
ligence from  a  distant  quarter  was  suspected, 
from  a  pigeon  being  frequently  observed 
hovering  about  the  city.  The  besiegers 
obtained  possession  of  the  bird,  and  removed 
the  billet,  containing  useful  intelligence  to 
those  who  were  within  the  city.  This  billet 
was  replaced  by  another,  containing  deceit- 
ful intelligence  ;  the  bird  was  liberated,  and, 
through  the  false  information,  the  besiegers 
got  possession  of  the  city. 


Carrier  pigeons  have  often  been  used,  in 
our  day,  to  convey  inteiligence  between 
London  and  Paris.  Not  long  since,  a  Bos- 
ton editor  adopted  a  very  ingenious  contriv- 
ance for  getting  news  before  any  one  else. 
A  friend  of  his,  at  Liverpool,  wrote  don-n 
the  news  on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  sent  it  to 
Halifax  by  the  steamer  for  Boston.  At 
Halifax,  it  was  delivered  to  another  friend 
of  the  editor,  who  went  on  board  the  steamer, 
taking  a  carrier  pigeon,  from  Boston,  with 
him.  When  within  one  or  two  hundred 
miles  of  Boston,  the  pigeon  was  liberated, 
having  the  news  tied  to  his  neck.  Straight 
he  flew  to  his  home  at  Boston;  the  editor 
got  the  paper,  and  thus  he  printed  the  news 
before  any  one  else. 

This  was  very  ingenious,  certainly,  but 
the  lightning  telegraph  beats  even  the  swift- 
winged  carriers  ;  and  hereafter  these  birds 
will  doubtless  be  permitted  to  live  in  their 
own  fashion. 


CORAL. 


Coral  is  a  hard  substance,  formed  in  the 
sea  by  collections  of  insects,  called  coral- 
lines.  It  is  of  three  colors  —  wkiie,  Hack, 
and  red.  These  are  all  used  for  ornaments, 
but  the  red  is  preferred.     In  the  Mediter- 


ranean Sea,  near  the  coast  of  Italy,  there 
are  large  fisheries  for  coral.  In  many  parts 
of  the  sea  coral  is  produced,  but  it  is  most 
abundant  in  warni  latitudes.  It  is  said  that, 
in  some  places,  the  sailors,  as  they  are  going  5 


CAMPHOR   TREE. 


%1 


along  in  their  ships,  look  down  and  see  for- 
ests of  coral,  within  which  fishes  of  many 
forms  are  seen  gliding  about,  apparently 
very  happy.     Hence  the  poet  speaks  of  the 

" coral  grove, 

Where  the  purple  mullet  and  goldfish  rove." 


Though  coral  seems  like  stone,  it  is  made 
by  very  minute,  soft,  insignificant  creatures  ; 
and  such  are  their  number  and  their  indus- 
try, that  they  build  up  whole  islands  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea.  Many  of  the  islands  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean  are  the  work  of  corallines. 


CAMPHOR  TREE. 


This  grows  naturally  in  the  woods  of  the 
more  western  parts  of  Japan,  and  in  the 
adjacent  islands  of  the  far  distant  Pacific. 
That  part  which  smells  stronger  of  camphor 
than  any  other  is  the  root,  which  substance 
it  yields  in  great  quantities.  The  bark  of 
the  stalk  has  outwardly  rather  a  rough  ap- 
pearance ;  the  inner  surface  is  smooth  and 
tnucous,  and  is  very  easily  separated  from 
the  wood,  which  is  dry  in  its  nature,  and 
white  in  its  color.  The  leaves  stand  upon 
slender,  delicate  footstalks,  having  an  entire 
undulating  margin  running  out  into  a  point ; 
the  upper  surface  of  the  leaf  is  of  a  lively, 
shining  green,  and  the  lower  herbaceous 
and  silky.  The  flowers  are  produced  on 
tlie  tops  of  footstalks,  which  proceed  from 
the  arm-pits  of  the  leaves,  but  not  till  the 
tree  has  attained  considerable  age  and  size. 
The  flower-stalks  are  slender,  branched  at 
the  top,  and  divided  into  very  short  pedicles, 
each  supporting  a  single  flower ;  these  flowers 


are  white,  and  consist  of  six  petals,  which  are 
succeeded  by  a  shining  purple  berry,  of  the 
size  of  a  pea.  This  is  composed  of  a  soft, 
pulpy  substance,ofa  purple  color,  and  has  the 
taste  of  cloves  and  camphor— and  of  a  koincl 
of  the  size  of  a  pepper,  that  is  covered  with 
a  black,  shining  skin,  of  an  insipid  taste. 

The  camphor  is  a  solid  concrete  juice,  ex- 
tracted from  the  wood  of  the  camphor  tree. 
Pure  camphor  is  very  white,  clear,  and 
unctuous  to  the  touch  :  the  taste  is  bitterish- 
aromatic,  and  accompanied  with  a  sense  of 
coolness  :  the  smell  is  particularly  fragrant, 
something  like  that  of  rosemarj-,  but  much 
stronger  ;  it  has  been  long  esteemed  for  its 
medicinal  qualities,  and  has  been  justly 
celebrated  in  fevers,  malignant  and  epidemic 
distempers.  In  deliria,  where  opiates  failed 
in  procuring  sleep,  but  rather  increased  and 
aggravated  the  symptoms,  this  medicine  has 
been  often  found  to  procure  it.  Dr.  Cuhen 
attributes  these  effects  to  its  sedative  quali- 


*}52 


THE    KILOMETER. 


ties,  and  denies  that  camphor  has  any  other       To  all  brufe  creatures  camphor  is  po-.sori' 


proper!)^  than  that  which  is  anti-spasmodic 
and  sedative,  or  composing.  He  says  that 
it  is  a  very  powerful  medicine,  and  capable 
of  doing  much  good  or  harm. 


ous.  By  experiments  made,  it  appears  that 
in  some  it  produced  sleep  followed  by  death. 
In  others,  before  death,  they  were  awakened 
into  convulsions  and  rage. 


THE   NILOMETER. 


This  is  a  thin  column,  or  pillar,  marked 
in  divisions,  to  ascertain  the  rise  and  fall  of 
the  river  Nile.  It  is  situated  in  the  midst 
of  a  round  tower,  on  the  island  of  Rhoda, 
between  Cairo  and  Geeza,  and  is  built  in  the 
middle  of  the  river.  In  this  tower  is  a  cis- 
tern of  marble,  through  which  the  Nile  flows; 
tlie  bottom  of  the  river  and  the  bottom  of  the 
well  being  on  the  same  level.  From  the  cen- 
tre of  this  well  rises  the  slender  pillar,  which 
is  marked  into  twenty  divisions,  of  twenty 
inches  each  ;  the  space  marked  on  the  col- 
umn is  somewhat  more  than  thirty-six  feet. 

This  column  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
to  the  Pacha  of  Egypt ;  it  being  the  chief 
means  by  which  he  is  enabled  to  fix  the 
tribute  or  tax,  according  to  the  height  of  the 
inundation. 

The  tower  in  which  the  Nilometer  is 


placed  is  lighted  by  about  eighteen  or  tv,-enty 
windows,  which  form  a  belt  round  the  base 
of  the  dome  ;  immediately  beneath  these 
windows,  and  considerably  above  the  basin 
or  well,  are  rooms  or  apartments  for  those 
who  come  to  see  the  height  of  the  Nile,  from 
whence  a  flight  of  about  twenty-five  or  thirty 
stone  steps  leads  to  the  marble  pavement, 
which  forms  the  topof  the  cistern  or  well,  and 
in  the  centre  of  which  the  nilometer  is  placed. 
On  ascertaining  that  the  overflow  will  be 
such  as  to  fertilize  all  the  land,  the  grand 
canals  are  opened  with  great  ceremony,  fes- 
tivity, and  rejoicing.  As  soon  as  the  Nile 
retires  from  the  fields,  they  are  sown  with  all 
sorts  of  grain,  and  in  a  short  space  of  time 
the  face  of  the  whole  country  is  variegated 
with  the  hues  of  flowering  plants  and  ripen- 
ing corn. 


■: 


ROIIILLAS. 


TiiK  Rnhillasare  a  people  in  the  nortliern 
part  of  Hindostan.  Thov  are  supposed  to 
have  been  oris:;ina!ly  emigrants  from  Af- 
ghanistan, who  left  that  country  in  the  early 
part  of  the  last  centur}',  in  the  character  of 
adventurers  in  quest  of  military  service. 

The  name  of  Rohilla  is  said  to  be  derived 
from  Roh,  an  Afghan  word  signifying  a  hill 
or  mountain.  It  is  remarkable  that  moun- 
taineers, in  all  parts  of  the  world,  are  pecu- 
liarly addicted  to  migration,  and  an  adven- 
turous, wandering  life,  as  we  see  in  the  case 
of  the  Swiss,  the  Scotch,  the  Savoyards,  the 
Tyrolese,  etc.  On  their  arrival  in  Hindos- 
tan,  the  Rohiilas  settled  in  that  district  which 
lies  between  Delhi  and  Sirhind,  eastward 
of  the  country  of  the  Sikhs.  This  territory 
received  from  them  the  name  of  Kohilcund. 

During  the  period  of  their  independence, 
the  Kohillas  were,  with  few  exceptions,  the 
ov\y  Mahometans  in  India  who  exercised 
the  profession  of  husbandry.  They  made 
many  improvements  in  various  branches  of 
agriculture,  and  soon  surpassed  all  their 
neighbors  in  the  abundance  and  superior 
quality  of  the  productions  which  their  indus- 
try raised  from  the  soil.  They  were  divided 
into  several  independent  tribes,  but  in  times 
of  general  danger  they  acted  in  concert. 
They  were  capable  of  bringing  info  the 
field  a  numerous  and  well-disciplined  body 
of  cavalry.  They  were  particularly  distin- 
guished for  a  mortal  antipathy  toward  their 
neighbors,  the  Mahrattas. 


45 


In  the  year  1773,  the  JIahrattas  invaded 
the  country  of  the  Kohillas.  The  British 
interfered  in  this  war,  and  sent  an  army  to 
the  relief  of  the  Rohiilas.  The  Jlahrattas 
were  defeated,  but  this  success  proved  the 
ruin  of  those  who  were  delivered  from  the 
invasion.  In  a  dispute  which  took  place 
shortly  afterward  between  the  Rohiilas  and 
the  Nabob  of  Oudc,  the  latter  sought  the  aid 
of  Warren  Hastings,  the  British  governor- 
general  of  India.  The  territorj-  of  Rohil- 
cund  was  in  a  most  thriving  condition,  yield- 
ing an  annual  revenue  of  five  millions  of 
dollars  from  the  land  alone,  besides  the 
products  from  other  sources  of  wealth. 
These  riches  tempted  the  cupidity  of  Hast- 
ings, and,  at  his  instigation,  the  nabob  made 
war  upon  the  Rohiilas,  plundering  and  de- 
vastating their  country  in  the  moA  barbar- 
ous manner.  In  the  end,  the  British  ob- 
tained possession  of  all  their  territory,  and 
hold  it  to  this  day. 

The  Rohiilas,  under  the  British  dominion, 
arc  still  brave  and  industrious,  but  the  coun- 
try has  greatly  declined  from  its  ancient 
prosperity.  A  traveller,  passing  over  this 
region  after  the  conquest,  uses  the  following 
language  : 

"  On  the  first  of  Februar)',  after  a  tedious 
journey,  leading  through  a  lonely,  inhospi- 
table country,  I  arrived  at  Oulah.  Of  the 
few  fellow-travwilers  pursuing  the  same 
track,  two  wolves,  a  fo.x,  and  two  hares, 
composed  the  greater  number.    The  shrubs 


;: 


354 


THE    DODO. 


and  high  grass  had  so  concealed  the  path, 
that  I  was  quite  bewildered,  and  bad  lost 
my  way,  wlien  a  small  village  on  an  emi- 
nence attracted  my  notice,  and  held  out  the 
prospect  of  relief.  But  such  is  the  insta- 
bility of  sublunary  pleasure,  that  this  prom- 
ising mark  proved  a  false  beacon.  The 
hamlet  was  unroofed,  and  its  inhabitants 
had  sought  a  more  friendly  land. 

"  Then,  in  the  bitterness  of  my  heart,  I 
gave  up  Sujah-ud-Dowlah  (the  Nabob  of 
Oude)  to  as  many  imps  of  darkness  as  chose 
to  take  him,  and  was  about  consigning  the 
English  to  the  same  crew,  for  having  ex- 
pelled from  a  country  which  they  had  made 
populous  and  opulent  the  extensive  tribe  of 
Kohillas.  How  insatiable,  cruel,  and  de- 
structive even  of  its  own  purposes,  appears 


ambition,  when  placed  in  this  light !  It 
proinpted  a  prince,  already  possessed  of  an 
ample,  fair  territoiy,  to  seize  the  domain  of 
his  neighbors,  who,  by  a  salutary  system  of 
government,  had  enriched  their  country, 
and  made  their  name  respected.  The  con- 
queror, by  the  fortune  of  war,  subjects  into 
a  province  this  flourishing  territory,  which 
is  soon  converted  into  desolate  plains  and 
deserted  villages.  The  town  of  Oulah,  once 
crowded  with  inhabitants,  and  adorned  with 
mosques  and  spacious  buildings,  is  now 
verging  to  ruin,  and  many  of  its  streets  are 
choked  up  with  fallen  habitations." 

In  person,  the  Eohillas  are  a  tall,  hand- 
some race  of  people,  and,  when  compared 
with  their  neighbors,  may  be  called  white. 


THE   DODO. 


This  bird,  instead  of  being  designed  for 
swiftness,  looks  as  if  it  was  among  the  most 
stupid  of  living  things.  It  was  a  native  of 
the  Isle  of  France,  and  was  common  there 
many  years  ago,  but  it  is  now  extinct.  It 
was  an  enormous  creature,  and  four  dodos 
would  have  made  a  meal  for  a  hundred  men. 

The  dodo  was  originally  found  on  the 
Miiinhabited  islands  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  and 
in  great  numbers,  but  from  various  accounts 
it  is  supposed  now  to  have  entirely  disap- 
peared. The  dodo,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes 
CiiUed,  the  solitaire,  was  seen  in  numbers  by 
Vasco  de  Gama,  a  Portuguese  navigator,  in 
1497,  and  in  1514,  on  the  islands  of  Bour- 
bon and  fllauritius.  He  speaks  of  them  as 
lieing  very  tame,  and  not  at  all  afraid  of  man. 


Leguat,  who  visited  the  island  of  Rodri- 
guez in  1691,  gives  a  long  account  of  the 
solitaire.  Though  generally  represented  as 
a  clumsy  and  ill-formed  bird,  he  speaks  of 
it  as  graceful  and  dignified  in  its  movements, 
and  as  possessing  great  beauty.  Though 
it  would  allow  itself  to  be  approached,  yet, 
when  caught,  it  was  incapable  of  being 
tamed,  and  would  refuse  all  nourishment. 
The  nest  w'asmade  of  a  heap  of  palm-leaves 
raised  a  foot  and  a  half  from  the  ground,  in 
which  one  egg  was  deposited.  When  the 
dodo  finally  disappeared  from  these  islands 
is  not  known,  but  no  traces  have  been  found 
of  it  since  the  commencement  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century. 


FAKIRS   OF   HINDOSTAN. 


In  Hindostan  there  are  many  singular 
customs  of  a  religious  nature.  The  people 
have  sacred  shrines,  in  diflerent  parts  of  the 
country,  which  are  frequented  by  pilgrims, 
who  imagine  that  they  derive  great  religious 
benefit  from  visiting  such  places.  These 
are  established  in  the  loveliest  spots  of  the 
green  earth ;  they  are  generally  situated 
near  the  sea,  the  sources  and  junctions  of 
fine  rivers,  the  tops  of  the  hills,  the  recesses 
of  dim  grottos,  by  the  side  of  bright  water- 
falls, or  any  other  place  of  natural  delight 
and  difficult  access.  Amid  these  spots,  more 
sacred  and  inviolable  than  any  other,  the 
Fakirs,  or  eastern  monks,  answering  to  the 
friars,  anchorites,  and  solitaries,  of  Europe, 
take  up  their  abiding  stations.  Here  they 
are  to  be  found  in  numbers,  dependent  upon 
the  bounty  and  beneficence  of  the  charitable 
pilgrims  and  wealthy  devotees. 

Every  Hindoo  is  at  liberty  to  adopt  this 

mode  of  life,  except  the  Chandalalis.    Of  the 

numerous  class  of  which  they  consist,  none 

are  so  much  respected   as   the    Saniasseys 

:  and   Yogeys.      These  quit  their  relations, 

I  and  every  concern  of  this  life,  and  wander 

I   about  the  country,  unfixed  in  their  abode. 

I       Between  these  two  sects,  the  Yogey  and 


i  the  Saniassey,  the  precise  distinction  is  not 
'  known.     The  former,  in  Sanscrit,  signifies 
'a   divine   person;  the   latter,  one  who   has 
forsaken  the  world. 

The  fakir,  ot  holy  mendicant,  is  named  a 
riirnnn  Hinigse.  Residing  under  the  rich 
shade  of  the  palm  or  banian,  he  is  insensi- 
ble to  the  calls  of  nature  in  any  way  ;  he 
scarcely  either  eats  or  drinks  ;  the  position 
which  he  has  taken  he  would  remain  in  for 
a  thousand  years,  were  his  life  but  so  pro- 
longed. He  is  represented  as  absorbed  in 
pure  and  holy  contemplation  ;  his  mind  is 
fixed,  and  insensible  to  external  things  :  he 
is  called  a  Purnim  Hungse  —  that  \s,a  first 
or  perfect  being. 

The  inferior  sects  are  very  many.  The 
most  numerous,  perhaps,  are  those  who  de- 
liver themselves  up  to  severe  penances  and 
excruciating  corporeal  mortifications;  and 
the  torments  to  which  they  submit  them- 
selves would  be  unbelievable,  had  we  not 
the  highest  and  most  credible  authorities  as 
vouchers.  A  few  of  their  penances  we  shall 
attempt  to  enumerate. 

Some,  at  the  grand  festivals,  may  be  seen 
sitting  between  immense  bonfires,  sufficient 
to  roast  an  ox,  while  they  stand  on  one  leg, 


356 


THE    SEAL. 


gazing  at  the  scorching  beams  of  the  sun, 
and,  thus  exposed  to  sun  and  fires,  spend 
the  whole  day.  Some,  having  made  a  vow 
to  keep  their  arms  constantly  extended  over 
their  heads,  with  their  hands  clasped  to- 
gether, so  continue  till  they  become  with- 
ered and  immovable.  Others  gaze  on  the 
broad  orb  of  the  blazing  sun  till  their  eye- 
balls are  blasted  with  excess  of  light.  Some 
make  vows  to  keep  their  arms  crossed  over 
their  breasts  for  the  rest  of  their  days ;  others 
to  keep  their  hands  forever  shut.  Some 
pierce  themselves  with  iron  spikes,  or  man- 
gle their  flesh  with  iron  thongs,  and  sharp, 
lacerating,  metal  scourges.  Contracted 
limbs,  and  members  shrunk  up,  are  every- 
where to  be  seen.  Not  to  move,  indeed,  is 
the  general  distinguishing  feature  of  these 
.self-inflictions,  both  in  regard  to  the  positions 
of  the  persons,  as  well  as  the  place  they 
occupy. 

Not  long  ago,  one  of  these  fakirs  finished 
measuring  the  distance  between  Benares 
and  Juggernaut  with  his  body,  by  alternately 
stretching  himself  upon  the  ground  and 
rising  ! 

To  what  an  impudent  extent  the  system 
of  religious  begging  is  carried  on  in  India, 
one  instance,  adduced  by  Bishop  Heber,  will 
serve  to  show.  "  Meantime,"  says  he,  "  we 
were  besieged  with  beggars.  The  most 
characteristic,  however,  of  these  applicants, 
was  a  tall,  well-made,  but  raw-boned  man, 
in  the  most  fantastic   array  of  rags  and 


wretchedness,  and  who  might  have  answered 
admirably  to  Shakspeare's  Edgar.  He  had 
a  very  filthy  turban  round  his  head,  with  a 
cock's  feather  in  it;  two  satchels  flung  over 
his  broad  shoulders,  —  the  remains  of  a  cum- 
merbund, which  had  been  scarlet  —  a  large 
fan  of  the  palmetto  leaf  in  one  hand,  and 
over  the  other  wrist  an  enormous  chaplet 
of  wooden  beads.  He  came  up  to  our  boat- 
men with  a  familiar  air ;  bade  them  salaam 
with  great  cordiality;  but,  in  a  voice  as 
deep  as  a  curfew,  asked  their  benevolence. 
He  was  a  religimis  mendicant.  Their  bounty 
was  small,  and  he  could  not  extract  a  single 
pice  either  from  Serang  or  boatmen.  They 
gave  him,  however,  a  little  rice,  which  he 
received  in  a  very  bright  and  clean  pot,  and 
then  strode  away,  singing,  '  Illah,  lUahu  ! '  " 

The  fakirs  are  always  out  in  the  open  air, 
except  at  the  season  the  rains  begin,  when 
they  retire  to  their  houses.  Bishop  Heber 
thus  describes  the  appearances  of  these  east- 
ern monks  at  the  holy  city,  Benares  :  — 

"  Fakirs'  houses,"  he  observes,  "  as  they 
are  called,  occur  at  every  town,  adorned  with 
idols,  and  sending  forth  an  uneasy  tinkling 
and  strumming  of  vinas,  hyyals,  and  other 
discordant  instruments;  while  religious  men- 
dicants of  every  Hindoo  sect,  with  their  piti- 
ful exclamations  as  we  passed,  'Agha  Sahib, 
Topee  Sahib,'  —  the  usual  names  in  Hindos- 
tan  for  a  European,  —  ^Khana  he  ivaste  kooch 
cheex  do,'  (give  me  something  to  eat,)  soon 
drew  from  me  the  few  pence  I  had." 


THE  SEAL. 


The  seal  is  of  various  sizes,  and  there  are 
many  species.  But  the  ordinary  length  of 
the  seal  is  from  five  to  six  feet ;  the  head  is 
large  and  round,  and  the  neck  short  and 


thick ;  on  each  side  of  the  mouth  are  sev- 
eral long  and  stiff  whiskers,  each  hair  being 
marked,  throughout  its  whole  length,  by 
numerous  alternate  dilatations  and  contrac- 


TREE    HOUSE    IN    CAFFRARU. 


357 


tions ;  there  are  also  a  few  sfifT  hairs  over 
each  eye  ;  the  tongue  is  cleft  at  the  tip  ;  the 
legs  are  so  short  as  to  be  scarcely  percepti- 
ble ;  the  hinder  ones  are  so  placed  as  to  be 
of  use  to  the  animal  in  swimming,  but  of 
very  little  service  when  walking,  being  sit- 
uated at  the  extremity  of  the  body,  and  close 
to  each  other.  All  the  feet  are  strongly 
webbed,  but  the  hind  ones  much  more  widely 
and  conspicuously  than  the  fore,  having  con- 
siderably the  appearance  of  fins ;  each  foot 
is  furnished  with  strong  and  sharp  claws  ; 
the  tail  is  very  short.  The  hair  of  the  seal 
is  short  and  very  thick  set,  varying,  in  color, 
from  brown,  blackish-brown,  gray,  and  some- 
times pied,  with  fawn  color  and  white. 

The  seal  has  a  very  oflensive,  fishy  smell ; 
and  when  collected  in  numbers  on  the  shore, 
their  odor  can  be  perceived  at  a  considerable 
distance. 


This  animal  spends  a   great  part  of  its 
time  in  the  water,  although   it  can  live  per- 
fectly well  on  land.     In  summer,  they  are    , 
frequently  to  be  seen,  on  some  sand-bank,   5 
which  has  been  left  dry  by  the  reflux  of  the    ' 
tide  ;  or  on  some  shelving  rocks,  basking  in 
the  sunbeams.    It  is  in  these  situations  that 
the   seal   is  killed   by  the   hunters.     They 
never  enjoy  a   long  state   of  repose,  being 
very  watchful,  probably  from  having  no  ex- 
ternal cars  to  catch  the  sound  ;  so  that  every 
minute  or  two  they  raise  their  heads,  and 
look  round.     When  they  observe  an  enemy 
approaching,  they  suddenly  precipitate  them- 
selves into  the  water.    The  seal  swims  with   ; 
great  swiftness,  dives  rapidly,  and  may  be 
seen   rising  at  a  distance  of  forty  or  fifty 
yards,  in  the  course  of  a  few  seconds.    The 
food  of  the  seal  consists  of  fish,  and  various 
sea-weeds. 


TREE   HOUSE   IN   CAFFRARIA. 


In  this  portion  of  Africa,  there  is  an  "  In- 
habited Tree,"  which  travellers  thus  de- 
scribe :  "  It  stands  at  the  base  of  a  range  of 
mountains,  due  cast  from  Kurrichaine,  in  a 
place  called  '  Ongoriitcie  Fountain.'  Its 
gigantic  limbs  contain  seventeen  conical 
huts.  These  are  used  as  dwellings,  being 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  lions,  which,  since 
the  iiicursio:i  of  the  Mantatcs  from  the  ad- 


joining country,  when  so  many  thousands 
of  persons  were  massacred,  have  become 
very  numerous  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
destructive  to  human  life. 

"  The  branches  of  the  tree  are  supported 
by  forked   sticks,  or  poles,   and   there   are   5 
three  tiers,  or  platforms,  on  which  the  huts    ' 
arc  constructed.     The   lowest  is  nine  feet 
from  the  cround,  and  holds  ten  huts;  the 


358 


THE    DALJLA.TIA    DOG. 


second,  about  eight  feet  high,  has  three ' 
huts ;  and  the  upper  story,  if  it  may  be  so 
called,  contains  four.  The  ascent  to  these 
is  made  by  notches  cut  in  the  supporting 
poles;  and  the  huts  are  built  with  twigs, 
thatched  with  straw,  and  will  contain  ten 
persons,  conveniently." 

Other  villages  have  been  seen  by  travel- 


lers, built  similarly  to  the  above ;  but  these 
were  erected  on  stakes,  instead  of  trees, 
about  eight  feet  above  the  ground,  about 
forty  feet  square,  —  larger  in  some  places  — 
and  containing  about  seventy  or  eighty  huts. 
The  inhabitants  sit  under  the  shade  of  these 
platforms  during  the  day,  and  retire  at  night 
to  the  huts  above. 


THE   DALMATIA   DOG. 


To  us,  simple  sort  of  people,  profound' 
questions  of  philosophy  are  of  no  very  great 
interest.     We   like   dogs;  their  liveliness,! 
their  sagacity,  their  faithfulness,  their  at-j 
tachment  to   home   and  friends,  commend 
them  to  our  love  and  favor.     But  who  were 
the  first  dogs  —  the  Adam  and  Eve  of  the 
canine  family  ?     Whether  one  was  a  wolf 
and  the  other  a  jackal,  as  some  naturalists 
pretend,  are  questions  that  do  not  trouble 
us,  in  any  great  degree. 

The  differences  in  dogs,  however,  are 
matter  of  very  curious  interest.  They  not 
only  differ  in  size  and  form,  but  in  disposi- 
tion, genius,  taste  and  turn  of  mind.  An 
old  book,  published  in  1493,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing description  of  the  proper  marks  of  a 
greyhound  :  — 

"  Headed  like  a  snake  — 
Necked  like  a  drake  — 
Footed  like  a  cat  — 
Tailed  like  a  rat — 
Silled  like  a  team  — 
Chiued  like  a  beam.'* 

How  very  different  is  this  slender,  fleet  crea- 
ture from  the  bluff",  rough,  tough  bull-dog  ! 


And  how  difTerent  are  they  both  from  the 

little  silken-haired  lap-dog  —  gentle,  tender, 
and  timid  as  a  child  !  How  different  is  the 
shepherd's  dog — a  busy,  hard-working,  anx- 
ious creature  —  from  the  Dalmatian  dog, 
who  seems  a  mere  fop,  only  valued  for  the 
beauty  of  his  skin  and  the  grace  of  his  form, 
and  seldom  used  except  as  an  appendage  to 
a  coach  ! 

It  is  this  diversity  in  the  character  and 
genius  of  dogs  that  makes  them  fit  to  be 
used  for  so  many  purposes.  Horses,  cows, 
asses,  sheep,  and  pigs,  are  very  useful ;  but 
each  species  is  employed  for  a  few  purposes 
only.  Dogs,  on  the  contrary,  are  made  to 
hunt  various  kinds  of  animals;  some  are 
taught  to  draw  and  some  to  carry  burdens  ; 
some  are  trained  to  guard  houses  at  night ; 
some  are  made  to  fetch  game  from  the 
water ;  some  are  taught  to  defend  children  ; 
some  are  made  to  assist  shepherds  in  keep- 
ing and  gathering  the  flock;  some  are  used 
as  companions  in  walking ;  and  some  are 
pets  in  the  parlor. 


I,ADY   HESTER   STANHOPE. 


Tins  celebrated  and  singular  woman  was 
born  in  1776,  her  father  bcintr  the  Earl  of 
Stanhope,  and  her  grandfather  the  Earl  of 
Chatham.  She  was  broutrlit  up  by  her 
nncle,  the  famons  William  If'itt.  After  his 
death,  she  travelled  in  different  parts  of 
Europe,  and  (Inally  fixed  her  res^idcnce  in  a 
wild  and  desolate  portion  of  Syria.  Here 
she  became  known  as  the  Qiicoi  of  the  Des- 
ert. She  lived  in  great  style,  pretended  to 
tell  future  events,  and  was  treated  with  a 
kind  of  awfnl  respect  by  the  surrounding 
tribes.  She  was  sometimes  visited  by  trav- 
ellers, from  different  parts  of  Europe.  One 
of  these,  who  saw  her  in  1S32,  thus  describes 
her  :  "  I  was  introduced  into  her  cabinet  by 
a  little  negro  child.  It  was  so  extremely 
dark,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could  dis- 
tinguish her  noble,  grave,  yet  mild  and  ma- 
jestic features,  clad  in  an  oriental  costume. 
She  rose  from  the  divan,  advanced,  and 
offered  me  her  hand.  She  appeared  to  be 
;  about  fifty  years  of  age;  but  siie  possessed 
;  tiioso  personal  traits  which  years  cannot 
1  alter.     Freshness,  color,  and  grace,  depart 


with  youth  ;  but  when  beauty  resides  in  the 
form  itself,  in  purity  of  expression,  in  dig- 
nity, in  majesty,  and  a  thoughtful  counte- 
nance, whether  in  man  or  woman,  this 
beauty  may  change  with  the  different  peri- 
ods of  life,  hut  it  docs  not  pass  away;  —  it 
eminently  ciiaracterized  the  person  of  Lady 
Hester  Stanhope. 

"  She  wore  a  white  turban,  and  on  her 
forehead  was  a  purple-colored  woollen  fillet, 
which  fell  on  each  side  of  her  head  as  low 
as  her  shoulders.  A  long,  yellow  Cashmere 
shawl,  and  an  immense  Turkish  robe  of 
white  silk,  with  flowing  sleeves,  envelojied 
all  her  person  in  simple  and  majestic  folds, 
while  an  opening  of  these  folds  -upon  the 
bosom  displayed  a  tunic  of  rich  Persian 
stuff,  covered  with  flowers,  which  was  at- 
tached around  the  neck  by  a  clasp  of  pearls. 
Turkish  yellow  morocco  hoots,  embroidered 
with  silk,  completed  this  beautiful  oriental 
costume,  which  she  wore  with  that  freedom 
and  grace,  as  if  she  had  never  used  any 
other  from  her  youth." 

Though  Lady  Hester  retamed  her  power 


360 


INDIAN    FISHING    IN    SOUTH    AJIERICA. 


>  over  the  lower  classes  by  means  of  their 
<  superstitious  fears,  the  neighboring  chiefs 
were  not  to  be  thus  restrained,  and  some 
of  them  sought  by  robbery  to  indemnify 
themselves  for  the  loss  of  the  accustomed 
presents.  Hoping  to  coerce  her  into  a  re- 
newal of  them,  they  harassed  her  by  petty 
vexations  ;  —  her  camels  were  seized ;  her 
servants  were  beaten ;  and  at  length,  when 
she  retaliated,  a  firman  was  procured,  for- 
bidding any  Mussulman,  on  pain  of  death, 
to  remain  in  her  service,  or  to  carry  water 
to  her  house.  The  severity  of  the  last  pro- 
hibition may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that 
the  water  for  the  use  of  her  house  and  gar- 
den had  to  be  brought  from  a  river  three  or 
four  miles  distance.  Her  appeal,  however, 
to  the  Porte,  procured  the  withdrawal  of  the 
firman,  and  saved  her  gardens  from  the  de- 
struction which  a  want  of  irrig-ation  would 
soon  have  produced. 

In  1837,  a  new  source  of  vexation  to 
Lady  Hester  arose.  The  British  govern- 
ment, having  received  information  that  some 
of  her  English  creditors  were  in  a  state  of 
destitution,  appropriated  the  pension  which 
Lady  Hester  had  so  long  received  to  their 


relief.  This  met  with  a  spirited  remon- 
strance on  the  part  of  her  ladyship,  who 
called  to  her  aid  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
and  other  opponents  of  the  whig  adminis- 
tration. Failing  in  these  efforts,  she  ap- 
pealed to  the  queen  herself,  but  with  no 
better  success.  She  did  not  long  survive 
this  new  source  of  mortification.  On  hear- 
ing of  her  illness,  the  British  consul  at 
Beyroot,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Thompson, 
an  American  missionary,  hastened  to  her 
assistance ;  but  on  their  arrival,  nothing 
remained  for  them  to  do,  but  to  pay  the  last 
sad  offices  to  her  remains.  She  died  on 
the  23d  of  June,  1S39. 

Various  and  opposing  motives  have  been 
assigned  for  the  unusual  conduct  of  Lady 
Hester :  we  think,  however,  its  explanation 
is  to  be  found  in  an  eccentric  imagination, 
a  turn  for  adventure,  and  that  love  of  power 
which  is  inherent  in  the  human  breast.  We 
can  hardly  consider  it  more  extraordinary 
that  one  English  lady  should  be  found  wil- 
ling to  accept  a  government  under  the  sunny 
skies  of  Syria,  than  that  so  many  English 
officers  should  seek  for  sway  on  the  burn- 
ing shores  of  Africa  and  the  East  Indies. 


INDIAN   FISHING   IN   SOUTH   AMERICA. 


A  TRAVELLER,  who  ascended  one  of  the 
great  rivers  in  the  north-eastern  portion  of 
South  America,  describes  the  manner  in 
which  the  Indians  catch  a  fine  species  of 
fish,  called  paccni,  as  follows  :  — 


"  The  third  day's  journey  brought  the 
party  to  the  Fall  of  Tepayco,  at  which,  be- 
ing an  excellent  fishing  and  hunting  station, 
they  halted  for  half  the  next  day.  Here 
they  bought,  of  a  party  of  Accaway  Indians, 


jn*-^-^^^ 


illt^^^^^s^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^tA^^^^s^^^y\^^^ti^/^^^n^^^^'*^^^^^/\i'*y\^^^y^>/\^^^^t^^^^^^/>^/^^>^^ti^^^^t,^^^ai^^^^^^^^^^^^^v^'^ 


SIR    CHr.ISTOPHER    ^VKEN. 


361 


several  bundles  of  hai-arry,  a  kind  of  vine, 
with  blue,  clustering  blossoms,  and  pods 
witli  small,  gray  beans.  The  full-grown 
root  is  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  con- 
tains a  white,  gummy  milk,  which  is  a  most 
powerful  narcotic,  and  is  commonly  used  by 
the  Indians  in  poisoning  the  water  to  take 
fish.  They  beat  it  with  heavy  sticks  till 
it  is  in  shreds,  like  coarse  hemp ;  they  then 
put  it  into  a  vessel  of  water,  which  imme- 
diately becomes  of  a  milky  whiteness,  and, 
when  fully  saturated,  they  take  the  vessel 
to  the  spot  they  have  selected,  and  throwing 
the  infusion  over  it,  in  about  twenty  min- 
utes every  fish  witlnii  its  influence  rises  to 
the  surface,  and  is  either  taken  by  the  hand 
or  shot  with  arrows.  A  solid  cubic  foot  of 
the  root  will  poison  an  acre  of  icater,  even  in 
the  falls  where  the  current  is  so  strong.  The 
fish  are  not  deteriorated  in  quality,  nor  do 
they  taint  more  rapidly  wlien  thus  killed, 
than  by  being  netted,  or  otherwise  taken. 
The  pacou  fish  is  generally  taken  with  the 


hai-arry,  in  the  following  manner:  the  In- 
dians select  a  part  of  the  falls  of  the  river 
where  the  weya  (an  aquatic  vegetable,  eaten 
by  the  pacou,  and  other  fish)  is  plentiful, 
and  where  traces  are  visible  of  the  pacou, 
which  is  gregarious,  having  lately  fed. 
They  then  enclose  this  place  with  a  wall  of 
loose  stones,  a  foot  above  the  surface  of  the 
water,  leaving  spaces  for  the  fish  to  enter. 
For  these  spaces  they  prepare  parrys,  or 
wooden  hurdles  ;  and  about  two  hours  be- 
fore daybreak,  they  proceed  silently  to  stop 
the  openings  with  them.  The  fish  are  thus 
enclosed  in  a  temporary  pond,  which  is  in- 
spected at  daybreak;  and  if  they  are  found 
to  be  in  sufficient  number  to  pay  for  the 
hai-arry,  they  commence  beating  it.  In  this 
way,  Mr.  Hiilhouse  saw  taken,  in  less  than 
an  hour,  two  hundred  and  seven  pacou, 
averaging  seven  pounds  weight,  with  one 
hundred  weight  of  other  fish.  The  fish 
thus  taken  were  split,  salted,  and  dried  on 
the  rocks. 


SIR   CHRISTOPHER  WREN. 


This  e.xtraordinnry  nan  was  born  at  East 
Knoyle,  in  England,  in  16.'32.  He  was  a 
feeble  child,  but  hf.  displayed  wonderful 
genius  at  an  early  period.  He  had  a  turn 
for  scientific  pursuits,  and,  at  the  age  of 
thirteen,  invented  several  curious  scientific 
instruments.  At  fourteen,  he  entered  the 
college  at  O.vford,  where  he  formed  intima- 

40 


cies  with  several  persons  who  aftenvurds 
became  eminent. 

He  settled  in  London,  and,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four,  had  become  celebrated  for  his 
useful  inventions  and  his  writings  upon  sci- 
cnlillc  subjects.  In  1657,  he  was  appointed 
by  King  Charles  II.  professor  of  astronomy. 
In  1666,  the  great  fire  in  London  occurred, 


362 


QUEEN  MARGARET  AND  THE  ROBBER. 


and  Wren  was  employed  to  plan  several 
edifices,  as  Temple  Bar,  the  Royal  Ex- 
change, tlie  Monument,  &c.  The  first  and 
last  of  these  are  still  in  existence. 

But  the  most  celebrated  work  of  Wren's 
life  was  the  building  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
of  which  he  was  the  architect.  It  is  in  the 
heart  of  London,  and,  unhappily,  the  build- 
ings around  are  crowded  so  close  that  its 
exterior  shows  to  little  advantage.  It  is, 
however,  one  of  the  most  splendid  edifices 
in  Europe. 

The  ground  plan  of  this  mighty  building 
is  in  the  form  of  across,  the  length  running 
east  and  west.  It  is  about  five  hundred  feet 
long,  and  three  hundred  .and  fifty  feet  broad 
in  the  widest  part.  It  covers  about  three 
acres  of  ground.  The  ball  near  the  top  is 
large  enough  to  admit  several  men,  and  the 


cross  above  it  is  nearly  four  hundred  feet 
from  the  ground.  ; 

In  America,  we  have  no  buildings  that  ; 
compare  with  this  in  magnificence.  On 
entering  it,  and  looking  up  to  the  dome,  it 
really  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  work  surpassing 
human  power.  The  more  I  surveyed  this 
building,  the  more  it  excited  my  wonder  and 
admiration.  It  is  adorned  with  many  stat- 
ues, and  no  one  can  be  surprised  that  the 
memory  of  the  man  who  planned  it  is  held 
in  the  highest  estimation.  This  cathedral 
was  commenced  in  1675,  and  was  not  fin- 
ished till  thirty-five  years  after.  Sir  Chris- 
topher died  in  1723,  leaving  behind  him 
many  monuments  of  his  architectural  genius, 
which  are  still  the  pride  of  the  British  me- 
tropolis. 


M 


QUEEN  MARGARET  AND  THE  ROBBER. 


Among  the  pleasing  incidents  in  the  his- 
tory of  England  is  that  of  Queen  Margaret 
and  the  robber.  The  story  carries  us  back 
to  the  year  1450,  when  there  was  a  violent 
civil  contest  in  England,  called  the  Wars 
of  the  Roses.  The  king,  Henry  VI.,  had 
been  Duke  of  Lancaster,  and  his  badge  was 
the   red  rose.      Those  who   took  his  part 


were  called  Lancasterians,  and  wore  the  red 
rose.  The  Duke  of  York  claimed  the  crown, 
and  being  aided  by  many  of  the  nobility, 
sought  to  obtain  it.  His  party,  called  the 
Yorkists,  wore  the  white  rose  as  their  badge. 
The  strife  between  these  two  contending 
parties  continued  for  a  long  period,  and  a 
great  deal  of  blood  was  shed  in  the  battles 


K^^«wvw^'^%'^^^^^^M^^'^v^wv^^^^>^/%^/w'v^'v%>^^v^'W^^^^>^^^^^>^^^i>x'^%'^v 


QUEEN    MARGARET   AND   THE    ROBBER. 


363 


i 


which  took  place.  One  of  these  occurred 
near  the  towm  of  Hexham.  Queen  Margaret 
had  stationed  herself  upon  an  eminence  near 
by,  where  she  could  see  all  the  movements 
of  the  field.  She  was  a  very  handsome 
woman,  and  on  this  occasion  her  head  was 
encircled  with  a  diadem  of  precious  stones, 
and  her  dress  sparkled  with  diamonds,  more 
befittmg-  the  splendor  of  a  court  than  the 
rough  usages  of  a  battle-field. 

Margaret  watched  the  conflict  with  in- 
tense anxiety,  and  at  last  beheld  her  hus- 
band, and  his  followers,  who  were  defeated, 
flying  from  the  field.  Her  attendants,  seek- 
ing their  safety,  fled,  and  left  heralone  with 
her  son,  a  boy  of  tender  years,  the  sole  hope 
of  the  Lancasterian  party.  Taking  him  by 
the  hand,  the  queen  led  him  toward  a  thick 
wood. 

"  My  child,"  said  she,  "  we  will  hasten  to 
the  forest.  If  we  meet  with  enemies,  fly 
instantly  and  conceal  thyself.  Thou  mayst 
yet  live  to  be  King  of  England." 

As  she  spoke,  she  reached  an  opening  in 
the  wood  and  paused,  for  at  that  moment  a 
man  stepped  from  behind  a  tree,  and  stood 
in  the  pathway  before  her. 

"  Why  do  you  stop  me  ?"  said  Margaret, 
in  a  bold  and  determined  tone  ;  "  you  will 
not  molest  an  unprotected  woman  ?" 

The  man,  surprised,  retreated  a  few  steps, 
ar.l  giving  a  shrill  whistle,  the  queen  was 
instantly  surrounded  by  men,  who  led  her 
and  her  son  beneath  an  old  oak.  Viewing 
with  delight  the  jewels  with  which  she  was 
adorned,  the  robbers  proceeded  to  strip  them 
from  her  dress.  They  also  possessed  them- 
selves of  the  prince's  velvet  cap,  which  was 
ornamented  with  precious  stones,  and  a  very 
fine  sword,  with  its  hilt  studded  with  gold, 
'Ahich  hung  at  his  side.  These  spoils  they 
placed  in  the  hollow  trunk  of  the  old  oak. 
One  of  the  robbers,  however,  seeking  to 
secrete  soine  of  the  jewels  about  his  own 
person,  the  others  fell  upon  him,  and  a  fierce 
quarrel  ensued,  tiie  man  resolutely  refusing 
to  give  tliem  up  the  prize. 

Queen  Margaret  now  took  courage,  as 
she  saw  a  chance  of  escape  present  itself 
She  drew  her  child  to  her  side,  and  telling 
him  to  follow  her  closely,  she  suddenly 
glided  into  the  wood,  unperceived  by  the 
combatants.  Pressing  forward  toward  an 
open  plain,  at  a  little  distance  before  her, 
sne  was  suddenly  stopped  by  an  armed 
itan,  who  placed  himself  in  her  path.  She 
drew  back,  and  nearly  fainted  with  terror 
and  fatigue ;  but  suddenly,  as  if  moved  by 
some  secret  impulse,  she  took  the  prince  by 
?nc  hand,  and  stepping  forward,  said, 


"  Here,  my  friend,  I  commit  to  thy  care 
the  safety  of  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  Eng- 
land.    This  is  the  Prince  of  Wales." 

The  robber  stood  for  a  moment  silent  and 
motionless :  then  dropping  his  sword,  and 
bending  his  knee, 

"Pardon!"  he  cried,  "most  gracious 
lady." 

"  Alas  ! "  cried  Margaret,  "  we  are  in  thy 
power.  If  thou  canst  assist  us  in  our  dis- 
tressed condition,  thou  n.rvst  hereafter  bless 
the  day  when  thou  didst  h^ip  Queen  Mar- 
garet." 

"  My  cottage  is  close  fit  hand,"  said  the 
bandit ;  "  i*you  will  take  refuge  within  its 
walls,  you  Ntill  find  me  to  be  a  true  friend 
to  the  red  rose." 

The  motlier  whispered  ty  her  son  to  take 
courage,  and  turning  to  the  man,  bade  him 
lead  the  way.  This  he  did,  and  soon  a 
pretty  woman  emerged  from  a  recess  in  a 
rock,  near  which  was  a  slight  cottage,  built 
of  gray  stones,  and  covered  with  boughs. 

"  Marian,"  said  the  robber,  "  these  are 
the  Queen  of  England  and  her  son." 

The  woinan,  greatly  astonished,  offered 
her  hand  to  assist  Margaret,  saying, 

"  Your  majesty  will  find  but  little  comfort 
in  our  poor  hut." 

"  We  have  been  used  to  hardships  lately," 
said  the  queen,  "  and  care  little  whether  cur 
shelter  is  a  cottage  or  a  palace,  so  long  as 
we  can  trust  our  hosts." 

"  Do  not  doubt  me,"  said  the  robber ; 
"  although  I  am  an  outcast,  I  am  a  man. 
I  am  a  friend  to  the  red  rose,  and  I  here 
swear  that  I  will  defend  Queen  Margaret 
and  her  son." 

"  Believe  him,  gracious  madam,"  said 
Marian  ;  "  he  will  protect  you." 

Assured,  by  these  words,  of  the  kind  in- 
tentions of  the  robber,  the  queen  entered 
the  hut  with  her  son,  and  passed  several 
days  there  in  quiet,  Marian  treating  them 
with  the  greatest  kindness.  Meanwhile, 
the  robber  tried  to  find  some  means  of 
escape  for  his  distinguished  guests.  At 
last,  he  learned  that  a  vessel  was  soon  to 
sail  from  a  port  not  far  distant.  Procuring 
two  horses,  the  man  early  one  morning 
mounted  the  queen  upon  one,  and  carrying 
the  child  before  him  upon  the  other,  they 
set  ort'  for  the  sea-coast.  This  they  gained 
in  safety,  and  embarked  in  tlie  ship  fcr 
Flanders. 

Here  Margaret  found  many  friends,  and 
passed  several  years  in  retirement  and 
peace. 


;: 


IK  %^<'\/V^>-^%>^^ 


'-* 


This  month  is  named  from  the  Roman 
god,  Janus,  who  was  represented  with  two 
faces,  one  looking  towards  the  old  year,  the 
otlier  towards  the  new.  Everybody  invoked 
him,  on  commencing  a  new  undertaliing. 
From  the  time  of  Numa,  2d  king  of  Kome, 
January  began  the  religious  year  of  the 
Romans.  On  its  first  day  was  presented  to 
Janus  an  oifering  of  wine  and  fruits  ;  his 
idol  was  crowned  with  laurel ;  the  consul,  or 
chief  magistrate,  ascended  in  solemn  pro- 
cession to  the  capitol,  and  small  presents 
were  made  to  one  another  by  friends.  The 
most  usual  presents  were  figs  and  dates, 
covered  with  leaf-gold.  Hence  the  agreea- 
ble modern  custom  of  New  Year's  presents. 

In  England  it  is  the  custom  to  "  ring  out 
the  old  year,"  by  tolling  the  bell  at  mid- 
night, as  if  it  were  the  "  passing  bell"  at 
the  funeral,  when  the  old  year  is  buried 
forever.  In  many  parts  of  England  it  was 
customary  for  some  of  the  prettiest  girls 
to  form  themselves  into  a  company,  and 
walk  in  grand  procession  through  the  village, 
bearing  a  bowl  of  ale  decked  with  garlands 
of  flowers,  &c.,  stopping  now  and  then  at 
the  doors  of  their  friends,  wishing  them 
health  and  a  happy  new  year. 

Shrubs  and  trees  now  have  all  their  ten- 
der parts  wrapped  closely  in  buds  varnished 
over  with  a  lacquer  which  resists  the  utmost 
effort  of  the  frost.  Herbs  die  down  to  the 
root,  and  have  a  coverlet  spread  over  them, 


under  which    they  are  tucked  up  safe  til! 
spring.     In  kindness  to  them  and  us, 

The  cherishpd  fields 
Put  on  their  whiter  rotie  of  purest  white. 
'T  is  lirigluuess  all,  save  wheu  the  new  snow  melts 
Alone:  the  mazy  current.     Low  tlie  woods 
Bow  the  hoar  head  ;  and,  ere  the  languid  sun, 
F'aint  from  the  west,  emits  his  evenin?  ray, 
Earth's  universal  face,  deep  hid  and  chill, 
Is  one  wild  d-izzling  waste,  that  buries  wide 
The  works  of  man. 


MEMOR.\BLE  EVENTS  IN  JANUARY. 


1067. 
1308. 


ISOl. 
1589. 


icsr. 

1715 
1-01 
1S15, 


William  the  Conqueror  crowned  at  West- 
minster. 

Swiss  liherty  originated  with  William  T.!l 
and  his  comi)anions,  who  struck  th.e  c  «t 
blow  ;  it  was  established,  after  a  struggle 
of  300  years,  in  1C48. 

Union  of  Ireland  with  Great  Britain. 

Catharine  de  IMedici  died,  after  bei~.f  '^^ 
wife  of  one  king  and  the  mother  oi  tnrce. 

Willi  pvcry  vice,  in  fine,  in  woman  born, 
Biript  of  llie  virtue!  uliicli  llieir  niin<l  aLlom. 

Ej)iphany,  or  Twelfth  Day,  i.  e.,  after 
Christmas,  the  day  of  the  '■manifesta- 
tion," so  the  word  means,  of  the  Saviour  to 
the  Wise  Men  of  the  East.  The  Twelfth 
Day  Cake  and  drawing  for  King  and 
Queen  is  an  ancient  relic  of  the  sports  of 
Roman  children. 

Theo])hiIus  Eaton,  1st  governor  of  Conne''t- 
icut,  died. 

Fenelon,  .4bp.  of  Cambray,  died. 

The  Prussian  monarchy  commenced. 

The  British  defeated  at  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans. 

Eli  Whitney,  inventor  of  the  cotton-gin,  a 
benefactor  of  his  country,  died. 


FEBRUARY. 


Fr.BRUARY,  too,  p-ot  its  name  from  the 
Romans,  who  had  their  srcnenil  expintory 
festival  in  it.  In  this  festival  the  people 
were  purified,  which  tiie  Romans  called 
fchruati,  from  the  sins  of  the  whole  year. 
Shrove  Tuesday  seems  thus  to  be  named 
from  "shriving"  of  sins. 

On  Candlemas  day,  (so  called  frflm  the 
IMass  of  the  Virfjin  I\iary,  in  which  lighted 
candles  were  borne  in  procession,)  the  rose- 
mary, mistletoe,  and  other  emblems  of  the 
merry  Christmas  time,  were  removed  from 
the  halls  and  windows  of  our  English  an- 
cestors; and  the  Christmas  brand,  having 
been  lighted  and  allowed  to  burn  until  sun- 
set, was  then  quenched  and  preserved  for 
the  succeeding  year. 

Ash  Wednesday  has  its  name  from  the 
old  ceremony  of  blessing  ashes  on  that  day, 
with  which  the  priest  signed  the  people  on 
the  foreheail  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  saying, 
"  Remember  ye  are  from  dust,  and  must 
return  to  dust." 

St.  Valentine's  day,  the  14tb,  is  called 
from  a  saint  who  is  almost  forgotten;  his 
connection  with  the  day's  customs  is  quite 
forgotten.  It  used  to  be  the  practice  for 
every  gentleman  to  consider  the  first  lady 
he  met,  on  tliat  day,  as  his  sweetheart,  or 
Valentine,  to  whom  he  was  expected  to 
:  make  a  present.  The  custom  is  now  pretty 
much  confined  in  this  country  to  the  j'oung 

folks,  —  meaningall  from to years 

of  age,  —  to  interchange  anonymous  letters, 
often  adorned  with  pictures,  and  of  an  am- 
orous or  quizzical  character. 

In  New  England,  February  is  generally 
our  coldest  month ;  and,  from  its  clear,  bright, 


1738. 

1761. 
4,  1194. 

1555 
B, 


B.C.  \ 
6.  45.5 
1731. 


keen  air,  and  merry  sleigh-bells,  decidedly 
the  pleasantest  of  the  winter. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  FEnHUARY. 


Bishop  Blaise.  On  this  day  llic  jmirncy- 
mcii  wooI-coiTibcrs,  in  (lliicrcnl  pans  nf 
Enirlanii,  liavo  a  Ejrand  proccssinn,  in  co"i- 
nipmoralion  of  this  rciinwncH  iiisliop,  w  no 
is  reported  to  have  discovered  the  art  of 
comtting  wool.  He  was  martyred  in  '.iS9 
A.  D. 

Sir  Tliomns  Lombe,  proprietor  of  the  famous 
Silk  Mill,  died. 

Beau  Nash,  "  King  of  Bath,"  leader  of  the 
fashions,  die'^  aged  8S, 

Richard  1.,  Ctrur  de  Lion,  released  nnd  re- 
turns to  England. 

John  Rogers,  first  martyr,  burnt  at  the  stake. 

Catocommitted  suicide  to  escape  tyranny. 

Roger  Williams  cnmc  to  America,  and 
brought  the  idea  of  perfect  toleration  in 
matters  of  conscience. 

Treaty  of  Alliance.  Amity  and  Commerce, 
between  the  U.  S.  and  Krance,  recnsniz- 
ing,  first  of  the  nations,  American  Inde- 
]>endence. 

Rev.  Dr.  Priestley  died. 

Unall.i  Rattoo,  in  Sumatra,  destroyed  by  the 
V.  States. 

Mary  Uueen  of  Scots  beheaded  by  Elizabeth. 

The  settlement  of  Georgia,  commenced  by 
Oglethorpe. 

De  Witt  Clinton,  father  of  Internal  Improve- 
ments, died. 

Asiatic  Cholera  appeared  in  London. 

Cotton  Mather  died,  in  Boston. 

Richard  H.  died  of  hunger,  tliirst  nnd  cold. 

Captain  Cook  killed  at  Hawaii,  Sandwich 
Islands. 

Died,  in  England,  Lindley  Murray,  a  native 
of  America,  author  of  English  Girammar. 

Jonathan  Russell,  Commissioner  of  Ghent, 
died. 

Michael  Angelo,  the  illustrious  artist,  died 
at  Rome. 

Martin  Luther,  the  Reformer,  died. 

The  San  enters  the  ConstcUalion  Pisces. 


6,  1778. 


— 

IS32. 

8, 

1587. 

9. 

1733. 

11, 

IS23. 

12, 

1832. 

13, 

172S. 

>4i 

1400. 

— 

1779. 

16, 

1754. 

- 

1832. 

17, 

1563. 

18 

1546. 

19, 

%  ^'V^^^^'V^^>'vw^ 


V^i^f^^ 


MARCH. 


March  gets  its  name  from  the  roug^h,  clas- 
sical god,  Mars  ;  a  name  given  it,  it  is  said, 
by  Romulus,  who  called  himself  the  son  of 
Mars ;  and  when  he  divided  the  year  into 
months,  wished  to  name  the  first  month  of 
the  year,  which  March  anciently  was,  in 
honor  of  his  reputed  father. 

St.  David's  day.  the  national  festival  of 
the  Welsh,  comes  on  the  1st  March  ;  and 
St.  Patrick's  day,  the  holiday  of  the  Irish, 
on  the  17th. 

This  was  the  month  when  the  Romans 
began  their  comitia,  or  public  meeting,  just 
as  in  New  England  towns  the  first  Mon- 
day in  March  is  "Town  meeting  day," 
or  "  March  meeting,"  for  electing  town  offi- 
cers, and  arranging  the  general  business  of 
the  year.  It  was  thought  bv  the  ancients 
to  be  an  unlucky  month  for  marriage. 

As  the  month  advances, 

Winter,  still  lingerini;  on  the  verge  of  spring, 
Retires  reluctant,  anrl  from  time  to  lime 
Looks  back,  while,  at  his  keen  and  chilly  breath, 
Fair  Flora  sickens. 

The  great  operations  of  nature  during 
this  month  seem  to  be,  to  dry  up  the  super- 
abundant moisture,  thereby  preventing  the 
roots  and  seeds  from  rotting  in  the  earth  ; 
and  gradually  to  bring  forward  the  process 
of  evolution  in  the  swelling  buds,  whilst,  at 
the  same  time,  by  the  wholesome  severity 
of  chilling  blasts,  they  are  kept  from  a  pre- 


mature disclostire,  which  would  expose  their 
tendei»contents  to  injury  from  the  yet  ui.' 
settled  season. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  MARCH. 

1,  1711.  The  Spectator,  the  first  Periodical  Maga- 
zine, commenced. 

John  Wesley,  the  eminent  Methodist,  died, 

Georgia  disregarded  the  mandate  of  the  Su- 
preme Court. 

British  troops,  stoned,  fire  upon  the  moh  ; 
"  the  Boston  Massacre." 

William  III.,  the  bulwark  of  constitutional 
liberty,  died. 

Duke  of  Bridgewaler,  the  "  Father  of  Ca- 
nals," died. 

Died  Benjamin  West,  native  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, Painter,  Pres.  Roy.  Acad. 

Queen  Anne,  of  the  British  sovereigns,  the 
last  who  touched  for  the  scrofula. 

Rev.  Dr.  Slillnian,  Baptist,  died. 

ChampoUion,  the  famous  discoverer  of  the 
Egyptian  Hieroglyp'iics,  died. 

Klopstock,  the  sublim,  German  poet,  died. 

St.  Patrick  died,  at  Saul  Abbey,   County 
Down,  Ireland. 

Washington  drives  the  British  from  Boston. 

Abp.  Cranmer  burnt, a  martyr,  by  "  Bloody 
Queen  Mary." 

Rev.  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  eminent 
divine,  died. 

Goetlie,  the  great  German  poet,  died. 
25,  Before  the  alteration  of  the  Style,  the  new 

year  began  on  the  25th  March,  and  in  some 
ecclesiastical  computations,  that  order  is 
still  preserved.  It  is  called  Lady  Day, 
the  festival  of  the  Annunciation.  Tiie 
other  three  quarter  days  were  June  24, 
Sept.  29,  and  Dec.  21. 
1306.  Robert  Bruce  crowned  King  of  Scotland,  at 
Scone. 


2, 

1791 

3, 

1832 

6, 

1770 

8| 

1702 

- 

1803 

10, 

1820 

12. 

1712 

13, 

1807 

— 

1832 

14, 

1803 

17. 

493 

17, 

1776 

21 

1556 

22, 

1758 

1832 

->Hi 


T.1IS,  too,  is  a  Latin  word,  meaning  "  the 
Opener,"  for  mother  earth  now  opens  her 
bosom  for  the  production  of  vegetables,  and 
b.ids  open  to  disclose  the  leaflets  and  flow- 
erets. Some  one  says  Spring  is  the  busiest 
of  all  the  seasons,  and  in  the  garden,  the 
field,  the  wood,  a  new  creation  has  now 
fully  commenced,  on  the  ruins  of  a  former 
year.  A  walk  into  the  country,  in  the 
beautiful  budding  season,  is  the  highest 
happiness  which  a  well  regulated  mind  can 
enjoy  ;  put  a  little  knowledge  of  nature  and 
her  infinite  operations  into  the  mind,  and 
the  walk  will  become  one  of  ever  increasing 
interest  and  delight. 

Easter-IMonday  is  thg  workingman's  holi- 
day in  the  old  country. 

This  month  gives  the  most  perfect  image 
of  spring ;  for,  its  vicissitudes  of  warm 
gleams  of  sunshine,  and  gentle  showers, 
have  the  most  powerful  efTects  in  hastening 
the  universal  springing  of  the  vegetable 
tribe,  whence  the  season  has  its  name. 

April  generally  begins  with  some  unpleas- 
ant weather,  and  is  on  the  whole  a  moody 
month,  —  well  painted  by  the  poet :  — 

Mindful  of  disaster  past, 
And  shrinking  at  iho  norlhcrn  Wast, 
The  sleely  storm  returnintr  still, 
The  inoroini^  hoar,  the  evenini?  cliill, 
Reluctant  comes  the  timid  spring  ; 
Scarce  a  hee,  with  airy  ring. 
Murmurs  the  Idossomed  boniihs  around 
That  clothe  the  ^rden's  southern  bound  ; 
Scarce  a  sickly  strai^^ling  (lower 
Dares  to  deck  the  sheltered  bower. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  APRIL. 


I,  1405. 


.  Tamerlane,  the  conqueror  of  Western  Asia, 
died. 

.  Napoleon  married  to  Maria  Louisa. 

.  The  Crucifixion. 

.  Ke^inalil  Heber.  Dp,  of  Calcutta,  died. 

.  Oliver  Goldsmith,  the  writer  of  pure  Eng- 
lish, died. 

.  The  KRsrnRECTioN. 

.  John  Winthrop,  Governor  of  Connecticut, 
die<l. 
Rnikes,  the  founder  of  Sunday  Schools,  died. 

.  Bushy,    the    famous    schoolmaster,    died, 
aje'd  S9. 

.  Revolution  in  Brazil,  Pedro  II.  made  em- 
IHsror. 

.  Petrarch,  the  poet,  crowned  with  laurel,  at 
Rome. 

.  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent  died  at  Florence. 

.  Died  the  famous  Lord  Bacon. 

.  Chcsclden,  the  eminent   surgeon,  died,   at 
Hath,  England. 

.  The  Catholic  Relief  Bill  passed  in  Parlia- 
ment of  England. 
Napoleon  abdicated  the  gov.  of  France. 

,  Edward  Voung,  the  poet,  died. 
George   Fred.  Handel,  the  great  musician, 

died  in  England. 
Joseph    Burr,    the   philanthropist,    died   at 

Manchester,  \'t. 
Lord  Baltimore,  Catholic,  died  ;  he  settled 
Maryland  on  principles  of  perfect  religious 
toleration,  as  the   Baptist,   R.  Williams, 
did  Rhode  Island. 
The  horrible  battle  of  Culloden,  Scotland. 

Cultoilcn,  that  rerhi  with  tbt  btooij  cf  •>«  braTi.* 

BiitTon,  the  great  French  naturalist,  died. 
Franklin  died,  at  Pliila.,  aged  S4. 
,  Dr.  I>arwin,  the  poet,  physician,  and  "  tern- 

]terancc  man,"  dietl. 
,  Skirmish  at  Lexington. 

Haylien  massacre  of  whites  commence*. 
.  Lord  Byron,  the  poet,  died,  in  Greece. 
21,  1G16.  Shakspeare  and  Cervantes  died. 
35,  I59S.  Tasso,  the  great  Italian  poet,  died. 


1810 

3, 

33 

1S20 

4, 

1774 

6, 

33 

5, 

1676 

6, 

1811. 

6, 

1 695 

7, 

1831 

8, 

1341 

9, 

1492 

1626 

10, 

1752 

1829 

11, 

1814. 

'■!, 

1765 

'■". 

1759. 

1823. 

IS, 

1632. 

16, 

1746. 

1799 

17, 

1790 

18, 

1802 

19, 

177S 

1804. 

19, 

1824 

This  month,  also,  was  named  by  the  first 
king  of  Rome,  Romulus,  some  say  in  com- 
pliment to  his  senators,  who  were  Mayores, 
"  elders,"  others  ^ay  in  honor  of  the  goddess 
Maia,  the  mother  of  Jupiter's  son  Mercury. 

The  festival  of  Flora,  the  goddess  of 
flowers,  was  celebrated  by  the  Romans  on 
the  last  days  of  April  and  first  of  May.  She 
was  a  very  ancient  deity  of  Italy,  long  be- 
fore the  Romans.  Throughout  the  world, 
in  fact,  from  the  earliest  times,  some  festival, 
generally  connected  with  religion,  was  got 
up  in  the  spring,  to  express  the  joy  inspired 
by  the  flowers.  Nothing  more  natural, 
nothing  more  pleasing,  than  such  a  celebra- 
tion, —  only,  more  northerly  climates  would 
enjoy  May-day  best,  if  it  was  the  last  day 
of  May  rather  than  the_^rrf. 

Time  was  when  May-day,  with  its  May- 
pole, &c.,  was  looked  forward  to  by  all  ranks, 
classes  and  ages,  as  one  especiall}'  devoted 
to  sport  and  merriment.  Chaucer,  in  his 
"Court  of  Love,"  says,  early  on  the  1st  of 
May,  "  fourth  goth  al  the  court,  both  most 
and  lest,  to  fetch  the  flowris  freshe  and 
branche  and  blome."  Henry  VIII.  and  his 
queen  are  described  as  going  to  "  Shooter's 
Hill,  where  they  were  met  by  Robin  Hood 
and  his  archers  bold,  (personated  by  two 
hundred  of  the  king's  guard,)  who,  after  dis- 
charges of  arrows,  invited  the  royal  party  to 
see  their  mode  of  life.  Accordingly,  amid  the 
blowing  of  horns,  the  king,  queen  and  suite 
accompanied  them  unto  the  wood  under  the 


hill,  where  an  arbor  of  green  boughs  received 
them,  having  a  hall,  great  chamber  and  in- 
ner chamber,  the  floors  being  covered  with 
flowers  and  swe<.v  Serbs."  Here  they  took 
wine  and  venison,  a.<  the  only  food  outlaws 
could  offer.  On  their  return  they  were  met 
by  two  ladies,  representing  Lady  May  and 
Lady  Flora,  both  richly  apparelled,  riding 
in  an  open  chariot  drawn  by  five  horses,  on 
each  of  which  sat  a  lady. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  MAY. 

1,  304.  The  Roman  emfcror  D-oclesian  resigned  his 

crown. 
ISO'.  Tlie  Slare  Trade  proscribed  in  Parliament. 

2,  1519.  lyPoiiardo  Da  Vinci,  tiio  illustrious  Italian 

painter,  d'ed. 
1S04.  Uritibh  and  IVeign  Bilile  Society  formed. 

3,  17S4.  Anthony  Bent '.el,  the  philanthropist,  died, 

in  Philadelph'a. 
5,  1S21.  Napoleon,  e.^-cm.i'eror  of  France,  died. 

8,  ISUC.  Iloiicrt  IVIorris,  the  financial  savior  of  his 

country,  died. 
181G.  American  Bihle  Society  formed. 

9,  1810.  JIaj.  Gen.  B.  Lincoln,  Hingham,  div). 

13,  1607.  First  permanent  settlement  in  the  Ola  Thir- 
teen States,  made  at  Jamestown,  Va. 
15,  1832.  The  great  naturalist,  Cuvier,  died. 

17,  1727.  Catiiarine  I.,  of  Russia,  died. 

18,  1S04.  Napoleon    declared    Emperor  of    Francs  , 

crowned  Dec.  2. 

19,  1778.  The  Dark  Day  in  the  Northern  Sta'es. 

20,  1506.  Columbus  died,  at  Valladolid,  Spain. 
24,  1814.  The  Pope  restored,  entered  Rome. 

26,  1S17.  William  Phillips,  the  philanthropist,  died. 

in  Boston. 

27,  1764.  Calvin,  the  great  reformer,  died,  at  Gere  la 
29,  1453.  Constantinople  taken  by  the  Turks.     Com 

mencement  of  Modern  History. 


*''~»~-' 


^i^J^J^^V^'^^^y 


JUNE. 


This  loveliest  month  of  all  o\ir  year  is 
said  to  have  been  named  by  King  Romu- 
lus, in  compliment  to  the  young'  mew,  juni- 
orcs,  who  fought  his  battles.  Haying  and 
shearing  are  its  merry  toils. 

Corpus  Christi  day,  the  middle  of  June, 
is  observed  in  Konian  Catholic  countries 
with  great  festivity.  Tlic  streets  are  decked 
witli  garlands  of  flowers,  ta])cstry  is  hung 
from  the  windows  and  balconies,  lamps  are 
suspended  before  the  doors  at  dark,  and 
joyous  bands  of  musicians  parade  the  cities 
from  morn  till  night. 

Midsummer  day,  or  John  Baptist's  day, 
is  about  the  time  of  the  summer  solstice, 
when  the  days  are  at  the  longest.  This 
has  always  been  a  day  of  religious  festival, 
even  among  Pagans,  connected  as  their  re- 
ligious observances  generally  were  with 
astronomical  epochs.  Thus  our  Saxon 
forefathers  lighted  bonfires  with  various 
superstitious  ceremonies  on  this  day. 

It  continued  long  a  custom  in  England, 
at  Midsummer  Eve,  as  soon  as  the  sun  dis- 
appeared, to  light  bonfires  and  commence  a 
night  of  gaycty  and  rejoicing.  One  of  the 
pleasantcst  and  most  enchanting  of  Shak- 
speare's  plays  is  the  "Midsummer  Night's 
Dream."  Among  other  super-ititions,  the 
following  "  trial  of  affection"  was  practised. 
The  maiden  gathers,  precisely  at  midnight 
of  St.  John's  or  Midsummer  Eve,  some  of 
the  branches  of  the  orpine  plant,  or  "  Mid- 
summer's Men,"  two  of  which  she  places 
side  by  side  against  the  wall,  when  she 
goes  to  bed  ;  if  the  branches  fall  towards 
each  other,  her  lover  will  be  faithful ;  but 
if  they  re:ede,  he  is  false. 

At  Little  Dunmow,  in  Essex,  England, 


since  1445,  a  flitch  of  bacon  is  given  on  the 
20th  of  June  to  any  couple,  who,  kneeling 
on  two  sharp  stones  in  the  churchyard,  shall 
make  oath  that  for  a  year  and  a  day  alter 
their  marrias^e,  they  have  not  once  repented 
of  it,  nor  had  any  brawls,  nor  oflended  each 
other.  The  flitch  was  last  claimed  in  1751, 
by  John  Shakeshanks  and  his  wife. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  JUNE. 


General  T.  Sumter,  the  celebrated  revolu- 
tionary partisan,  died,  aired  97. 

Christnphe  and  Marie  Louise  crowned  King 
and  Uuoen  of  Hayli. 

Patrick  Henry,  the  orator,  died. 

Robert  Bruce,  vindicator  of  Scottish  liberty, 
died. 

Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Worcester,  missionary, 
died. 

Jeremy  Bentham,  the  civil  reformer,  died. 

Chief  Justice  Sewall  diofl. 

The  Asiatic  Cholera  first  appeared  in  North 
America,  at  I\Tontreal  nnii  tiuebec. 

Malta,  llic  key  of  the  Levant,  taken  by  Na- 
poleon. 

Wat  Tyler's  insurrection. 

Five  noblemen  beheaded  by  Richard  HL, 
then  I*roiector. 

Charles  I.  married  tp  Henrietta  Maria, 
youngest  daus;hler  of  Hejiry  IV. 

Battle  of  Marengo,  in  Italy  ;  Napoleon  de- 
feats llie  Auslrians. 

George  Washint;lon  appointed  Commander- 
in-Chief. 

An  eruption  of  Etna  destroyed  eight  vil- 
lasjes. 

James  11.  committed  the  seven  Bishops  to 
ibc  Tower. 

Died  John  Sobieski,  Kincj  of  Poland,  who 
saved  Kurope  from  the  Tartars. 

Bunker  Hill  battlf. 

Great  festival  of  the  murderous  idol  Jugger- 
naut, in  India,  celebrated  with  an  enor- 
mous car,  under  the  wheels  of  which 
devotees  are  crushed. 

Battle  of  Waterloo,  Europe  against  FWdm, 


1, 

1832. 

2. 

1811. 

6, 

1709 

7, 

1329 

1819. 

1832 

8, 

1814 

9, 

1832 

II, 

1798 

12, 

13S1 

13, 

1183 

- 

1C25 

I'), 

1800 

15, 

1775 

16, 

1830 

17, 

1685 

- 

1696 



1775 

18 

—   1815. 


W^^'^'^^-^V^'V^^ 


47 


JULY. 


July  is  said  to  have  been  so  named  in 
compliment  to  Julius  Ctesar,  the  Roman 
emperor,  who  corrected  the  calendar.  It  is 
the  hottest  month  of  the  year,  and  the  insect 
tribes  are  now  peculiarly  active  and  vigor- 
ous. All  the  flowers  of  June  soon  lose 
their  beauty,  shrivel  and  fall,  and  their 
stalks  become  dry.  Many  plants,  however, 
do  not  flower  till  July ;  these  are,  particu- 
larly, the  aromatic  ;  the  succulent,  or  thick- 
leaved;  several  of  the  aquatic,  and  of  those 
called  compound-flowered,  in  which  many 
florets  are  collected  into  one  head,  as  the 
thistle,  sow  thistle,  hawkweed,  &c.  The 
lily  is  one  of  the  principal  ornaments  of 
gardens  this  month  ;  and,  with  its  delicate 
white  flowers,  gives  an  agreeable  sensation 
of  coolness  to  the  eye. 

July  15th  is  Saint  Swithin's  day ;  he 
desired  to  be  buried  "  where  the  drops  of 
rain  might  wet  his  grave,"  and  the  attempt 
to  remove  his  bones  into  a  church  was  pre- 
vented by  forty  days'  rain.  Hence,  accord- 
ing to  the  logic  of  superstition,  if  it  rain  on 
July  ].5th,  it  will  rain  for  forty  days. 

Bathing  and  angling  are  the  amusements 
of  this  month,  and  lounging  beneath  the 
grateful  shade.  All  animated  nature  lan- 
guidly breaks  forth  with  the  poet. 

Welcome,  ye  shades  !  ye  bowery  thickets,  hail ! 
Ye  lolly  pines  !  ye  venerable  oaks  ! 
Ve  ashes  wild,  resounding  o'er  ihe  steep  ! 
Delicious  is  your  shelter  to  the  soul. 

Over  a  great  part  of  our  broad  country 
J  rnay  now  be  seen,  amid  teeming  fields, 


In  foniied  array 
The  reapers  move,  nor  shrink  from  heat  or  toil 
By  emulation  ursjed.     Others,  dispersed, 
Or  bind  in  sheaves,  or  load,  or  guide  the  wain 
That  tinkles  as  it  passes. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  JUL  7. 


2,  17S1. 


3,    987. 


4, 

1776. 
1803. 

- 

1326. 
1830. 
1832. 

5, 

1100. 

s, 

11S9. 

6, 

1535. 

8, 

1533. 
1721. 

9, 

1797. 
1497. 

- 

1755. 

13, 
15, 

1816. 
1793. 
1789. 
1317. 

29 

30 
31 

•1830 

Died,  Diilerot,  the  French  poet,  infidel,  and 
author  of  the  infidel  Dictionnaire  Ency- 
clopediqiie,  in  connection  with  D'AlembeVt 
ana  Voltaire. 

Capet,  first  of  his  dynasty,  crowned  King  of 
France. 

Declaration  of  the  Independence  of  the  U.  S. 

Fisher  Ames,  the  distinguished  orator,  died 
at  Dedham. 

John  Adams  and  Tho .Jefferson,  patriots, died. 

James  Monroe,  fifth  president  of  U.  S.,  died. 

The  Cholera  Spasmodica  first  appeared  in 
New  York  city. 

Jerusalem  taken  by  the  Crusaders,  and  all 
its  inhabitants  massacred. 

Henry  II.,  greatest  prince  of  his  time,  died, 
cursing  his  children  and  his  own  existence. 

Chancel.  Sir  T.  More  beheaded  for  denying 
Henry  VIII.  to  be  sup.  head  of  the  church. 

Ariosto,  the  Italian  poet,  died  at  Ferrara. 

Elihu  Yale,  founder  of  Yale  College,  died 
in  Wales. 

Edmund  Uurke,  the  oralor,  died. 

Vasco  de  Gama  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hone,  to  India. 

Bradciock's  defeat  and  Washington's  mas- 
terly conduct. 

Buenos  Ayrcs  proclaims  her  independence, 

Marat  assassinated  by  Charlotte  Corday. 

The  Baslile  prison  at  Paris  destroyed. 

Madame  de  Stael,  the  distinguished  author- 
ess, died  at  Paris. 
The  "Three  Glorious  Days  of  July,"  in 
which  occurred  a  revolution  in  France, 
which  was  conducted  with  such  a  digni- 
fied moderation,  as  secured  the  respect  of 
the  world.  It  placed  Louis  Phihjipe  on 
the  throne. 


'^■v^-^'vw^>w^^«v^'v^w%<wv^^wvww^>^'v^^»'v^'v^v^^^»'w^^ivv»'^^/v^i^'^^^^>^^>^^»»l 


AUGUST. 


August  had  its  name  from  the  second 
Cssar,  Octavius,  who  took  the  appellation 
of  ^^Aii^istiis,"  venerable,  aujjust.  Alost 
kinds  of  grain,  in  temperate  climates,  ripen 
in  this  month,  and  it  was  therefore  called, 
by  our  Saxon  ancestors,  harvest  month. 
The  crop,  so  liable  to  damage  when  standing, 
now  fairly  housed,  and  his  anxieties  over, 

Inwanily  smilin?,  the  prniul  farmor  views 

The  risini;  iiyraniids  that  srai'e  his  yanl, 

Ami  cmints  his  lari^o  increase  ;  his  hams  arc  stored, 

And  groaning  sladilles  heiid  hcncath  their  load. 

The  1st  of  August  is  Lammas  day,  some 
saj-  from  the  Saxon  Hlaf-masse,  or  loaf- 
feast,  their  name  for  a  thanksgiving  feast  to 
God  for  the  first  fruit  of  the  soil ;  bread  of 
the  now  wheat  was  the  thank-oflering. 
Others  say  it  is  the  festival  of  the  Druid 
priests  of  our  heathen  progenitors,  called 
La-ee-mas,  in  which  the  |)eoi)le  made  offer- 
ings of  part  of  the  produce  of  their  fields,  in 
return  for  an  abundant  harvest.  Similar 
fe.'itivals  of  gratitude  have  been  held  by  all 
nations  in  all  ages.  We  hold  our  thanks- 
giving in  November. 

Lammas  day,  Martinmas,  Candlemas, and 
Whitsimtido,  were  the  old  "  quarter-days  ;  " 
Lady  day,  Midsummer,  Michaelmas,  and 
Christmas, are  the  present  "quarter-days." 

Harvest-home  was  a  festival  of  our  fathers, 
and  it  is  still  kept  tip  in  some  southern 
counties  of  England ;  there  is  as  much 
feasting  and  revelry,  though  in  vastly  bet- 
ter taste,  as  there  was  in  the  "  good  old 
times,"  when  the  last  cart,  ornamented  with 
garlands  of  flowers,  was  the  centre  of  an 
unruly  dance  of  the  male  and  female  labor- 
ers, resembling  the  wild  orgies  paid  by  a 
heathen  people  to  their  most  favored  idol; 


and  when  the  farm-house  echoed  the  kas- 
torous  halloo  and  pointless  jest  of  its  ine- 
briated inmates.  Shall  we  mourn  that  such 
scenes  are  succeeded  by  calmer  enjoyments  ? 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  AUGUST. 


1,  1498. 


— 

1790 

2 

1783 

3 

1492 

- 

1792 

4 

1593 

7 

1435 

- 

1804 

— 

1830. 

10, 

1C75. 

- 

1792. 

12, 

lf.76. 

13, 

16C7. 

1-1, 

1457. 

15, 

1769. 

IG, 

1777. 

2U, 

1C72. 

22, 

H8S. 

25, 

1770. 

28, 

1794. 

31, 

1C83. 

Cohimhus    discovered   the    mam    land  of 

America. 
French  (led  destroyed  at  .^honliir,  E?ypt. 
Gainsl)oronijh,  the  celebrated  landsca]>e  and 

portrait  painter,  died. 
Columliis  sailed  from  Palos,  Spain,  to  dis- 
cover a  New  World. 
Arkwright,  the  inventor  of  cotton  mnchincrj', 

died. 
Bnrleigh,  Queen  Elizaheth's   minister   for 

forty  years,  died.     He  was  "  prayed  for  by 

the  poor,  honored  hy  the  rich,  feared  hy 

the  hail,  an<l  loved  hy  the  goo<l." 
The  Earl  of  Richmond,  afterwards  Henry 

VII.,  landed  in  England. 
The  China  fleet  arrived   in  England,  after 

heating  off  a  French  force,  s'lid  in  l\ave 

been  snperior.     It  had  eight  millions  ster^ 

ling  vahie,  and  occasioned  great  rejoicing. 
Louis   rhilippe  enthroned   by  tlic   Fnncb 

deputies. 
The   Itoyal  Observatory,  Greenwich,  begun, 

by  order  of  Charles  II. 
Louis  XVIth's  Swiss  guards  buLch£ned  by 

the  mob  at  the  Tuilerics,  Paris. 
Philip  of  I»ol;anol;ei,  "  iCing  Philip,"  shot. 
Bishop  Jeremy  Tajior  dieil. 
The  first  jjrinted  book,  the  Book  of  Psalms, 

opctdy  piddished. 
Napoleon  horn^  at  Ajaccio,  in  CnrsL^a^ 
Battle  of  Bennington  gnined  by  Starlit 
The  excellent  and  iKitriotic  John  De  Witt 

torn  in  pieces  by  a  mob,  ai  the  Hague.  "  A 

most  discouraging  cvample  to  lovers  of 

liberty." 
Battle  of  Bosworth  Field,  in  which  Richard 

III.  was  slain. 
The  wretched   Chatterlon,   poet,    died  by 

arsenic. 
Robespierre,   the  tyrant    demagogue,  eic- 

cnled. 
John  Bunyan,  author  of  Pilgrim's  Progres», 

died. 


m^^ 


When  the  year  began  in  March,  as  it 
used  to  in  old  times,  this  month  was  the 
seventh,  and  so  it  got  its  Latin  name,  sep- 
tem.  or  seven,  from  the  Romans. 

Michaehnas  —  "  tlie  feast  of  Michael"  — 
comes  on  tlie  29th  of  this  month,  and  was, 
anciently,  one  of  the  quarter-days,  and  is 
still  in  some  use  in  England  and  Scotland. 

In  those  southern  climates  where  the  heat 
and  want  of  moisture  are  not  too  great  for 
the  growth  of  corn,  the  only  care  of  the 
farmer  is  to  procure  hands  sufficient  to  reap 
it.  The  heat  of  the  sun  and  air  soon  dries 
the  straw,  and  hardens  the  grain.  A  spot  is 
levelled  in  the  field,  and  the  corn  is  threshed 
out  immediately,  either  by  the  tread  of 
cattle  driven  over  it,  or  by  the  flails  of  nu- 
merous threshers.  The  corn  is  winnowed, 
and  stored  in  granaries  ;  and  the  straw  is 
reserved  till  winter,  when  it  forms  the  chief 
fodder  of  horses  and  cattle.  In  these  re- 
gions the  harvest  is  a  continued  feast;  no 
ungenial  weather  disappoints  the  hopes  of 
the  husbandman: 

But  in  northern  climates,  where  the 
harvest  is  later,  and  cold  rains  and  storms 
are  frequent  in  autumn,  ingenuity  is  often 
taxed  to  save  the  corn  from  being  entirely 
spoiled,  after  it  has  been  severed  from  the 
ground  ;  roomy  barns  are  erected  to  secure 
it,  in  the  straw,  till  it  can  be  threshed  ;  and 
the  joy  of  the  harvest  is  frequently  inter- 
rupted by  the  anxiety  which  is  the  conse- 
quence of  sudden  changes  of  the  weather. 

Grain  stored  in  the  straw,  in  the  open 
air,  is  found  to  be  better  preserved  than  in 


1 

550S. 

— 

1159. 

2 

1715. 
1752. 

1792. 


barns  ;  and  the  use  of  stone  or  cast-iron 
pillars,  to  support  the  floors  for  the  stacks, 
secures  it  from  vermin  and  from  wet.  So 
that  on  many  farms  the  only  barn  needed  is 
a  small  one  for  threshing. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  SEPTEMBER. 

The  day  of  Creation  ;  so  so.Tie  ;  others  place 
it  on' 19th  Sept.,  40n4  ;  others  iliffercntly. 

Died  Pope  Adrian  IV.,  the  only  Englisa- 
man  ever  made  pope. 

Louis  XIV.  died. 

Tlie  New  Stvle  was  adopted  at  London,  by 
retrenching  eleven  days  from  the  calendar, 
the  ensuing  day,  Sept.  3,  being  reckoned 
the  Hih. 

The  "  Septembrizeurs"  liroke  open  the  pris- 
ons of  Paris,  and  butchered  all  the  state 
prisoners  in  the  most  brutal  manner. 

Oliver  Cromwell,  Lord  High  Protector  of 
England,  died. 

Solyman  the  Magnificent,  Emperor  of  Tur- 
key, died. 

The  Plymouth  Pilgrims  sailed,  in  the  May- 
flower, from  England. 

Battle  of  the  Borodino. 

Philip  II.,  the  despotic  and  cruel  bigot,  died. 

Moscow  burnt  by  the  Russians. 

Battle  of  Eutaw  Springs,  Greene  against 
Stewart. 

Sir  Walter  Scott,  the  novelist  and  poet,  died 
at  Abbotsford. 

Copley,  the  painter,  a  native  of  jMassachu- 
setts,  died  in  London. 

Gustavus  Vasa,  deliverer  of  Sweden,  died. 

Expired,  in  her  eighty-seventh  year,  the  ven- 
erable Lady  Russell. 

Captain  Parry,  from  his  Arctic,  and  Captain 
Franklin,  from  his  North  .4merican  ex- 
pedition, arrived  at  the  British  Admiralty 
within  half  an  hour  of  each  other. 
30,  1770.  Whitefield,  the  celebrated  preacher,  died  at 
Newburyport. 


3, 

1653. 

4, 

1566. 

6, 

1620. 

7, 

1812. 

13, 

1598. 

II, 

1312. 

19, 

1781. 

21, 

1332. 

25, 

1815. 

29, 

1560. 

— 

1723. 

1827. 


OCTOBER. 


This  month,  too,  being  the  eighth  from 
March,  was  called  October  by  the  Romans, 
from  the  Latin  word  octo,  "eight."  It  is 
chosen,  on  account  of  its  even  temperature, 
for  brewing  malt  liquor  desioned  for  long 
keeping,  hence  called  "old  October."  In 
most  of  the  wine-countries  of  Europe  the 
vintage  takes  place  in  this  niontli.  It  is 
usually  in  October  that  the  beehives  are 
despoiled  of  their  honey;  but  most  people, 
of  any  thrift,  use  boxes,  which  save  destroy- 
ing the  bees.  Winter  fruit  is  packed  away 
in  this  month,  particularly  apples  and  pears, 
and  the  following  are  the  dilfcrent  modes  : 

1.  In  single  layers  on  the  bare  shelves 
of  a  fruit-room.  2.  Ditto,  covered  with 
light  canvass,  occasionally  taken  off  and 
dried.  3.  In  close  drawers.  4.  In  dry 
casks,  without  any  interposing  material ; 
must  be  picked  over  carefully  a  few  weeks 
after.  5.  In  boxes,  casks,  large  garden-pots, 
or  jars,  with  pure  and  dry  sand  interposed. 

6.  In  jars  without  sand,  the  top  covered 
with  a  slate,  and  the  jar  buried  in  dry  sand. 

7.  In  heaps,  in  a  dry,  airy  loft,  slightly  cov- 
ered with  straw,  to  protect  from  frost.  S.  In 
baskets  lined  with  straw.  9.  In  close  cel- 
lars, shutting  out  liglit,  always  injurious. 
10.  In  dark  but  airy  vaults.  11.  Under 
a  bell-glass,  cemented  down,  air-tight,  on 
stone.  12.  Buried  in  a  box  placed  upon 
four  bricks,  under  another  box  inverted,  its 


top  two  fpei  below  the  surface.  13.  In 
threshed  grain,  or  in  corn-stacks.  14.  Lay- 
ing on  wheat-straw,  with  or  without  a  cov- 
ering of  the  same.  15.  In  chaff  of  wheat 
or  oats.  16.  In  flaxseed  chaff.  17.  In 
powdered  charcoal.  18.  Each  apple  or 
pear  wrapped  in  a  dry,  separate  paper.  19. 
In  dried  fern-leaves.  20.  To  preserve  nuts 
and  walnuts,  pack  them  in  glazed  earthen 
jars,  tlirowing  a  little  salt  on  the  last  layer, 
and  close  the  jar. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  OCTORER. 

1,  1795.  Died,  in  England,  Roliprl  ['akcwcll,  the  ccle- 

hrated  improver  of  domestic  animals. 

2,  1780.   Major  Andre  was  executed  as  a  spy. 

3,  1G'.)0.   Roiierl  Harelay  died. 

r>,  1.^13.  Tecumseh,  the  Indian  chief,  killed. 

7,  lij71.  Hatlle  of  Lepanto,  Greece;  the  Venetians  de- 

feated the  Turkish  Heel,  killing  30,000. 

8,  1793.  John  Hancock,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 

Independence,  died. 

10,  1831.  Hereditary  Peerage  decided  against  hy  the 

Kreneh  deputies. 

11,  1631.  Zuingle,  the  reformer,  slain  in  liattle. 

12,  14'J2.  Colundius  discovers  the  first  land  of  the  New 

World. 
14,  10C6.  Battle  of  Hastings,  which  expelled  Harold 

from  the  throne  of  England,  and  gave  it  to 

William  I. 
17,  1777.  Burgoyne    surrendered    a   British   army   to 

(Jatos,  at  Saratoga. 
2G,  1751.  Rev.  Dr.  Philip  Uoildridge  expired  at  Li^lJOn. 
30,  lil3.  Died,  Tlieoplnlus  Parsons,  V\\\\-(  Ju.'-tico  ol 

the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusctls. 


^  ^^.^V^^W^V^^/V^.^^.^^..  ^ 


This  beings  the  ninth  month  from  ]\Iarch, 
which  formerly  bcg-an  the  year,  the  Romans 
called  it  from  their  word  7iovem,  "  nine." 
October  is  marked  for  the  change.  Novem- 
ber for  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  which  now 

Incessant  rustles  from  the  mournful  arove  ; 
Oft  slarlling  such  as,  slutUous,  walk  lielow; 
And  slowly  circles  through  the  waving  air. 

Forth  Ejocs  the  woodman,  leaving  unconcerned 
The  cheerful  haunts  of  men,  to  wield  the  axe 
And  drive  the  wedge,  in  yonder  forest  drear, 
From  morn  lo  eve  his  solitary  task. 

The  farmer  strives  during  this  month  to 
finish  all  his  ploughing  of  fallows  :  and  then 
lays  up  his  utensils  till  the  ensuing  year. 
Cattle  and  horses  are  taken  out  of  the  e.'c- 
hausted  pastures,  and  kept  in  the  house  or 
yard.  Hogs  are  put  up  to  fatten.  Sheep 
are  turned  into  the  turnip-field,  or,  in  stormy 
weather,  fed  with  hay  at  the  rick.  Bees 
now  require  to  be  moved  under  shelter  ;  and 
the  pigeons  in  the  dove-house  to  be  fed. 

Where,  now,  the  vital  energy  that  moved, 
While  summer  was,  the  pure  and  suliUe  lymph 
Through  th'  iniiierceplible  meandering  veins 
Of  leaf  and  flower'.'     It  sleeps  ;  and  ih'  icy  touch 
Of  uniirnlillc  winter  has  impressed 
A  cokt  stagnation  on  th'  intestine  tide. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  month,  when 
the  products  of  the  earth  are  safe,  the  heart 
rises  in  thankfulness  to  the  Giver  of  all 
good  ;  and  now  most  appropriately  comes 
"  Thanksgiving,"  emphatically  the  Ameri- 
can Rural  Festival. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  NOVEMBER. 

1,  1783.  Linnaeus,  the  great  Swedish  naturalist,  died. 

—  All  Saints  day. 

2,  1SI3.  Sir  Samuel  RomiUy,  the  reformer  of  the  se- 

verity of  the  English  criminal  code,  died. 

3,  1773.  St.  John's,  Canada,  taken  by  the  Americans. 

4,  1794.  London  Missionary  Society's  first  meeting. 

—  1314.  Union  of  Norway  and  Sweden. 

5,  1807.  Died  at  Rome,  Angelica  Kauffman,  a  distin- 

guished artist. 

6,  1632.  Gustavns  Adolphus,  bulwark  of  Protestant- 

ism, killed  at  Lutzen. 

—  The  day  for  the  election  of  President. 

7,  1665.  The  first  Gazette  in  England  published  at 

0.\ford. 

—  1781.  The  last  puJ/ic  burning  of  a  heretic  by  the 

Inquisition :   a   woman,   at   Seville.      Its 
secret  persecutions  are  said   lo  be  still 
continued. 
9,  Lord  Mayor's  day,  London  ;  tlie  great  Me- 

Iropoliian  Festival. 
10,  1832.  Spurzhcim.  the  phrenologist,  died  in  Boston. 

12,  1819.  Jesse  Appleton.  D.D.,  president  of  Bowdoin 

College,  died. 

13,  1080.  Geo.  Fox,  founder  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 

died. 

14,  1832.  Charles  Carroll,  the  sole  surviving  signer  of 

the  Declaration  of  Intlependence,  died. 

15,  1635.  Old  Parr  died,  in  England,  aged  152  years 

and  9  months. 

16,  1831.  Wellinglon  ministry,  England,  resigned. 

17,  1307.  The  founders  of  Swiss  liberty  met  at  Grutli. 

18,  1518.  Cortcz  sailed  from  Culia  to  conquer  Mexico. 

21,  1579.  SirT.  Gresham,  London,  died,  and  left  funds 

for  Gresham  Colleije,  with  7  professors. 

22,  The  Sun  enters  the  constellation  Sagittarius. 

24,  1572.  Expired  at  Edinburgh,  John  Knox,  the  Scotch 

relbrmer. 

25,  1748.  Rev.  Dr.  Isaac  Watts  died. 

26,  1504.  Isabella,  wife  of  Ferdinand,  King  of  Spain, 

died. 

—  1703.  The  "Great  Storm"  in  England  began. 

29,  1778.  Savannah  taken. 

30,  1667.  The  celebrated  Dean  Swift  died. 

—  1812.  Mrs.  Harriet  Newell,  the  missionary,  died. 


Decf.m  means  fen,  nnd  the  monlli  being 
file  tenth  from  March,  was  therefore  named 
December.  Tliis  is  the  month  for  in-iloor 
occupations  and  the  quiet  joys  of  home. — 

Home,  the  source  of  every  pleasure, 
Home  with  every  blessing  crowneil. 

Several  of  the  wild  quadrupeds  now  fake 
to  their  winter  concealments,  which  they 
quit  seldom,  or  not  at  all,  till  sprinir. 

The  mosses  put  forth  their  singular  and 
minute  parts  of  fructification,  or  flowers, 
during  the  winter  months  ;  aiul  ofler  a  most 
curious  spectacle  to  the  botanist,  at  a  time 
when  all  the  rest  of  nature  is  dead  to  him. 

The  Roman  country  people  kept  the 
feast  of  the  goddess  Vacuna,  in  the  open 
fielils,  at  the  latter  end  of  the  month,  iiaving 
gathered  their  fruits  and  sown  their  corn. 
Hence,  some  say,  came  tlie  "  harvest-home." 

The  farmer  now  loolcs  well  to  keep  all 
snug  and  comfortable  williin  doors,  both  for 
the  family  in  the  house  and  that  in  the 
barn. 

On  the  twenty-first  of  December  happens 
the  winter  solstice,  or  standing  of  the  s\ni  a 
few  days,  before  he  begins  to  work  towards 
the  northern  signs  again.  This  period,  also, 
when  the  year  begins  to  renew  itself,  has 
been  chosen,  by  the  priests  of  all  nations 
in  all  ages,  for  a  religious  festival.  Tlie 
Christian  church  has  appropriately  marked 
it  for  the  celebration,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of 
this  month,  of  the  most  worthy  of  all  events, 
the  birth  of  the  Saviour.  The  feelings  of 
gratitude  and    hope,  awakened  by  remem- 


brance of  the  glad  tidings  announced  to 
the  shepherds  of  Bethleliem,  nalunilly  con- 
nect themselves  in  our  hearts  with  thanks- 
giving for  the  fruits  of  the  year,  and  faith  in* 
the  returning  energies  of  nature  to  combat 
the  gloom  of  her  apparent  death  and  burial. 
The  Christmas  festival  will,  therefore,  be 
kept  as  long  as  there  is  a  crop  to  be  reaped 
or  a  seed  to  be  sown,  a  pleasant  reminiscence 
of  the  past,  enjoyment  in  the  present,  or 
hope  for  the  future. 

Thus  the  poet  Spencer  says  :  — 

And  nfter  him  came  next  ihe  chill  December  ; 
Vet  he,  throu£;ti  nierry  fcaslini:  tlinl  he  ni:uie, 
And  tjrcal  honlires,  did  nol  the  cold  renieinbcr, 
His  Saviour's  birlh  so  much  his  mind  did  glad. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  DECEMBER. 


Died,  Oliver  Woleott,  T.r..n.,  covernor  of 
Conneeli<'nt,  and  a  stern  patriot. 

Alexander,  Emperor  of  Russia,  died  at  To- 
iianrog. 

Napoleon  anointed  and  crowned  Emperor  of 
tne  I'Vench.  by  the  nope.  Tins  VII. 

The  aide  traveller,  Helzoni,  died.  v^^ 

.\li;ernnii  Sidiirv  beheaded. 

The  .Anteriean  Ivluealiou  Society  organized. 

Milton  born,  at  London. 

Llewellyn,  last  of  tlic  Welsh  sovereigns,  was 
slain. 

His  country  clad  in  mourning  at  the  death 
(tf  Co'ori^e  U'sisliiiiiilon. 

Celebraied  Hariford  (''onvention  met. 

The  Liberator  Holivar  exi>ired. 

Koreralher's  Hay,  on  which  the  Pilgrims 
foinidrd  the  solid  eharaeler  of  New  Eng- 
land on  the  rock  of  Plymouth. 

The  Sun  enters  the  constellation  Capri- 
corn. 


— 

IS25 

2, 

1S04 

3, 

1S23 

7, 

1CS3 

— 

isi.-. 

9, 

ICCH 

111 

I2S2 

III 

1799 

l"'. 

l=il1 

1", 

I-::ll 

■2-2, 

1020 

WILLIAM   TELL. 


About  tlie  beginning  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  Rodolf  of  Hapsburg,  Emperor  of 
Germany,  having  died,  his  son  Albert  suc- 
ceeded him.  The  known  disregard  of  Al- 
bert for  the  established  rights  of  towns  and 
districts  caused  such  apprehensions,  that 
the  people  of  the  three  central  districts  of 
Switzerland,  Uri,  Sch%vyz,  and  Unterwalden 
held  a  general  assembly,  at  which  they 
swore  to  be  faithful  to  each  other  against 
every  aggressor.  After  mutual  messages, 
asking  the  usual  protection  on  one  side,  and 
an  evasive  answer  on  the  other,  Albert  sent 
Gesler,  as  governor,  who,  contrary  to  cus- 
tom, took  up  his  abode  in  the  country,  at  a 
fortress  erected  by  himself  in  the  district  of 
Uri.  The  tolls  were  now  raised,  the  most 
venial  fault  punished  with  imprisonment 
and  the  severest  penalties,  and  the  people 
treated  with  haughty  insolence  and  con- 
tempt. 

Wearied  by  a  thousand  acts  of  petty 
tyranny,  three  patriots  were  in  the  habit 
of  assembling,  at  a  central  spot,  to  concert 


measures  of  deliverance.  On  the  17th  Nov., 
1307,  each  of  the  three  brought  ten  others, 
and  the  little  band,  with  hands  uplifted  to 
the  starry  firmament,  swore  to  live  and  die  for 
the  rights  of  the  injured  people.  They  fixed 
on  the  night  of  the  new  year  to  commence 
their  enterprise. 

Gesler,  whose  evil  conscience  did  not 
allow  him  to  repose,  fancied  the  people  had 
a  more  confident  air,  and  walked  abroad 
with  a  haughtier  look,  and  that  something 
must  be  plotting.  He  accordingly,  to  test 
his  suspicions,  caused  the  ducal  hat  of  Aus- 
tria to  be  fixed  on  a  pole,  and  commanded 
that  every  one  should  honor  it  by  bowing 
as  he  passed  before  it.  He  thus  expected 
to  ascertain  who  was  an  enemy  of  Austria. 

It  happened  that  William  Tell,  the  cross- 
bovirman  of  Burglen,  and  one  of  the  men 
who  had  taken  the  oath  above  mentioned, 
and  bore  a  part  in  the  nightly  meetings, 
passed  before  this  symbol  of  Austrian  tyran- 
ny, but  without  paying  the  required  hom- 
age. 


— « 


317 


He  was  instantly  seized  and  conducted 
to  the  governor,  who,  informed  of  his  skill 
in  archery,  sentenced  him  to  shoot  an  apple 
from  the  liead  of  his  son.  The  boy  having- 
been  bound,  and  an  apple  placed  on  his 
head,  they  led  Tell  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance off:  —  he  took  his  aim  —  the  twang: 
of  the  bowstring  was  heard  —  the  joyful 
shouts  of  the  people  proclaimed  that  the 
arrow  had  hit  the  apple ! 

A  second  arrow  fell  from  beneath  the 
folds  of  the  tunic  of  the  matchless  archer. 
"  Why  hast  thou  brought  a  second  arrow  ? " 
growled  the  tyrant  Gesler.  "  To  slay  thee, 
also,  monster,  had  I  slain  my  son  ! "  cried  the 
intrepid  father,  no  longer  able  to  control  his 
indignation  and  contempt. 

Upon  this  Tell  was  seized,  and  put  on 


board  a  boat,  to  be  carried  out  of  Uri,  im- 
prisoned and  further  punished.  Though  it 
was  blowing  a  gale,  Gesler,  fearing  a  rescue, 
embarked  at  once  with  him.  The  storm 
increased  till  the  boat  became  unmanage- 
able. As  the  only  expedient  to  save  the 
lives  of  the  party.  Tell,  whose  well  known 
skill  as  a  boatman  was  second  only  to  that  in 
archer}',  was  unbound,  and  the  helm  put  into 
his  hand.  He  steered  straight  for  the  bare 
and  rugged  declivity  of  Axenberg,  where 
a  ledge  of  rock  projects  a  few  paces  into  the 
lake.  Arrived  at  this  spot,  he  sprang  from 
the  boat,  and  escaped  up  the  mountain,  but 
not  till  he  had  sent  an  unerring  arrow,  which 
quivered  in  the  life  blood  of  Gesler,  and 
freed  the  Swiss  Cantons  from  their  tyrant. 


FAIRIES. 


Almost  all  ignorant  nations  have  a  belief 
in  the  existence  of  spiritual  beings  who  dwell 
upon  the  earth,  mingling  more  or  less  in  the 
afliiirs  of  mortals,  sometimes  for  good,  and 
sometimes  for  evil.  Of  all  these  creations 
of  the  imagination,  the  fairies  are  perhaps 
tlio  most  pleasing. 

It  is  not  easy  to  say  what  country  is  enti- 
tled to  the  credit  of  having  given  birth  to 
the  fairies.  It  appears  that  we  derive  them 
from  the  east.  The  Persians  call  them 
Peris,  and  the  Arabians  Gins.  Under 
those  names  they  figure  largely  in  oriental 
romances. 

The  belief  in  fairies  has  been  very  com- 
mon in  Europe  ;  and,  even  at  the  present 


48 


day,  persons  may  be  found  in  Ireland,  Wales, 
and.  Scotland,  who  have  a  strong  faith  in 
their  existence. 

Fairies  are  generally  described  as  spirits 
of  both  sexes,  in  human  shape,  who  are 
fabled  to  haunt  houses  in  companies,  to  re- 
ward cleanliness,  to  dance  and  revel  in 
meadows  in  the  night-time,  and  to  play  a 
thousand  freakish  pranks.  They  are  repre- 
sented as  clothed  in  green,  and  the  traces 
of  their  tiny  feet  are  supposed  to  remain 
visible  on  the  grass  for  a  long  time  after 
their  dances ;  these  are  still  called  fairy 
rings  or  circles.  They  are  also  fabled  to 
be  in  the  practice  of  stealing  infants,  and 
leaving  their  own  progeny  in  their  stead.  , 


378 


THE    CHIEFS    OF    SCINDE. 


Beside  tnese  terrestrial  fairies,  there  was 
imagined  to  be  a  species  who  dwelt  in  the 
mines,  where  they  were  often  heard  to  imi- 
tate the  actions  of  the  workmen,  to  whom 
they  were  thought  to  be  inclined  to  do  a 
service.  In  Wales,  this  kind  of  fairies  were 
called  "  knockers,"  and  were  said  to  point 
ont  the  rich  veins  of  silver  and  lead.  Some 
fairies  are  fabled  to  have  resided  in  wells. 
It  was  also  believed  that  there  was  a  sort 
of  domestic  fairies,  called,  from  their  sun- 


burnt complexions,  "  brownies,"  who  were 
extremely  useful,  and  who  performed  all 
sorts  of  domestic  drudgery. 

Although  the  belief  in  fairies  has  gener- 
ally faded  away,  they  continue  to  live  in 
books,  and  to  perform  their  feats,  for  the 
amusement  of  readers,  young  and  old.  In 
America,  they  have  never  been  supposed  to 
flourish;  yet  an  author  has  now  and  then 
ventured  to  transport  them  hither  upon  the 
wings  of  fancy. 


THE   CHIEFS   OF   SCINDE. 


SciNDE  is  one  of  the  numerous  kingdoms 
of  India,  and  lies  chiefly  upon  a  delta  be- 
tween two  branches  of  the  great  river  Indus. 
Under  the  pacific  sway  of  the  Moguls,  it 
was  highly  flourishing,  yielding  abundant 
crops  of  rice,  sugar,  indigo,  and  cotton. 
Tattah,  one  of  its  cities,  was  then  one  of  the 
jreatest  emporiums  of  the  east.  A  century 
since,  it  had  40,000  weavers.  It  is  now 
reduced  to  20,000  inhabitants;  its  streets 
are  narrow  and  dirty,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  houses  are  but  structures  of  cane  and 
iiiud.  Everything  wears  the  aspect  of  decay 
and  ruin.  Tattah  is  only  a  sample  of  the 
desolating  efTects  of  misgovernment  in  this 
country,  which,  like  most  others  in  India, 


seems  given  up  to  every  species  of  oppres- 
sion, eit!ier  from  native  princes,  or  foreign 
usurpation. 

In  many  respects  the  Scindians  resemble 
the  Hindoos.  They  are  now  subject  to 
rapacious  chiefs,  or  Ameers.  These  have 
converted  large  tracts  of  the  finest  land  in 
the  country  into  thickets  of  jungle,  only 
with  a  view  to  afford  the  amusement  of 
hunting.  These  persons  have  amassed  im- 
mense treasures  —  they  have  many  jewels 
of  the  finest  kind,  and  their  muskets  and 
sabres  are  ornamented  with  choice  gems. 
The  Scindians  have  lately  carried  on  a  fierce 
war  with  the  British,  in  which  they  have 
showed  great  military  skill  and  power. 


PAUL,  THE  APOSTLE. 


The  apostle  Paul  was  certainly  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  men  that  ever  lived. 
He  was  of  tlie  tribe  of  Benjamin,  a  native 
of  Tarsus,  in  Cilicia,  and  originally  of  the 
sect  of  Pharisees.  His  parents  sent  him  to 
.Jerusalem,  where  he  studied  under  a  famous 
Jewish  doctor,  called  Gamaliel.  He  was  an 
apt  scholar,  and  became  very  strict  in  the 
olifcrvance  of  the  Mosiac  law,  with  its  rites 
and  ceremonies.  He  was  of  a  rigid  and 
zealous  temper,  and  could  not  bear  the 
Christians,  who  had  now  begun  to  exercise 
tiieir  religion.  When  Stephen  was  stoned 
tn  death,  Paul  stood  by  and  took  care  of  the 
clotlics  of  those  who  performed  the  execu- 
tion. In  the  persecutions  which  followed, 
he  took  a  leading  part,  and,  breathing  forth 
threatenings  and  slaughter,  went  from  city 
to  city,  stirring  up  the  people  and  magis- 
trates against  the  Christians.  These  he 
caused  to  be  seized,  beaten,  and  imprisoned. 
Some  he  compelled  even  to  blaspheme  the 
name  of  Jesus,  which  he  hated  and  despised. 

But,  as  he  was  going  to  tlie  city  of  Da- 
ma.scus,  to  fulfil  his  schemes  of  vengeance, 
he  was  miraculously  converted  to  Chris- 
tianity, and  subsequently  became  the  most 
distinguished  of  all  the  apostles  in  dissemi- 
nating the  religion  of  Jesus.  His  character 
seemed  totally  changed  ;  his  harshness  and 


cruelty  of  disposition  were  replaced  by  piety, 
meekness,  patience,  and  everj' Christian  vir- 
tue. The  fiery  persecutor  thus  became 
the  humble,  devoted,  patient  minister  of  the 
gospel. 

All  the  other  apostles  were  men  quite 
destitute  of  education,  and  appear  to  have 
possessed  no  extraordinary  talent.  Paid 
was  a  learned  scholar,  and  was  of  a  high 
order  of  genius.  In  person  he  was  small 
and  stooping  ;  his  appearance  was  not  im- 
posing, and  his  voice  was  weak.  In  old 
age  he  was  gray  and  bald.  His  eyes  are 
said  to  have  been  weak,  and  his  nose  aqui- 
line. Yet,  with  all  his  defects  and  infirmi- 
ties, such  were  the  force  of  his  mind  and 
the  power  of  his  eloquence,  that  he  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  age  in  which  he 
lived,  and  has  ever  since  been  placed  at  the 
head  of  those  men  commissioned  by  our 
Saviour  to  preach  his  doctrine. 

After  his  conversion,  Paul  devoted  him- 
self earnestly  to  the  spreading  of  the  gospel. 
He  visited  various  places  in  Judca,  Syria, 
and  Asia  Minor,  meeting  with  extraordinary 
adventures.  He  was  exposed  to  dangers, 
hardships,  and  sufferings,  which  no  mission- 
ary of  the  present  day  would  feel  himself 
competent  to  endure.  He  suffered  hunger 
and   thirst,   cold    and    nakedness,   fastings, 


380 


THE    CONEY. 


wi^;liings,  and  fatigue  from  long  journeys 
on  foot.  He  was  often  near  death,  either 
from  the  assaults  of  enemies,  or  the  attacks 
of  thieves,  or  accidents  upon  the  land,  or 
exposures  in  deserts.  He  was  twice  flogged 
with  rods,' by  the  Romans;  five  times  re- 
ceived thirty-nine  lashes,  from  the  Jews  ; 
and  was  three  times  shipwrecked  upon  the 
sea.  In  one  instance,  he  was  a  whole  da)' 
and  night  struggling  and  swimming  in  the 
waves. 

It  is  quite  wonderful  to  follow  the  travels 
of  Paul,  and  to  observe  his  activity,  his  dili- 
gence, and  his  devotion.  Wherever  he 
went,  he  preached  the  gospel,  and  made 
many  converts.  In  one  instance,  he  was  at 
Athens,  then  filled  with  the  most  learned 
philosophers  in  the  world.  He  disputed 
with  them,  and  being  arrested  and  brought 
before  a  high  court,  called  Areopagus,  he 
made  a  most  eloquent  defence. 


Paul  was  at  length  charged  by  tlie  Jews 
with  misconduct,  and  was  sent  to  Rome,  to 
be  tried.  He  sailed  in  a  ship,  upon  the 
Mediterranean,  but  being  wrecked  at  Malta, 
he  staid  there  three  months.  He  then  went 
on  to  Rome.  He  was  allowed  to  go  about 
the  city,  but  he  had  a  soldier  chained  to 
him,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  him  from 
making  his  escape.  After  a  time,  he  was 
set  at  liberty,  fie  preached  the  gospel  in 
various  parts  of  Italy,  and  it  is  supposed  in 
Spain  also.  He  afterwards  went  to  Asia, 
and  then  returned  to  Rome,  where  he  is  said 
to  have  been  put  to  death,  under  the  Em- 
peror Nero,  A.  D.  65. 

The  writings  of  Paul  were  numerous, 
and  those  which  are  preserved  in  the  New 
Testament  constitute  a  remarkable  portion 
of  the  sacred  writings. 


"'^^&>:3?^'^"^^^ 


THE  CONEY. 


This  curious  little  animal,  confined  to 
Eastern  countries,  furnishes  the  sacred  pro- 
verbialist  with  a  striking  illustration  :  "  The 
coneys  are  a  feeble  folk,  yet  make  their 
houses  in  the  rock." 

Bruce,  the  traveller  in  Africa,  says  "  The 
coney  does  not  burrow  and  make  holes,  as 
the  rat  and  rabbit,  nature  having  interdicted 
it  this  practice,  by  furnishing  it  with  feet 
which  are  round,  and  of  a  soft,  pulpy,  tender 
substance.  The  fleshy  part  of  the  toes  pro- 
jects beyond  the  nails,  which  are  rather 
broad  than  sharp,  very  similar  to  a  man's 
nails,  ill-grown,  and  these  appear  rather 
given  for  the  defence  of  the  sharp  toes,  than 


for  any  active  use  in  digging,  to  which  they 
are  by  no  means  adapted. 

"  The  total  length,  as  it  sits,  is  seventeen 
inches  and  a  quarter.  It  has  no  tail,  and 
gives,  at  first  sight,  the  idea  of  a  rat  rather 
than  of  any  other  creature.  The  color  is 
grey  mixed  with  reddish-brown,  and  on  the 
belly  white.  All  over  the  body  are  scat- 
tered hairs,  strong  and  polished  ;  these  are, 
for  the  most  part,  two  inches  and  a  quarter 
m  length.  The  ears  are  round,  not  pointed. 
The  upper  jaw  is  longer  than  the  other.  It 
lives  upon  grain,  fruit,  and  roots,  and  cer- 
tainly chews  the  cud." 


THE   PRINCESS   ROSETTA. 


Tnoncn  the  belief  in  fairies  is  pone,  we 
must  not  forget  that  our  ancestors  held 
them  to  be  realities.  If  we  would  under- 
stand the  history  of  the  human  mind  and 
of  past  ages,  we  must  see  wfiat  ideas  pre- 
vailed. We  therefore  give  a  celebrated  fairy 
story  of  by-gone  days,  and  which,  no  doubt, 
has  given  a  great  deal  of  pleasure,  even 
though  it  be  a  fiction. 

Once  upon  a  time,  —  if  fairy  tales  are  all 
true,  —  the  King  of  Bantam   had  two  sons 
and  a  daughter.     The  queen  cons\ilted  the 
fairies,  to  know  what  would  be  the  fortune  j 
of  her  daughter,  who  was  named  Rosetta,  I 
and  who  was  very  beautiful.     The  fairies 
were  unwilling  to  tell  her ;    but  at  last  they 
replied,  "We  fear  that  Rosetta  will  bring; 
great    misfortune    upon   her   brothers,  and 
even  cause  their  death." 

The  king  and  queen  were  much  grieved 
to  hear  this  ;  and,  after  deliberating  long 
upon  the  matter,  they  shut  their  daughter 
up  in  a  lofty  tower,  where  they  thought 


she  could  do  harm  to  nobody.  When  she 
was  fifteen  years  old,  both  her  parents 
died.  Her  elder  brother  took  possession  of 
the  throne  of  Bantam  ;  and,  as  he  knew 
nothing  of  the  prophecy  of  the  fairies,  he 
opened  the  tower,  and  set  his  sister  at 
liberty. 

When  Rosetta  came  out  of  the  tower, 
and  saw  the  fine  gardens  of  the  palace 
filled  with  flowers,  fruits,  and  fountains, 
she  was  overwhelmed  with  astonishment 
and  delight,  for  she  bad  never  seen  any- 
thing of  the  kind  before.  Her  little  dog, 
Fretillon,  who  had  only  one  ear,  and  was  as 
green  as  a  parrot,  ran  capering  before  her, 
quite  as  much  delighted  as  his  mistress. 
All  at  once,  he  ran  info  a  thicket,  where 
the  princess  followed  him,  and  came  sud- 
denly upon  a  large  peacock,  a  bird  which, 
of  course,  she  had  never  seen  before. 

Rosetta,  seeing  this  magnificent  bird, 
with  its  broad  tail  spread  out  to  the  sun, 
and  glittering  with  a  hundred  golden  eyea, 


382 


THE    PRINCESS    ROSETTA. 


was  struck  with  surprise  and  astonishment. 
She  had  never  conceived  of  a  thing  half  so 
beautiful,  and  for  a  long  time  could  not  take 
her  eyes  from  it.  The  king  and  the  queen, 
when  they  came  up,  inquired  the  cause  of 
her  amazement.  She  showed  them  the 
peacock,  and  asked  what  it  was.  They 
told  her  that  it  was  a  bird,  and  that  it  was 
sometimes  killed  and  eaten.  "What!"  she 
exclaimed,  "  do  they  ever  kill  and  eat  so 
beautiful  a  bird  ?  I  declare  to  you  that  I 
never  will  marry  any  one  but  the  King  of 
the  Peacocks.  I  shall  then  be  the  peacock 
queen,  and  I  will  take  care  that  no  more  of 
these  pretty  birds  are  eaten." 

The  king  was  astonished  at  this  speech, 
and  said,  "  Sister,  where  shall  we  find  the 
King  of  the  Peacocks?"  "I  don't  know," 
answered  she  ;  "  but  I  will  marry  no  one 
else."  The  king  and  the  queen  then  re- 
solved to  have  a  portrait  painted  of  the 
Princess  Rosetta  ;  and  when  it  was  finished, 
it  looked  so  beautiful  that  it  seemed  to  want 
nothing  but  speech.  They  then  said  to 
her,  "  Rosetta,  we  are  going  to  seek  for  the 
King  of  the  Peacocks  all  over  the  world  ! " 

They  set  forth  on  their  expedition,  and 
after  sailing  for  six  months,  they  came  to  a 
country  where  the  trees  were  all  full  of  pea- 
cocks, chattering  so  loud  that  they  might 
be  heard  ten  miles  out  at  sea.  They  in- 
quired the  name  of  this  region,  and  were 
told  that  it  was  called  Coong-seo-quo,  which, 
in  Chinese,  means  the  country  of  peacocks. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  capital,  they 
saw  that  it  was  full  of  men  and  women, 
dressed  in  fine  clothes  made  of  peacock's 
feathers.  They  met  the  king,  who  was 
taking  an  airing  in  a  beautiful  little  carriage 
of  gold  beset  with  diamonds  and  drawn  by 
twelve  peacocks.  The  travellers  addressed 
him  thus:  "May  it  please  your  peacock 
majesty,  we  have  come  from  a  far  country, 
to  show  you  a  portrait;"  and  here  they 
showed  him  the  picture  of  Kosetta.  He 
gazed  upon  it,  and  was  enraptured  with  its 
beauty.  "  Surely,"  said  he,  "  there  cannot 
be  so  charming  a  creature  in  the  world." 
"  Yes,  there  is,"  they  replied  ;  "  she  is  our 
sister,  and  we  are  the  king  and  queen  of 
Bantam.  If  you  will  marry  her,  we  will 
give  her  a  bushel  and  three  pecks  of  golden 
crowns,  for  pin-money,  and  a  pair  of  dia- 
mond shoe-buckles  as  big  as  hens'  eggs,  to 
wear  at  the  wedding." 

The  King  of  the  Peacocks  was  delighted 
to  hear  this.  "  I  will  marry  her,  with  all 
my  heart,"  said  he,  "  if  she  is  as  fair  as  her 
portrait.  But  if  she  is  not,  I  will  put  you 
both  to  death  for  deceiving  me."     To  this 


they  agreed,  and  wrote  a  letter  to  their  sis- 
ter with  information  of  the  whole  matter. 
Rosetta  was  enraptured  with  the  news,  and 
embarked  immediately  in  a  ship  for  Coong- 
seo-quo.  She  took  with  her  three  bushels 
of  golden  crowns,  two  pair  of  mammoth 
diamond  shoe-buckles,  and  clothes  enough 
to  last  ten  years  at  the  rate  of  two  suits 
a  day.  Little  Fretillon  also  accompanied 
her,  as  well  as  her  old  nurse  and  her  foster- 
sister. 

The  nurse  was  a  covetous  old  creature, 
and  one  night,  when  the  ship  drew  towards 
land,  she  crept  softly  to  the  captain,  and 
said,  "  If  you  wish  to  make  your  fortune, 
you  must  help  me  throw  the  princess  over- 
board when  she  is  asleep.  I  will  dress  my 
daughter  in  her  fine  clothes,  and  the  King 
of  the  Peacocks  will  marry  her  ;  then  you 
shall  be  rewarded."  The  captain  was  loath 
to  drown  so  beautiful  a  creature,  that  had 
never  done  him  any  harm  ;  but  the  wicked 
old  nurse  gave  him  liquor  to  drink,  and, 
when  he  did  not  know  what  he  was  about, 
she  persuaded  him  to  throw  the  princess 
overboard,  with  her  feather-bed  and  little 
Fretillon,  who  always  lay  at  her  feet. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  King  of  the  Pea- 
cocks had  come  down  to  the  shore  to  meet 
his  bride,  with  a  most  splendid  train  of  at- 
tendants, which  covered  the  road  for  ten 
miles.  He  had  provided  a  carriage  for  Ro- 
setta, made  all  of  mother-of-pearl ;  it  was 
drawn  by  eight  young  peacocks  ;  the  coach- 
man was  a  green  baboon  Avith  red  whiskers  ; 
and  there  were  six  little  blue  monkeys  for 
footboys.  The  ship  sailed  into  the  harbor, 
and  the  false  princess  landed.  She  was 
dressed  in  Rosetta's  finest  silk  gown,  with 
diamonds  and  pearls  stuck  all  over  her. 
But,  in  spite  of  her  gay  dress,  she  was  pro- 
digiously ugly,  for  her  face  was  brown  as 
a  nutmeg.  She  was  squint-eyed,  and  had 
a  great  awkward  hump  on  her  back.  Be- 
sides, she  was  cross  and  snappish,  and  a 
great  slattern. 

The  moment  she  set  her  foot  on  shore, 
she  called  out,  in  a  proud  tone  of  authority, 
"  You  vulgar  wretches,  bring  me  something 
nice  to  eat,  or  I  will  have  you  all  hanged !" 
The  people,  hearing  this,  exclaimed,  "What 
an  ugly  little  trollop  !  and  as  wicked  as 
ugly  ;  a  pretty  bride  for  our  king  !  much 
good  may  she  do  him!"  The  peacocks 
who  sat  on  the  trees  prepared  to  cry  out, 
"  Long  live  our  beautiful  Queen  Rosetta  ! " 
were  struck  with  astonishment  at  the  sight 
of  her,  and  said  one  to  another,  "  Fie  !  how 
ugly  she  is!"  This  put  her  into  a  violent 
passion,   and    she   exclaimed,   "  Kill  those 


THE    PRINCESS    ROSETTA. 


3S3 


saucy  peacocks  ! "  But  they  only  laughed 
at  her,  and  flew  away. 

When  the  king  beheld  the  false  princess, 
he  ahnost  flew  out  of  his  skin  with  disap- 
pointment and  anger.  He  tore  his  hair, 
rent  his  clothes,  and  was  ready  to  kill  every- 
body that  stood  near  him.  "What!"  he 
exclaimed,  "have  those  impudent  travellers 
made  such  a  fool  of  me,  with  a  lying  story 
about  their  beautiful  sister.  Hang  such  a 
baboon  !  Let  the  two  deceivers  be  thrown 
into  a  dungeon  instantly."  All  this  while 
the  king  and  queen  of  Bantam  were  waiting 
for  their  sister  in  the  palace,  dressed  out  in 
their  finest  clothes,  for  tliis  joyful  meeting. 
Hearing  a  great  noise  at  the  door,  they  ex- 
claimed, "Our  dear  Rosctta  is  coming!" 
But,  instead  of  the  princess,  they  were  sur- 
prised by  the  entrance  of  the  jailer,  with  a 
lile  of  constables  and  soldiers,  who  imme- 
diately marched  them  ofl"  to  prison.  Here 
tliey  were  carried  down  under  ground,  and 
thrown  into  a  dungeon,  where  they  were 
up  to  the  neck  in  water,  surrounded  with 
polliwogs,  tadpoles,  bull-frogs,  and  black 
snakes. 

But,  in  the  mean  time,  what  became  of 
poor  Kosetta  and  little  Frctillon  ?  The 
princess,  as  I  have  told  you,  was  lying  on 
her  feather-bed  with  the  dog,  when  all  the 
three  were  thrown  overboard.  Now  the  bed- 
ticking,  being  of  India-rubber  cloth,  served 
for  a  life-preserver,  aiid  Kosetta  floated  on 
the  waves.  Little  Fretillon  crept  into  her 
bosom,  and  kept  her  warm,  and  they  drove 
before  the  wind  and  sea.  Just  before  day- 
break, the  dog  began  to  bark,  and  awaked 
Rosetta.  You  may  guess  her  astonishment, 
wlicn  she  looked  round  and  found  herself 
floating  on  the  sea,  out  of  sight  of  the  ship. 
She  fell  to  crying  and  bemoaning  her  fate. 
All  day  long  they  drifted  on  the  ocean,  and 
Rosctta,  having  nothing  to  eat,  feared  she 
should  starve  to  death.  But  just  before  the 
sun  went  down,  a  flock  of  flying-fishes  came 
skimming  over  her  head,  and  little  Fretillon, 
who  was  as  hungry  as  his  mistress,  made  a 
jump  at  them,  and  was  so  lucky  as  to  catch 
one.  Upon  this  fish  the  princess  and  her 
little  dog  made  a  supper.  During  the  night 
several  great  ugly  sharks  came  swimming 
round  them,  but  Frctillon,  who  was  afraid 
of  nothing,  kept  up  such  a  barking  as  scared 
them  all  away. 

The  next  morning,  they  found  themselves 
near  the  shore  of  some  unknown  country. 
The  princess  saw  a  fisherman's  hut  not  far 
from  the  sea,  but  no  human  being  was  to 
be  seen.  She  said  to  Fretillon,  "  Stuboy  ! 
bark,  Fretty,  bark  ! "     The  dog  barked  as 


loud  as  he  could,  and  presently  a  man  came 
out  of  the  hut  to  see  what  the  noise  came 
from.  He  looked  out  toward  the  ocean, 
and  presently  discovered  something  float- 
ing there  ;  on  which  he  took  his  boat  and 
paddled  ofl^  You  may  judge  of  his  sur- 
prise and  astonishment  when  he  found  Ro- 
setta. He  took  her  into  his  hut,  for  he  was 
an  honest  and  kind-hearted  fisherman.  He 
made  her  sit  down  by  a  fire  of  sticks,  gave 
her  a  blanket  to  keep  her  warm,  and  in  an 
hour  or  two  she  began  to  feel  quite  com- 
fortable. Little  Fretillon  danced  round  the 
hut  for  joy  at  her  happy  escape. 

The  old  man  wondered  at  this  strange 
adventure,  and  entreated  the  princess  to  tell 
him  her  story.  So  she  told  him  the  whole, 
from  beginning  to  end,  crying  bitterly  all 
the  while  ;  for  she  thought  that  the  King  of 
the  Peacocks  had  ordered  her  to  be  drowned. 
The  honest  old  man  was  touched  with  pity. 
"How  shall  we  act,  my  child?"  said  he. 
"  You  are  a  noble  princess,  accustomed  to 
good  living,  while  I  am  a  poor  fisherman, 
who  has  nothing  to  eat  but  johnny-cake  and 
herring.  This  is  the  peacock  country,  al- 
though you  did  not  know  it.  Let  me  go 
and  tell  the  king  that  you  are  here  ;  for,  if 
he  could  once  but  see  you,  he  would  in- 
stantly be  willing  to  take  you  for  his  wife." 

"  Alas,"  replied  Rosetta,  "  he  is  a  wicked 
man,  and  would  instantly  put  me  to  death. 
But  we  will  do  this.  Here  is  my  little  dog ; 
just  tie  a  basket  round  his  neck,  and  send 
him  out  ;  it  is  ten  to  one  that  he  will  bring 
us  home  something  to  eat." 

The  old  man  gave  the  princess  a  little 
basket.  She  tied  it  round  the  dog's  neck, 
and  said  to  him,  "Go  to  Peacockville,  find 
the  best  saucepan  in  the  city,  and  bring 
me  whatever  it  contains."  The  little  dog 
wagged  his  tail,  cut  a  caper,  and  answered, 
"  Bow-wow,"  as  much  as  to  say,  "  I  have  a 
dog's  nose  for  saucepans,"  and  otl'he  trotted. 

As  soon  as  Fretillon  arrived  at  the  city, 
he  ran  straight  to  the  king's  palace,  entered 
the  kitchen  by  the  back  door,  and  began  to 
peep  about  slyly.  Seeing  a  silver  saucepan 
on  the  dresser,  he  jumped  up,  looked  into 
it,  and  discovered  two  roast  ducks  and  two 
apple  dumplings.  Without  more  ado,  he 
popped  them  into  his  basket,  and  ran  off. 
Rosetta  and  the  old  man  were  amazed  when 
the  dog  came  running  back  with  so  fine  a 
dinner  for  them.  "Go  again,  Frctillon," 
said  she  ;  "  perhaps  you  can  get  us  some  nice 
white  bread  and  a  little  fruit,  to  finish  our 
repast."  "  Bow-wow,"  said  the  dog  ;  and 
away  he  ran  again  with  his  basket.  When 
he  reached  the  palace,  the  kitchen  door  was 


J^>%  V^^^^>»V^^>^^W^^V^W^^W^-V^^^^^^>W%  V%^/W%^^WWVV%%%W%^^WWW»W%iW%<%i^.W^»%/^i'V^^  l>.V%/V%»V^V%^S.^  I 


384 


THE    PRINCESS    ROSETTA. 


shut,  for  the  cooks  had  missed  the  ducks 
and  dumplings,  and  were  in  great  trouble, 
thinking  some  beggar  had  stolen  them. 
Fretillon  scratched  at  the  door,  but  was 
unable  to  open  it.  He  then  ran  round  the 
corner,  and  climbed  in  at  a  window,  which 
stood  partly  open.  He  then  popped  under 
the  table,  and  crept  slyly  into  the  cupboard, 
where  he  helped  himself  to  a  fine  white 
loaf,  a  dozen  soda-biscuits,  a  minced  pie,  a 
pound  of  raisins,  and  three  cranberry  tarts 
nicely  sugared.  With  all  these  in  his  bas- 
ket, he  trotted  home  again. 

When  the  king's  dinner-hour  had  come, 
he  was  puzzled  to  guess  why  the  bell  did 
not  ring.  At  length  came  the  chief  officer 
of  the  kitchen,  who  was  called  the  "  knight 
of  the  golden  gridiron,"  and  said,  "May  it 
please  your  peacock  majesty,  the  ducks  and 
dumplings  have  disappeared,  nobody  knows 
how.^and  your  majesty  has  nothing  for  din- 
ner !  "  The  king  was  much  vexed  at  this 
disappointment,  for  he  was  exceedingly  fond 
of  roast  duck  and  dumpling.  However, 
there  was  no  remedy ;  so  he  dined  that  day 
on  cold  meat,  and  ordered  a  green  goose 
and  cherry-pie  for  next  day's  dinner. 

The  next  day,  Rosetta  sent  off  her  dog 
with  his  basket  again.  When  he  came  to 
the  palace  he  found  the  doors  and  windows 
all  shut  close  ;  for  the  cook  had  missed  the 
bread,  pies  and  raisins,  and  was  determined 
to  keep  the  beggars  out  of  the  house  this 
time.  Fretillon  ran  smelling  and  scratch- 
ing about,  fearing  he  should  not  be  able  to 
get  in.  At  last  he  discovered  a  coal-hole, 
which  he  crept  into,  and  found  himself  in 
the  cellar.  Here  he  got  up  the  back  stairs 
into  the  kitchen,  and  carried  off  the  green 
goose  and  cherry-pie. 

When  dinner-time  came,  there  was  no  bell 
rung  again,  and  the  king  sent  immediately 
for  the  knight  of  the  golden  gridiron.  That 
personage  made  his  appearance  with  his 
face  as  pale  as  ashes.  "  Please  your  pea- 
cock majesty,"  said  he,  trembling  all  over, 
from  head  to  foot,  "  the  goose  and  cherry- 
pie  have  disappeared,  like  the  ducks  and 
dumplings.  Either  we  are  all  bewitched,  or 
the  dishes  have  legs  and  run  away  of  them- 
selves !"  The  king  was  more  amazed  than 
ever  at  this  new  disaster.  However,  he 
made  a  shift  to  dine  upon  some  cold  minced 
fish,  and  ordered  a  baked  woodchuck  and 
custard  for  to-morrow. 

This  time  the  king  was  determined  to 
know  what  became  of  his  dinner.  So, 
about  eleven  o'clock,  just  as  it  was  put  into 
the  oven,  he  dressed  himself  in  an  old  green 
baize  jacket  and  corduroy  trousers,  smutted 


his  face,  and  went  into  the  kitchen,  pre-   { 
tending  to  be  one  of  the  scullions,     llere   J 
he  kept  watch  in  a  corner ;  and  a  few  min-   i 
utes  after  the  dinner  was  taken  out  of  the 
oven,  he  beheld  a  little  green  dog,  with  one 
ear,  creep  slyly  out  of  the  ash-hole,  catch 
up  the  woodchuck  and  custard,  and  run  off 
with  them  in  a  basket.    The  king  followed 
him,  to   see  where   he   would  carry  them, 
and  the  dog  led  him  to  the  old  fisherman's 
cottage. 

The  king  then  returned  to  the  city,  threw 
off  his  scullion's  dress,  and  gave  orders  to 
seize  all  the  persons  in  the  cottage,  and 
bring  them  bound  before  him.  So  the  offi- 
cers went  to  the  cottage,  where  they  found 
Rosetta,  the  old  fisherman,  and  Fretillon, 
dining  on  the  woodchuck  and  custard  of  his 
peacock  majesty.  They  instantly  seized  the 
princess  and  old  man,  and  tied  their  hands  ; 
the  dog,  also,  they  bound  by  the  fore  paws; 
and  all  three  were  carried  to  the  king. 

When  the  prisoners  were  brought  into 
his  majesty's  presence,  —  as  you  may  see 
them  in  the  engraving  at  the  beginning  of 
this  article,  —  the  king  demanded  who  they 
were,  and  what  they  meant  by  stealing  his 
dinner.  The  old  man  threw  himself  at  his 
feet,  and  told  the  whole  story  of  the  Princess 
Rosetta.  The  king,  who  had  not  before 
taken  any  notice  of  the  princess,  because 
she  was  dressed  in  old,  tattered  clothes,  now 
gazed  earnestly  in  her  face,  and  at  length 
exclaimed,  "  Bring  me  the  picture  ;  for  I 
believe  this  is  indeed  the  real  Princess 
Rosetta,  and  the  other  was  a  counterfeit !" 
When  the  picture  was  brought,  every  one 
saw  'that  it  was  so,  indeed  ;  on  which  the 
king  took  the  princess  by  the  hand,  and 
saluted  her  as  his  bride.  There  was  a  great 
rejoicing  throughout  the  palace,  and  every 
one  cried,  "  Long  live  our  queen,  the  beau- 
tiful Rosetta  ! " 

The  king  and  queen  of  Bantam  were  im- 
mediately released  from  their  dungeon,  and 
lodged  in  the  finest  apartments  of  the  pal- 
ace. The  wedding  took  place  immediately, 
and  Rosetta  became  the  Queen  of  ihe  Pea- 
cocks. The  king  bestowed  a  liberal  reward 
upon  the  benevolent  old  fisherman,  who  had 
taken  compassion  upon  Rosetta  in  her  dis- 
tress. As  for  the  wicked  nurse  and  her 
ugly  daughter,  he  spared  their  lives,  but 
condemned  them  to  the  kitchen,  where  they 
were  compelled  to  scour  dirty  frying-pans 
as  long  as  they  lived.  Thus  all  parties  got 
their  deserts,  not  even  excepting  little  Fretil- 
lon, who,  for  his  fidelity  and  attachment  to 
his  mistress,  was  allowed  a  pig's-trotter  and 
a  pumpkin  custard  every  day  for  his  dinner. 


MOUNT   ST.    BERNARD. 


The  hijihest  peak  of  the  Alps,  in  Swit- 
zerland, called  Mont  Blanc,  is  nearly  two 
thirds  of  a  mile  hitjh  ;  that  is,  about  three 
tiracs  as  high  as  Mount  Washington,  the 
tallest  mountain  in  the  United  States,  cast 
of  the  Mississippi.  It  is  always  covered 
with  ice  and  snow,  in  summer  as  well  as 
in  winter. 

Around  this  lofty  peak  are  other  moun- 
tains, between  which  there  are  deep  valleys, 


and  swift  rivers,  and  beautiful  lakes.  In 
these  regions,  along  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  in  the  valleys,  the  Swiss  people 
live,  and  here  they  have  cities  and  villages. 
In  summer,  the  valleys  are,  like  those 
of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  covered 
with  bright  verdure,  and  afford  the  most 
lovely  landscapes.  But  in  winter  the  snow 
falls  to  a  great  depth,  and  sometimes  buriea 
whole  villages  so  deep  that  the  people  are 


49 


3S6 


BARNACLES. 


obliged  to  dig  holes  from  house  to  house 
under  the  snow.  Sometimes  a  family,  with 
its  pigs,  hens,  and  cattle,  live  under  the 
snow  for  two  or  three  months,  going  about 
in  burrows  or  alleys  which  they  have  dug 
in  the  snow. 

It  often  happens  that  the  great  masses  of 
snow  which  have  accumulated  high  up  in 
the  mountains  tumble  into  the  valleys.  A 
slide  of  this  sort  is  called  an  avalanche. 
One  occurred  many  years  ago,  so  late  as 
the  month  of  April.  At  first,  when  it 
began  to  descend  from  the  high  mountains, 
it  looked  only  like  a  small  wreath  of  mist, 
but  it  soon  grew  larger,  and  as  it  came 
near  and  plunged  into  a  ravine,  it  made 
the  pine-trees  crack  and  writhe,  and  fell  at 
last  with  a  dead,  thundering  sound,  which 
made  the  rocks  shake. 

The  people  among  the  high  Alps  do  not 
often  attempt  to  travel  about  much  during 
Avinter;  but  still  they  sometimes  do  it,  and 
accordingly  sad  accidents  have  happened 
from  persons  getting  lost,  or  frozen,  or 
buried  in  the  snov/-drifts.  These  have 
been  so  frequent  on  the  road  leading  over 
the  tall  mountain  called  St.  Bernard,  that 
some  monks  have  built  a  convent  there, 
and  devoted  themselves  to  the  saving  of 
travellers  who  may  be  in  danger  of  perish- 
ing in  the  snow. 

These  monks,  it  is  said,  have  actually 
saved  a  great  many  people ;  and  in  this 
charitable  business  they  have  been  aided 
by  a  kind  of  spaniel,  a  large  shaggy  dog, 
much  resembling  our  Newfoundland  breed. 
All,  probably,  have  read  the  story  of  one 
of  these  dogs,  which  found  a  boy,  nearly 
frozen,  upon  the  snow.  Somehow  or  other 
the  little  fellow  got  upon  the  creature's 
back,  and  he  was  carried  to  the  door  of  the 
convent,  and  thus  his  life  was  saved. 

Many  very  interesting  stories  of  these 
dogs  are  told.  It  is  said  that,  sometimes, 
when  persons  have  been  overwhelmed  by 
snow-drifts,  and  buried  eight  or  ten  feet 
deep,  these  creatures  have  found  them,  and 
begun  to  howl,  and  thus  brought  the  monks 
to  their  aid.  The  dogs  assist  in  digging, 
and  work  with  all  their  might ;  and  thus 
persons  have  often  been  rescued.  These 
dogs  go  out  on  cold,  winter  niglits,  to  see 
if  they  can  find  anybody  in  distress  ;  one 
of  them  has  a  wooden  flask  of  sp'tits  tied 
to  his  neck,  to  provide  for  the  cK  »nce  that 
the\'  may  meet  with  some  one  "no  is  ready 
to  I'aint  from  cold  and  weariness. 

One  of  these  dogs  saved  the  lives  of 
twenty  perso  ^«,  who  haa  otherwise  per- 
ished in  the  i         tains.     He  was  therefore 


honored  with  a  medal  of  silver,  which  he 
always  wore  around  his  neck.  But,  alas  ! 
this  noble  animal  fell  a  victim  to  his  chari- 
table exertions.  In  the  winter  of  1816,  the 
courier  of  Piedmont  arrived  at  the  convent 
of  St.  Bernard.  The  snow  was  falling  fast, 
and  the  weather  was  intensely  cold.  The 
man  was  advised  by  no  means  to  proceed, 
but  he  was  anxious  to  reach  his  family  that 
night,  and  so  he  set  forward.  The  monks 
had  furnished  him  with  two  guides  and 
two  dogs,  one  of  them  the  famous  dog  of 
the  medal. 

They  all  proceeded  amid  the  snow  and 
the  tempest,  but  in  a  short  time  a  terrific 
avalanche  descended  from  the  mountains, 
and  buried  them  beneath  its  enormous 
masses.  Every  one  perished  ;  and,  sad  to 
relate,  some  members  of  the  family  of  the 
poor  courier,  who  expected  him,  and  who 
had  set  out  to  meet  him,  shared  the  same 
fate. 


BARNACLES. 

The  sea,  as  well  as  the  land,  appears 
full  of  wonders,  if  we  study  the  works  of 
nature  with  care.  Almost  every  one  has 
seen  slimy  and  moss-like  masses  adhering 
to  pieces  of  timber  and  the  bottoms  of 
ships,  in  the  water.  These  are  found  to 
be  separate  animals,  the  body  of  each  en- 
closed in  a  shell ;  but  they  have  long  ; 
peduncles,  or  tendons,  by  which  they  attach 


THE    CHAMOIS. 


3S7  J 


themselves,  in  groups  to  particular  places. 
They  are  fond  of  situations  in  which  there 
is  a  current,  and  here,  dancing  up  and 
down,  they  seem  to  pass  a  luxurious  ex- 


istence.     Such    are    the    creatures    called  i 

barnacles,  and  which   most  careless  observ-  ; 

ers  suppose  to  be  only  an  inanimate  cluster  ; 
of  sea-weed. 


THE   CHAMOIS. 


The  antilopc  nijicapra  is  of  a  fawn  color 
in  summer,  and  brown  in  winter;  a  dark 
line  passes  through  each  eye.  Its  horns  are 
:  seven  or  eight  inches  long,  and  hooked  at 
the  end  ;  the  tail  is  short.  This  animal 
inhabits  the  mountains  of  Switzerland.  It 
is  about  the  size  of  a  domestic  goat,  and 
resembles  it  in  many  respects.  It  is  most 
exceedingly  lively,  and  active  beyond  ex- 
pression. Its  hair  is  short,  lilce  that  of  the 
doe.  The  young  follows  the  dam  for  about 
five  months,  and  sometimes  longer,  if  the 
hunters  or  the  wolves  do  not  separate  tiiem. 
It  is  asserted  that  they  live  between  twenty 
and  thirty  years.  The  flesh  of  the  chamois 
is  good  to  eat ;  and"  some  of  the  fattest 
afford  ten  or  twelve  pounds  of  suet,  which 
far  surpasses  that  of  the  goat  in  solidity  and 
goodness. 

The  crj'  of  the  chamois  is  not  distinctly 
known  ;  if  it  has  any,  it  is  but  faint,  and 
resembling  a  kind  of  grunt.  When  these 
creatures  are  frightened,  or  in  danger  of  an 
enemy,  or  some  other  object  not  perfectly 
known  to  them,  they  warn  the  rest  of  the 
flock  by  a  kind  of  liissing  noise.  It  is  ob- 
servable, that  the  chamois  lias  a  very  pene- 
trating eye,  and  its  hearing  and  smell  arc 
not  less  distinguishing.  When  it  finds  an 
enemy  near,   it  stops   for  a   moment,  and 


then  in  an  instant  flies  oflT  with  the  utmost 
speed.  When  the  wind  is  in  its  favor,  it 
can  smell  a  human  creature  for  more  tlian 
half  a  mile  distance.  When  this  happens, 
therefore,  and  it  cannot  see  its  enemy,  but 
only  discover?  his  approach  by  the  scent,  it 
begins  the  hissing  noise  with  such  force, 
that  the  rocks  and  the  forests  rccciio  with 
the  sound.  The  hissing  continues  as  long 
as  the  breath  will  permit.  In  the  begin- 
ning it  is  very  shrill,  and  deeper  towards 
the  close.  The  animal  rests  a  moment, 
after  this  alarm,  to  inspect  further  into  the 
danger  ;  and,  having  conlirmcd  the  reality 
of  its  suspicion,  it  commences  to  hiss  by 
intervals,  till  it  has  spread  the  alarm  to  a 
great  distance. 

During  this  time,  it  is  in  the  most  violent 
agitation,  strikes  the  ground  forcibly  with 
its  fore  foot,  and  sometimes  with  both.  It 
bounds  from  rock  to  rock  ;  it  turns  and  looks 
round ;  it  goes  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice, 
and  when  it  has  obtained  a  sight  of  the 
enemy,  flies  from  it  with  all  speed.  The 
hissing  of  the  male  is  much  more  acute 
than  that  of  the  female  ;  it  is  performed 
through  the  nostrils,  and  is,  properly,  no 
more  than  a  very  strong  breath,  foiced 
through  the  nostrils  by  fixing  the  tongue 
to    the    palate,    keeping    the    teeth    nearly 


\ 


388 


THE   OWL. 


shut,  the  lips  open,  and  a  little  lengthened. 
Their  agility  is  wonderful,  as  they  will 
throw  themselves  down  across  a  rock, 
which  is  nearly  perpendicular,  and  twenty 
or  thirty  feet  in  height,  without  a  single 
prop  to  support  their  feet.  Their  motion 
has,  indeed,  rather  the  appearance  of  flying 
than  of  leaping. 

The  chamois  feeds  upon  the  best  herbage, 
and  chooses  the  most  delicate  parts  of  plants, 
flowers,  and  the  most  tender  buds.  It  is  not 
less  delicate  with  regard  to  several  aromatic 
herbs,  which  grow  upon  the  sides  of  the 
Alps.  It  drinks  but  very  little,  while  it 
feeds  upon  the  succulent  herbage,  and  ru- 
minates, like  the  goat,  in  the  intervals  of 
feeding.  Its  head  is  crowned  with  two 
small  horns  of  a  beautiful  black,  and  rising 
from  the  forehead,  almost  betwixt  the  eyes. 
These  horns  are  often  made  use  of  for  the 
heads  of  canes.  The  hides  of  these  animals 
are  very  strong  and  supple,  and  good  warm 
waistcoats  and  gloves  are  made  of  them. 

The  hunting  of  the  chamois  is  very  la- 
borious, and  extremely  difticult  and  peril- 
ous. It  is  thus  admirably  described  by 
Saussure  :  —  "  The  chamois-hunter  sets  out 
upon  iiis  expedition  of  fatigue  and  danger 
generally  in  the  night.     His  object  is  to 


find  himself,  at  the  break  of  day,  in  the 
most  elevated  pastures,  where  the  chamois 
comes  to  feed  before  the  flocks  shall  have 
arrived  there.  The  chamois  feeds  only  at 
morning  and  at  evening.  When  the  hunter 
has  nearly  reached  the  spot  where  he  ex- 
pects to  find  his  prey,  he  reconnoitres  v/ith 
a  telescope.  If  he  find  not  the  chamois,  he 
mounts  still  higher;  but  if  he  discovers  him, 
he  endeavors  to  climb  above  him,  and  to 
get  nearer,  by  passing  round  some  ravine, 
or  gliding  behind  some  eminence  or  rock. 
When  he  is  near  enough  to  distinguish  the 
horns  of  the  animal,  which  are  small,  round, 
pointed,  and  bent  backward  like  a  hook,  he 
rests  his  rifle  upon  a  rock,  and  takes  his 
aim  with  great  coolness.  He  rarely  misses. 
This  rifle  is  often  double-barrelled.  If  the 
chamois  falls,  the  hunter  runs  to  his  prey  — 
makes  sure  of  him  by  cutting  the  ham- 
strings —  and  applies  himself  to  consider  by 
what  way  he  may  best  regain  his  village. 
If  the  route  is  very  difficult,  he  contents 
himself  with  skinning  the  chamois;  but  if 
the  way  is  at  all  practicable  with  a  load,  he 
throws  the  animal  over  his  shoulder,  and 
bears  it  home  to  his  family,  undaunted  by 
the  distance  he  has  to  go,  and  the  preci- 
pices he  has  to  cross." 


THE  OWL. 


All  birds  of  the  owl  kind  have  one  com- 
mon mark,  by  which  they  are  distinguished 
from  others  ;  their  eyes,  like  those  of  tigers 
and  cats,  are  formed  for  seeing  better  in 
the  dusk  than  in  the  broad  glare  of  sun- 
shine.    The  pupil,  in  fact,  is  capable  of 


opening  very  wide,  or  shutting  very  cose  ; 
and,  by  contracting  it,  the  brighter  light  of 
the  day,  which  would  act  too  powerfully 
upon  the  sensibility  of  the  eye,  is  excluded, 
while,  by  dilating  the  pupil,  the  animal 
takes  in  the  more  faint  ravs  of  the  night, 


y  *i^^mi>^^^/>^'^^i'\/\^^/'s^^^^^^^^t^^^^^^^^\/^^^s/^/s/%^\/'%/%/^^%/^/^^^/^/%/^^^^^^\^%^/^\/%/s^^^^^%/\/^/%^%/\/^/\^s^^^\^^j^^^^f^^^^^^^^K/^^^^^  I 


THE    OWL. 


389 


and  thereby  is  enabled  to  spy  its  prey,  and 
to  catch  it  with  greater  facility  in  the  dark. 
But  though  owls  are  dazzled  by  too  bright 
a  daylight,  yet  they  do  not  see  best  in  the 
darkest  nights,  as  some  have  been  apt  to 
imagine. 

Tlie  nights  when  the  moon  shines  are 
the  times  of  their  most  successful  plunder; 
for  when  it  is  wholly  dark,  they  are  less 
qualified  for  seeing  and  pursuing  their  prey. 
Except,  therefore,  by  moonlight,  they  con- 
tract the  hours  of  their  chase  ;  and  if  they 
come  out  at  the  approach  of  dusk  in  the 
evening,  they  return  before  it  is  totally  dark, 
and  then  rise  by  twilight  the  next  morning, 
to  pursue  their  game,  and  to  return,  in  like 
manner,  before  the  broad  daylight  begins  to 
dazzle  them  with  its  splendor. 

Yet  the  faculty  of  seeing  in  the  night, 
or  of  being  entirely  dazzled  by  day,  is  not 
alike  in  every  species  of  these  nocturnal 
birds.  The  common  white  or  barn-owl,  for 
instance,  sees  with  such  exquisite  acuteness 
in  the  dark,  though  the  barn  has  been  shut 
at  night,  and  the  light  thus  totally  excluded, 
tliat  it  perceives  the  smallest  mouse  that 
peeps  from  its  hole ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
brown  linrned  owl  is  often  seen  to  prowl 
along  the  hedges  by  day,  like  the  sparrow- 
hawk,  and  sometimes  with  good  success. 

The  great  horned  owl  is  found  in  almost 
every  quarter  of  the  United  States.  "  His 
favorite  residence,"  says  Wilson,  "  is  in 
the  dark  solitudes  of  deep  swamps,  covered 
with  a  growth  of  gigantic  timber  ;  and  here, 
as  soon  as  evening  draws  on,  and  mankind 
retires  to  rest,  he  sends  forth  such  sounds 
as  seem  scarcely  to  belong  to  ^lis  world. 
Along  the  mountainous  shores  of  the  Ohio, 
and  amidst  the  deep  forests  of  Indiana, 
alone  and  reposing  in  the  woods,  this  ghost- 
ly watcliman  has  frequently  warned  me  of 
the  approach  of  morning,  and  amused  me 
by  his  singular  exclamations ;  sometimes 
sweeping  down  and  around  my  fire,  vittcring 
a  sudden  juaiigh  O I  ivaiigh  O '.  sufficient  to 
have  alarmed  a  whole  garrison." 

The  snowy  owl  is  a  native  of  the  most 
northern  regions  of  both  continents.  It  is 
very  seldom,  however,  to  be  met  with  south 
of  Sweden  ;  while  in  America  it  appears  to 
be  most  frequent  in  the  latitude  of  Hud- 
son's Bay. 

The  white  or  barn-oiol  is  more  common 
in  Europe  than  in  the  United  States;  and 
i:i  only  found  here  during  very  severe  win- 
ters. This  may  possibly  be  owing  to  the 
want  of  those  favorite  recesses  in  tliis  part 
of  the  world,  which  it  so  much  aliecls  in 
the  Eastern  continent.     The  multitude  of 


old  ruined  towers,  castles,  monasteries,  and 
cathedrals,  that  everywhere  rise  to  view  in 
those  countries,  are  the  chosen  haunts  of 
this  well  known  species.  Its  savage  cries 
at  night  give,  with  vulgar  minds,  a  cast 
of  supernatural  horror  to  those  venerable 
mouldering  piles  of  antiquitJ^ 

The  hairk-oid  is  a  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  hawk  and  owl  tribes.  It  has 
one  strong  trait  of  the  hawk  tribe  in  flying 
and  preying  by  day,  contrary  to  the  general 
habit  of  owls.  It  is  characterized  as  a  bold 
and  active  species,  following  the  fowler  and 
carrying  off  his  game  as  soon  as  shot.  It  is 
said  to  prey  on  partridges  and  birds,  and  is 
very  common  in  Hudson's  Bay.  It  is  rare 
in  the  southern  parts  of  the  United  States. 
Its  favorite  range  seems  to  be  along  the  bor- 
ders of  the  arctic  regions.  Of  their  nest 
and  mannerof  breeding  we  have  no  account. 
It  is  an  inhabitant  of  both  continents. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  in  all  owls 
that  fly  by  night,  the  exterior  edges  of  the 
wing-quills  are  slightly  curved,  and  end  in 
fine  hairs  or  points  ;  by  which  means  the 
bird  is  enabled  to  pass  through  the  air  wilh 
the  greatest  silence  ;  a  provision  necessary 
for  enabling  them  the  better  to  secure  their 
prey.  In  the  hawk-owl,  which  flies  by  day, 
and  to  whom  this  contrivance  would  be  of 
no  consequence,  it  is  accordingly  omitted, 
or  at  least  is  scarcely  observable. 

The  red  oicl  is  well  known  by  its  com- 
mon name  of  the  little  screech-owl ;  and  is 
noted  for  its  melancholy,  quivering  kind  of 
wailing  in  the  evening,  particularly  towards 
the  latter  part  of  summer  and  autumn,  near 
the  farmhouse.  On  clear  moonlight  nights, 
they  answer  each  other  from  various  parts 
of  the  fields  or  orchards  ;  roost  during  the 
dav  in  thick  evergreens,  such  as  cedar,  pine, 
or  juniper-trees,  and  are  rarely  seen  abroad 
during  the  sunshine.  They  construct  their 
nests  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  often  in  the 
orchard,  in  an  old  apple-tree. 

"  I  kept  one  of  these  birds,"  says  Wilson, 
"  in  a  room  for  several  weeks.  It  was 
caught  in  a  barn,  and  being  unhurt,  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  remarking  its  manners. 
At  first  it  struck  itself  so  forcibly  against 
the  window  as  frequently  to  deprive  it, 
seemingly,  of  all  sensation  for  several  min- 
utes ;  this  was  done  so  repeatedly  that  I 
began  to  fear  that  either  the  glass  or  the 
owl's  skull  must  give  way.  In  a  few  days, 
however,  it  either  began  to  comprehend  the 
matter,  or  to  take  disgust  at  the  glass  ;  for 
it  never  repeated  its  attempts,  and  soon  be- 
came quite  tame  and  familiar.  Those  who 
have  seen  this  bird  only  in  the  day  can 


390 


HINDOO    JUGGLERS. 


form  but  an  imperfect  idea  of  its  activitjr, 
and  even  sprightliness,  in  its  proper  season 
of  exercise.  Tliroughout  the  day  it  was  all 
stillness  and  gravity  ;  its  eyelids  half  shut, 
its  neck  contracted,  and  its  head  shrunk 
seemingly  into  its  body.  But  scarcely  was 
the  sua  set  and  twilight  began  to  approach, 
wnen  its  eyes  became  full  and'sparkling, 
like  two  living  globes  of  fire  ;  it  crouched  on 
its  perch  ;  reconnoitred  every  object  round 
with  looks  of  eager  fierceness ;  alighted  and 
fed  ;  stood  on  the  meat  with  clenched  talons, 
while  it  tore  it  in  morsels  with  its  bill ;  flew 
round  the  room  with  the  silence  of  thought, 
and  perching,  moaned  out  its  melancholy 
notes  with  many  lively  gesticulations,  not 
at  all  accordant  with  the  pitiful  tone  of  its 
ditty,  which  reminded  one  of  the  shivering 
moaning  of  a  half-frozen  puppy  I" 

The  burrowing-owl  differs  essentially  from 
all  others  in  his  habits  and  manners.  In- 
stead of  hiding  his  head  in  the  daylight,  he 
fearlessly  flies  abroad,  in  search  of  prey,  in 
the  broadest  glare  of  the  sun  ;  and  far  from 
seeking  abodes  of  solitude  and  silence,  he 
lives  in  company  with  animals  in  the  re- 
cesses of  the  earth,  where  they  all  enjoy  the 


pleasures  of  fellowship  and  good  harmony. 
The  mounds  of  the  prairie-dog  or  marmot, 
which  are  thrown  up  in  such  numbers  near 
the  Rocky  ]\Iountains,  are  about  eighteen 
ii'  hes  in  height.  The  entrance  is  by  a 
passage  two  feet  in  length,  which  terminates 
in  a  comfortable  cell  composed  of  dry  grass, 
where  the  marmot  takes  up  his  winter  abode. 
Around  these  villages,  the  burrowing-owls 
may  be  seen  moving  briskly  about,  singly 
or  in  small  flocks.  They  seem  to  have  very 
little  fear  of  man  ;  either  soaring  to  a  dis- 
tance when  alarmed,  or  descending  into  the 
burrows,  where  it  is  very  difficult  to  come 
at  them.     Their  food  consists  of  insects. 

All  this  tribe  of  animals,  however  they 
may  differ  in  their  size  and  plumage,  agree 
in  their  characteristics  of  preying  by  night ; 
their  bodies  are  strong  and  muscular ;  their 
feet  and  claws  made  for  tearing  their  prey ; 
and  -their  stomachs  for  digesting  it.  It  must 
be  remarked,  however,  that  the  digestion  of 
all  birds  that  live  upon  mice,  lizards,  or  such 
like  food,  is  not  very  perfect;  for,  though 
they  swallow  them  whole,  yet  they  are  al- 
ways seen  some  time  after  to  disgorge  the 
skin  and  bones,  as  being  indigestible. 


\ 


HINDOO  JUGGLERS. 


The  dexterity  of  the  Hindoos,  in  tum- 
bling, rope-dancing,  and  legerdemain,  is  so 
much  superior  to  that  of  Europeans,  that  the 
statements  of  travellers  on  the  subject  were 
much  doubted,  until  they  came  to  exhibit 
their  singular  feats  in  this  quarter  of  the 
globe. 


Nothing  is  more  common  in  India  than 
to  see  young  girls  walking  on  their  heads, 
with  their  heels  in  the  air,  turning  round 
like  a  wheel,  or  walking  on  their  hands 
and  feet,  with  the  body  bent  backwards. 
Another  girl  will  bend  backwards,  plunge 
her  head  into  a  hole  about  eighteen  inches 


HINDOO    JUGGLERS. 


391 


deep,  full  of  water  and  dirt,  and  bring  up, 
between  her  lips,  a  ring-  that  was  buried  in 
the  mud.  Two  women  may  frequently  be 
seen  dancing  together  on  a  rope  stretched 
over  tressels  ;  the  one  playing  on  the  vina, 
or  Hindoo  guitar,  the  other  holding  two 
vessels  brimful!  of  water,  and  capering 
about,  without  spilling  a  drop. 

A  plank  is  sometimes  fixed  to  the  top  of 
a  pole  twenty-five  feet  high,  which  is  set 
upright ;  a  man  then  climbs  up  it,  springs 
backward,  and  seats  himself  upon  tlie  plank. 
Another  mountebank  balances  himself  by 
the  middle  of  the  body  on  a  bamboo  pole, 
fifteen  or  eigiUeen  feet  high.  Ho  first  sets 
the  pole  upright,  then  climbs  up  it  with  his 
legs  and  arms,  as  if  it  were  a  firmly-rooted 
tree.  On  reaching  the  top,  he  clings  to  it 
with  his  feet  and  hands,  after  fixing  the 
centre  of  the  pole  in  the  middle  of  his  sash, 
and  dances,  moving  in  all  directions  to  the 
sound  of  music,  without  the  pole  ever  losing 
its  equilibrium.  He  then  descends,  takes  a 
boy  on  his  shoulders,  climbs  up  the  pole 
again,  and  stands  on  the  top  on  one  leg. 

SometiiTies  a  boy  lies  across  the  extremi- 
ty of  the  bamboo,  and  holds  himself  quite 
stiff  for  a  considerable  time.  A  man  lifts 
up  the  pole  and  the  boy  in  that  state,  and 
moves  him  about  in  all  directions  without 
losing  the  balance. 

A  still  more  extraordinary  feat  is  per- 
formed by  the  Hindoo  women.  One  of 
them  will  sometimes  balance  herself  in  a 
horizontal  position,  with  her  arms  extended 
like  a  person  swimming,  on  the  top  of  a 
bamboo  pole,  ninety  feet  high,  fixed  in  the 
ground.  Ip  a  sliort  time,  she  seems  to  have 
lost  her  1  ..lance,  and  falls,  to  the  no  small 
terror  of  tl;c  spectators  ;  but  this  is  only  one 
of  her  customary  movements  ;  she  catches 
by  one  foot  in  a  rope  fastened  to  her,  which 
crosses  llic  middle  of  the  pole,  and  remains 
suspended  with  iicr  head  downwards. 

Bronglitnn,  mentioning  the  exhibition  of  a 
set  of  jugglers,  tells  us  that  he  was  particu- 
larly astonished  by  the  feats  of  a  woman, 
who  rested  on  her  head  and  feet,  with  her 
back  towards  the  earth  ;  two  swords,  with 
their  blades  inwards,  were  crossed  upon 
her  chin,  and  two  others,  their  blades  also 
inwards,  under  her  neck.  She  then  tra- 
versed  round  in   the   circle  with   great  ra 


his  nose,  or  on  a  sn.all  piece  of  stick,  which 
he  holds  and  keep  moving  about  with  his 
lips  ;  lastly,  he  will  lay  a  piece  of  thin  tile 
on  his  nose,  and  throw  up  a  small  stone, 
which,  falling  on  the  tile,  breaks  it  to  pieces. 

The  Hindoos  balance  themselves  on  the 
slack  rope  with  uncomiiKm  skill,  by  means 
of  a  long  stick  placed  on  the  end  of  the  no^-e. 
Sometimes  at  the  top  of  this  stick  is  set  a 
large  tray,  from  which  walnut-shells  are 
suspended  by  threads.  In  each  of  these 
shells  is  a  stick,  which  reaches  the  juggler's 
upper  lip.  By  the  mere  motion  of  iiis  lips, 
he  tlirows  up  the  shells,  one  after  another, 
upon  the  tray,  without  deranging  anything, 
and  continuing  to  balance  himself  all  the 
time.  During  this  operation,  he  strings 
pearls  upon  a  horse-hair  by  means  of  his 
tongue  and  lips  alone,  and  without  any  as- 
sistance from  his  hands. 

There  are  three  feats  in  particular  which 
a  Hindoo  juirgler  perforins.  The  first  is 
playins:  on  the  ground  with  cups  and  balls. 
His  posture,  which  seems  less  favorable 
for  his  tricks  than  that  of  people  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Europe,  is  no  drawback  to  his 
complete  success  in  the  dec(<ptions  which  he 
practises  upon  the  astonished  spectators. 

The  trick  of  swallowing  a  sword  two  feet 
long,  or  rather  of  thrusting  it  down  his 
throat  into  tlie  stomach,  up  to  the  hilt,  has 
become  familiar  to  us  by  the  public  exhibi- 
tions of  Ramo  Samee,  and  his  companions, 
natives  of  India.  Before  the  arrival  in  Eu- 
rope of  these  jugglers,  whose  speculation,  it 
is  said,  was  most  profitable,  attempts  had 
been  made,  but  unsuccessfully,  to  induce 
other  professors  of  the  art  to  go  to  England 
for  the  purpose  of  exhibition. 

The  Hindoos  are  not  only  extremely 
dexterous  themselves,  bu;.  they  have  found 
means  to  communicate  their  dexterity  to 
the  very  brutes.  They  train  bullocks,  or 
bnfililoes,  to  the  performance  of  a  very  dif- 
ficult task.  A  Hindoo  lies  down  upon  the 
ground  on  his  back,  and  places  on  the  lower 
part  of  his  stomach  a  piece  of  wood  cut  in 
a  peculiar  shape.  A  bufililo,  at  the  com- 
mand of  his  master,  sets  first  one  foot,  and 
tiien  the  other,  on  this  piece  of  wood,  and 
then  his  two  hinder  feet  in  succession,  and 
balances  himself  upon  it.  But  this  is  not 
all ;  tlio  master  places  a  second  pedestal  by 


pidity,  keeping  her  head  always  fixed  in  the   the  side  of  the  first ;  the  animal  steps  upon 
.„.    _  _  1    1        ■__     .1  -■.._!...-  _f   .K_    :*  :.,  i:i.„    , I  ...i i,„  u„„  „i i 


centre,  and  leaping  over  the  points  of  the 


swords  whenever  her  breait  chanced  to  be   all   four  feet  on   this  movable  cokiinn,  he 


downward. 

A  man  will  balance  a  ."iword  having  a 
broad  blailc,  with  the  point  resting  on  his 
chin.     He  will  then  set  a  straw  upright  on 


t  in  like  manner,  and  when  he  has  placet 


balances  himself  with  wonderful  dexterity. 
Goats  are  also  taught  to  perforin  the  triclc,  in 
which  we  know  not  whether  most  to  admire 
the  patience  or  the  docility  of  the  animal. 


392 


HAWKING    IN    THE    MIDDLE    AGES. 


^'^^Ji'^^   - 


HAWKING    IN    THE 
DLE   AGES. 


mid- 


Falconry,  or  hawking,  is  an  amusement 
of  forgotten  antiquity,  originally  practised 
in  Asia.  It  was  the  fashionable  sport  of  the 
MitUlle  Ages,  a  favorite  with  nobles,  kings, 
and  ladies.  So  elegant  and  showy  a  pas- 
time, and  one  in  the  e.xcitements  of  which 
the  gentler  sex  could  share  with  the  rougher, 
failed  not  to  become  very  prevalent,  espe- 
cially in  France.  In  a  very  old  French  poem 
on  forest  sports,  falconry  is  compared  with 
hunting,  and  the  preference  given  to  the 
former,  because  "queens,  duchesses,  and 
countesses,  are  allowed,  by  their  husbands, 
to  carry  the  falcon  on  their  wrists,  without 
offending  propriety,  and  that  they  can  enjoy 
all  the  sport  of  this  kind  of  hunting,  whilst, 
in  hunting  with  hounds,  they  are  only 
allowed  to  follow  by  the  wide  roads  or  over 
open  fields,  in  order  to  see  the  dogs  pass." 

"  The  knight,  on  such  occasions,  was  anx- 
ious to  pay  his  court  to  the  ladies,  by  his 
attentions  to  the  falcons.  He  was  obliged 
to  be  careful  to  fly  the  bird  at  the  proper 
moment,  to  follow  it  immediately,  never  to 
lose  sight  of  it,  to  encourage  it  by  calls,  to 
take  the  prey  from  it,  caress  it,  put  on  the 
hood,  and  place  the  impetuous  bird  grace- 
fully on  the  wrist  of  his  mistress." 

The  training  of  a  bird  for  this  sport  was 
a  very  critical  process;  and  there  were  those 
very  learned  upon  it,  and  who  even  wrote 
treatises  of  falconry  which  were  deemed  a 
fit  and  necessary  study  for  an  accomplished 
gentleman.  The  birds  destined  to  this  sort 
of  training  for  the  chase  were  taken  from 


the  nest  when  quite  young,  and  for  months  \ 
were  nourished  with  the  flesh  of  pigeons  ! 
siven  to  them  raw,  and  also  of  wild  birds.  \ 
Much  time  and  pains  were  then  spent 
in  teaching  them  to  sit  on  the  hand,  by 
practising  them  in  perching  upon  posts, 
movable  bars,  &c.  To  tame  them  into 
obedience  to  the  will  of  the  master,  they 
were  deprived  of  sleep  and  food,  beaten,  and 
otherwise  tyrannized  over,  till  the  creatures 
found  that  absolute  submission  to  the  word 
of  command  was  by  far  the  least  of  two 
evils.  The  same  persevering  government 
inured  them  to  wear  a  leather  hood  over 
their  heads.  To  practise  them  in  their  art, 
and  without  the  risk  of  their  flying  away, 
they  were  attached  to  a  string  some  two 
hundred  feet  long,  till  they  were  so  far  dis- 
ciplined as  to  be  trusted  with  liberty,  and 
yet  relinquish  it  on  the  instant,  at  a  given 
signal. 

When  brought  out  for  use  into  the  open 
country,  their  heads  were  hooded,  and  they 
were  allowed  to  see  nothing  but  their  game; 
and  as  soon  as  the  game  was  put  up  by  the 
dogs,  or  indicated  by  them,  the  powerful  bird 
was  tossed  from  the  wrist,  and  darted  straight 
towards  it;  if  a  quadruped,  it  pounced 
upon  its  head,  or  seated  itself  there,  and 
pecked  the  eyes  of  the  chase,  till,  bewildered 
and  terrified,  it  fell  an  easy  prey.  If  a  bird 
were  the  quarry,  or  object  of  chase,  the 
scene  became  very  animating  and  excited. 
Picturesquely  scattered  over  the  fields, 
could  be  seen  stately  dames,  with  their 
proud  and  beautiful  faces  eagerly  upturned, 
beaming,  piquantly,  perhaps  with  a  little 
of  the  ferocity  of  the  age ;  gay  squires  on 
their  daintily  caparisoned  steeds,  cheering 
the  falcon  to  exert  his  utmost  swiftness  and 
prowess ;  noble  personages  relaxing  from 
their  dignity  to  watch  nianceuvres  that  must 
often  remind  them,  in  miniature,  of  their 
own  pursuits  —  these  on  high  mettled  but 
well  managed  steeds  ;  while  all  abroad,  the 
crowd  of  low  degree  filled  the  welkin  with 
their  boisterous  clamor. 

The  expense  of  the  hawking  establish- 
ment was  sometimes  extravagant.  Under 
Francis  I.,  of  France,  the  "  flower  of  chival- 
ry,"—  whose  ambition  it  was  to  be  the  arbi- 
ter of  elegance,  the  mirror  of  his  age,  first 
in  every  manly  sport,  courtly  pastime,  or 
gay  adventure,  —  incredible  sums  were  de- 
voted to  this  one  amusement.  His  training 
establishments  were  in  charge  of  a  Grand 
Falconer,  whose  salary  was  four  thousand 
livres,  and  who  had,  subordinate  to  him, 
fifteen  noblemen  and  fifty  falconers ;  with 
the   care   of  three  hundred   falcons.     The 


yearly  cost  of  the  whole  was  forty  thousand 
livres. 

The  greit  conquerors  of  Asia  were  even 

;  more  magnificent  in  the  expenses  of  falconry. 
The  Emperor  of  China  is  attended  in  his 
sporting   progresses    into    Tartary    by    his 

;  grand  falconer,  with  one  thousand  subordi- 
nates;  and  every  bird  has  a  silver  plate 
fastened  to  his  foot  with   the  name  of  the 


BOA    CONSTRICTOR. 


393 


falconer  who  has  charge  of  it,  so  that  if  lost 
it  may  be  returned  to  the  proper  person  ; 
but  if  he  cannot  be  found  it  must  be  handed 
to  a  special  officer,  called  the  Guardian  of 
Lost  Birds,  who  keeps  it  till  it  is  demanded 
by  the  falconer  to  whom  it  belonged.  The 
grand  falconer,  the  more  easily  to  be  found 
among  the  army  of  hunters,  erects  a  con- 
spicuous standard. 


BOA   CONSTRICTOR. 


TirE  ground  color  of  tlie  body  of  the  Great 
Boa,  which  is  the  largest  and  strongest  of 
the  serpent  race,  is  yellowish  gray,  on  which 
is  distributed,  along  the  back,  a  series  of 
large,  chain-like,  reddish-brown,  and  some- 
times perfectly  red  variations,  witii  other 
small  and  more  irregular  marks  and  spots. 

The  great  boa  is  frequently  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  of  a  propor- 
tionate thickness.  The  rapacity  of  these 
creatures  is  often  their  own  destruction  ; 
for  whenever  they  seize  and  swallow  their 
prey,  they  seem  like  surfeited  gluttons,  un- 
wieldy, stupid,  helpless,  and  sleepy.  They 
at  the  same  time  seek  for  some  retreat, 
where  they  may  lurk  for  several  days  to- 
gether, and  digest  their  meal  in  safety.  The 
smallest  effort  will  then  destroy  them  ;  they 
scarcely  can  make  any  resistance  ;  and, 
equally  unqualified  for  flight  or  opposition, 
even  the  naked  Indians  do  not  fear  to  assail 
them.  But  it  is  otherwise  when  this  sleep- 
ing interval  of  digestion  is  over  ;  they  then 
issue,  with  famished  appetites,  from  their 
retreats,  and  with  accumulated  terrors,  while 
every  animal  of  the  forest  flies  from  their 


presence.  One  of  thern  has  been  known  to 
kill  and  devour  a  buffalo. 

Having  darted  upon  the  affrighted  beast, 
(says  a  witness  of  such  a  scene,)  the  ser- 
pent instantly  began  to  wrap  him  round 
with  its  folds ;  and  at  every  twist  the  bones 
of  the  buffalo  were  heard  to  crack  as  loud 
as  the  report  of  a  gun.  It  was  in  vain  that 
the  animal  struggled  and  bellowed  ;  its  enor- 
mous enemy  entwined  it  so  closely,  that  at 
length  all  its  bones  were  crushed  to  pieces, 
like  those  of  a  malefactor  on  the  wheel,  and 
the  whole  body  was  reduced  to  one  uniform 
mass  ;  the  serpent  then  untwined  its  folds, 
in  order  to  swallow  its  prey  at  leisure.  To 
prepare  for  this,  and  also  to  make  it  slip 
down  the  throat  more  smoothly,  it  was  seen 
to  lick  the  whole  body  over,  and  thus  to 
cover  it  with  a  mucilaginous  substance.  It 
then  began  to  swallow  it,  at  the  end  that 
offered  the  least  resistance  ;  and  in  the  act 
of  swallowing,  the  throat  suffered  so  great 
a  dilatation,  that  it  took  in  at  once  a  sub- 
stance that  was  thrice  its  own  thickness. 

This  animal  inhabits  India,  Africa,  and 
South  America.   With  respect  to  their  con- 


Ji^v^V^^^N^V^" 


50 


394 


HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


formation  all  serpents  have  a  very  wide 
mouth,  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  head  ; 
and,  what  is  very  extraordinary,  they  can 
gape  and  swallow  the  head  of  another  ani- 
mal which  is  three  times  as  big  as  their 
own.  To  explain  this,  it  must  be  observed, 
that  the  jaws  of  this  animal  do  not  open  as 
ours,  in  the  manner  of  a  pair  of  hinges, 
where  bones  are  applied  to  bones,  and  play 
upon  one  another ;  on  the  contrary,  the  ser- 


pent's jaws  are  held  together  at  the  roots  by 
a  stretching  muscular  skin ;  by  which  means 
they  open  as  widely  as  the  animal  chooses 
to  stretch  them,  and  admit  of  a  prey  much 
thicker  than  the  snake's  own  body.  The 
throat,  like  stretching  leather,  dilates  to 
admit  the  morsel ;  the  stomach  receives  it 
in  part;  and  the  rest  remains  in  the  gullet, 
till  putrefaction  and  the  juices  of  the  ser- 
pent's body  unite  to  dissolve  it. 


HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


This  name  signifies  the  rh-er-liorse.  His 
head  is  broad,  his  lips  very  thick,  his  tusks 
formidable,  skin  very  thick,  legs  and  tail  very 
short.  He  is  supposed  to  be  the  same  as 
the  Behemoth  mentioned  in  Scripture. 

The  hippopotamus  inhabits  the  large  and 
shady  rivers  of  Africa,  and  the  lakes  of 
Ethiopia.  It  is  timid  and  sluggish  on  land, 
—  when  pursued,  it  betakes  itself  to  the 
water,  plunges  in,  and  walks  at  the  bottom, 
quite  at  ease,  though  rising  often  to  the 
surf:;ice  for  breath.  During  the  night,  it 
leaves  the  water,  and  feeds  on  sugar-cane, 
rushes,  millet,  rice,  &c. 

In  this  way  it  does  incalculable  damage, 
not  only  from  the  quantity  it  consumes,  but 
from  the  still  greater  quantity  that  is  spoiled 
and  laid  waste.  In  a  short  space  of  time, 
several  of  these  animals  will  entirely  destroy 
a  whole  field  of  corn  and  clover,  not  leav- 
ing the  least  verdure  as  they  pass,  for  they 
are  voracious,  and  require  much  to  satisfy 
their  appetite. 

In  Egypt,  the  river-horse  does  so  much 


damage,  that  the  people  resort  to  a  curious 
mode  to  free  themselves  from  him.  They 
remark  the  places  he  frequents  most,  and 
there  they  lay  a  large  quantity  of  dry  peas  ; 
when  the  beast  comes  on  shore  hungry  and 
voracious,  he  falls  to  eating  what  is  nearest 
to  liim,  and  filling  his  belly  with  the  peas, 
they  occasion  an  insupportable  thirst.  He 
then  returns  immediately  to  the  river,  and 
drinks  large  draughts  of  water,  which  imme- 
diately causes  his  death  ;  for  the  peas  soon 
begin  to  swell  with  the  water,  and  not  long 
after,  the  Egyptians  find  him  dead  on  the 
shore,  as  if  he  had  taken  poison. 

The  voice  of  the  hippopotamus  is  de- 
scribed as  a  harsh,  heavy  sound,  like  the 
creaking  or  groaning  of  a  large  wooden  door. 
This  noise  is  made  when  the  animal  raises 
its  huge  head  out  of  v.'ater,  and  when  he  , 
retires  into  it  again.  The  ivory  of  the  great  \\ 
teeth  is  very  much  valued,  particularly  by 
dentists.  No  other  ivory  keeps  its  color  so 
well. 


;: 


THE   GREAT   BUSTARD. 


This  is  the  !;irc;'cst  bird  that  is  a  native 
of  Europe.  It  was  once  much  more  numer- 
ous than  it  is  at  present ;  but  the  increased 
cultivation  of  the  country,  and  the  extreme 
delicacy  of  its  flesh,  have  crreatly  thinned 
the  species ;  so  that  the  time  may  come 
when  it  may  be  doubted  whether  so  huge  a 
bird  was  ever  bred  there.  It  is  probable 
that,  long  before  this,  the  bustard  would 
have  been  extirpated,  but  for  its  peculiar 
manner  of  feeding.  It  inhabits  only  the 
open  and  extensive  plain,  where  its  food  lies 
in  abundance,  and  where  every  invader  maj' 
be  seen  at  a  distance. 

The  weight  of  this  bird  varies  considera- 
bly; some  have  been  found  of  not  more 
than  ten  pounds,  others  have  been  found  of 
twenty-seven  and  even  thirty.  The  female 
is  not  more  th;\n  half  the  size  of  the  male. 
The  bustard  is  distinguished  from  the  os- 
trich, the  touyou,  the  cassowary,  and  the 
dodo,  by  its  wings,  which,  although  dispro- 
portioned  to  the  size  of  its  body,  yet  serve 
to  elevate  it  in  the  air,  and  enable  it  to  fly, 
though  with  some  didiculty;  they  are  gen- 
erally about  four  feet  from  the  tip  of  one  to 


that  of  the  other.  The  neck  is  a  foot  long, 
and  the  legs  a  foot  and  a  half  The  head  and 
neck  of  the  male  are  ash-colored  ;  tlie  back  is 
barred  transversely  with  black,  and  bright 
rust  color.  The  greater  quill  feathers  are 
black,  the  belly  while,  and  the  tail,  which 
consists  of  twenty  feathers,  is  marked  with 
broad  black  bars. 

The  bustard  was  anciently  common  in 
Libya,  in  the  environs  of  Alexandria,  in 
Syria,  in  Greece,  in  Spain,  in  France,  in 
the  plains  of  Poitou  and  Champagne  ;  but 
they  are  now  rare.  They  arc  sometimes 
seen  in  England,  on  the  extensive  downs 
of  Salisbury  Plain,  in  tiie  heaths  of  Susse.\ 
and  Cambridgeshire,  the  Dorsetshire  up- 
lands, and  as  far  as  East  Lothian,  in  Scot- 
land. In  those  extensive  plains,  where  there 
are  no  woods  to  screen  the  sportsman,  nor 
hedges  to  creep  along,  the  bustards  enjoy 
an  indolent  securit}'.  Their  food  is  com- 
])osed  of  tlie  berries  that  grow  among  tlie 
heath,  and  the  large  earth-worms  that  appear 
in  great  quantities  on  the  downs  before  sun- 
rising,  in  smnmer.  They  also  cat  green  corn, 
the  tops  of  turnips,  and  other  vegetables  ; 


396 


CHRIST5L4S. 


and  have  even  been  known  to  devour  frogs, 
mice,  and  young-  birds.  It  is  in  vain  that 
the  fowler  creeps  forvvard  to  approach  tliem  ; 
they  have  always  sentinels  placed  at  proper 
eminences,  which  are  ever  on  the  watch, 
and  warn  the  flock  of  the  smallest  appear- 
ance of  danger.  All  therefore  that  is  left 
to  the  sportsman  is  the  comfortless  view  of 
their  distant  security.  He  may  wish  —  but 
they  are  in  safety. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  these  birds, 
thoiigh  they  are  seldom  shot  by  the  gun, 
are  run  down  by  greyhounds.  As  they  are 
voracious  and  greedy,  they  often  sacrifice 
their  safety  to  their  appetite,  and  feed  them- 
selves so  very  fat,  that  they  are  unable  to  fly 
without  great  preparation.  When  the  grey- 
hound, therefore,  comes  within  a  certain 
distance  the  bustard  runs  off",  flapping  its 
wings,  and  endeavors  to  gather  air  enough 
under  them  to  rise ;  in  the  mean  time  the 
enemy  approaches  nearer,  till  it  is'  too  late 
for  the  bird  even  to  think  of  obtaining  safety 
by  flight;  for  just  at  the  rise  there  is  always 
time  lost,  and  of  this  the  bird  is  sensible  ; 
it  continues,  therefore,  on  the  foot  until  it 
is  taken. 

As  there  are  few  places  where  they  can 
at  once  find  proper  food  and  security,  so 
they  generally  continue  near  their  old 
haunts,  seldom  wandering  above  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  from  home.  As  their  food  is 
replete  with  moisture,  it  enables  them  to 
live  upon  these  dry  plains,  where  there  are 
scarcely  any  springs  of  water,  a  long  time 
without  drinking.  Besides  this,  nature  has 
given  the  males  an  admirable  magazine  for 
their  security  against  thirst.  This  is  a 
pouch,  the  entrance  of  which  lies  imme- 
diately under  the  tongue,  and  capable  of 
holding  near  seven  quarts  of  water.  This 
is  probably  filled  upon  proper  occasions,  to 
supply  the  hen  when  sitting,  or  the  young 
before  they  can  fly.  The  bustard  also 
makes  use  of  its  reservoir  to  defend  itself 
against  birds  of  prey ;  which  it  effects  by 
ejecting  the  water  with  such  violence  as 
often  to  arrest  the  progress  of  its  enemy  ! 

They  form  no  nest,  but  only  scrape  a  hole 
in  the  earth,  and  sometimes  line  it  with  a 
little  long  grass  or  straw.  They  lay  two 
eggs  only,  almost  the  size  of  a  goose  egg, 
of  a  pale  olive  brown,  marked  with  spots  of 
a  darker  color.  They  hatch  in  nearly  thirty 
days,  and  the  young  ones  run  about  as  soon 
as  they  are  out  of  the  shell. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  persecuted  mother 
is  apprehensive  of  the  hunters,  and  is  dis- 
turbed from  her  nest,  she  takes  her  eggs 
under  her  wing,  and  transports  them  to  a 


place  of  safety.  The  fact  is,  however,  that, 
following  the  instinct  of  all  other  birds  of 
this  kind,  they  generally  make  their  nests 
in  the  grain  fields,  where  they  are  almost 
certain  of  remaining  undisturbed. 

The  bustard  is  not  known  in  America. 
Besides  the  delicacy  of  their  flesh,  the  quills 
are  valuable,  as  they  make  excellent  pens; 
but  they  are  still  more  esteemed  by  anglers, 
who  use  them  as  floats ;  for,  as  they  are 
spotted  with  black,  the  notion  is,  that  these 
black  spots  appear  as  flies  to  the  fish,  which 
they  rather  allure  than  drive  away  by  their 
appearance. 


CHRISTMAS. 

Though  the  month  of  December  is  one 
which  brings  gloomy  clouds  and  stormy 
winds,  it  is  not  by  any  means  without  its 
pleasures.  The  children,  not  apt  to  look 
deeply  into  the  future,  are  delighted  to  see 
the  first  snow-flakes,  and  with  them  the  first 
day  on  which  the  "ice  will  bear"  is  little 
less  than  a  jubilee.  And  then  that  good 
old  generous  festival,  Christmas,  comes  on 
the  twenty-fifth  of  the  month,  and  sour  must 
be  the  bosom  that  does  not  feel  tlie  kindly 
influence  of  this  holiday. 

Christmas  is  the  anniversary  of  Christ's 
birthday  ;  and  it  is  fit  and  proper  that  it 
should  be  signalized  by  deeds  of  charity, 
and  by  a  general  feeling  of  good-will  to  men. 
In  the  olden  times,  the  day  was  noticed  by 
voluptuous  eating  and  deep  drinking;  and 
Christmas  was  then  personified  as  a  fat, 
lusty  old  guzzler,  rising  out  of  a  junch-bowl, 


as  is  represented  in  the  engraving  above. 
This  was  a  great  abuse  of  this  happy  fete- 
day  ;  and  it  shows  how  coarse  and  brutal 
men  may  become,  even  in  noticing  a  reli- 
gious festivity.  At  the  present  day,  in  for- 
eign countries,  Christmas  is  still  celebrated 
;  by  many  foolish  observances,  and  some 
;:  vicious  practices.  But,  as  the  world  improves, 
these  evils  are  mitigated,  and  Christmas  is 
now  generally  noticed  in  a  proper  manner. 


GREAT    TREES. 


397 


It  is  a  day  in  which  our  hearts  should  be 
thankful  for  the  undeserved  blessings  we 
enjoy  ;  for  light,  and  life,  and  happiness  ; 
and,  above  all,  for  the  gift,  beyond  price,  of 
Christ's  wondrous  mission  to  mankind.  Our 
bosoms  being  filled  with  such  emotions,  we 
should  make  this  day  an  occasion  of  good 
deeds  to  the  poor,  the  unfortunate,  the 
wretched  ;  a  day  of  forgiveness  to  enemies 
and  of  charity  to  all  the  world. 


GREAT   TREES. 


Tke  great  chestnut-free  on  Mount  Etna 
is  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  the  world. 
It  is  196  feet  round  close  to  the  ground,  and 
five  of  its  branches  are  like  large  trees.  It 
has  been  an  object  of  curiosity  for  ages. 

There  is  a  chestnut-tree  at  Tamworth,  in 
England,  52  feet  round.  It  was  planted  in 
the  year  800  ;  and,  in  the  reign  of  Stephen, 
in  1135,  it  formed  a  boundary  called  the 
"Great  Chestnut-Tree."  In  1759,  it  bore 
nuts,  which  produced  young  trees. 

The  banyan-tree  is  a  native  of  most  parts 
of  India,  and  has  been  so  often  described  as 
to  be  familiar  to  almost  every  reader.  The 
branches  spread  to  a  great  extent,  dropping 
their  roots  here  and  there,  which,  as  soon  as 
they  reach  the  ground,  rapidly  increase  in 
size,  till  they  become  as  large  as  the  parent 
trunk  —  by  which  means,  the  quantity  of 
ground  they  cover  is  almost  incredible.     A 


single  tree  is  said  to  aflord  sufficient  space, 
under  its  branches,  to  shelter  a  whole  reg- 
iment of  cavalry.  Some  have  been  seen 
five  hundred  yards  in  circumference,  and  a 
hundred  feet  high. 

There  is  a  ver)'  celebrated  cyprcss-tice 
near  Santa  Maria  del  Tule,  in  the  province 
of  Oaxaca,  republic  of  Mexico.  This  was 
measured  by  Baron  Humboldt,  and  found  to 
be  one  hundred  and  eighteen  feet  in  circum- 
ference !  This  makes  almost  forty  feet  in  di- 
ameter. The  tree  has  no  sign  of  decay ;  and 
though  its  foliage  is  less  lively  than  that  of 
smaller  trees,  this  patriarch  of  the  forest, 
calculated  by  all  the  data  applied  to  the  age 
of  trees,  would  appear  to  have  lived  at  least 
four  thousand  j'ears,  and  perhaps  even  lon- 
ger. There  is  said  to  be  a  tree  in  Gambia, 
Africa,  132  feet  in  circumference  ! 


L  rd  Ljr    i  iii  Orec  an  nbluine 


LORD   BYRON. 


Geokge  Gordon  Bykon  was  born  in  Lon- 
don, Jan.  22,  17S8.  He  was  of  a  renowned 
family,  but  his  father,  who  held  the  office 
of  a  captain  in  the  British  navy,  was  a  man 
of  proflig-ate  habits  and  small  fortune,  and, 
after  running  through  the  property  of  his 
wife,  deserted  her,  leaving  his  only  child, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  to  the  care  of  the 
mother.  In  1790,  Mrs.  Byron  removed  to 
Aberdeen,  where  she  lived  in  humble  se- 
clusion, her  affections  now  entirely  centred 
upon  her  son.  She  was  a  proud,  violent- 
tempered  woman,  and  to  her  excessive  in- 
dulgence, interrupted  only  by  frequent  out- 
breaks of  passion,  is  to  be  attributed  much 
of  the  evil   which  afterwards  marked   the 


character  of  Lord  Byron.  At  the  age  of 
five,  young  Byron  was  placed  at  school, 
and  at  seven,  entered  the  grammar-school 
at  Aberdeen.  At  the  age  of  ten,  his  uncle 
died,  leaving  to  George  not  only  his  title, 
but  the  Newslead  Abbey  estate.  He  was 
soon  after  sent  to  the  famous  Harrow  school, 
where  he  excelled  more  in  sports  and  com- 
bats than  in  studies,  though  he  made  some 
progress  in  th'e  latter  by  fits  and  starts. 
During  a  vacation,  while  staying  at  New- 
stead,  he  became  enamored  of  a  pretty  girl, 
named  Miss  Chadworth,  the  "Mary"  of  his 
poetrj',  who  coquetted  with  hmi  for  a  time, 
and  then  gave  her  hand  to  another,  to  the 
bitter  disappointment  of  the  young  poet. 


LORD    BYROJ*. 


399  I 


At  the  age  of  seventeen,  Lord  B)Ton  en- 
tered Trinity  College,  where  his  lawless 
and  dissipated  habits  were  the  terror  of  his 
instructors.  He  kept  a  young-  hear  in  his 
room  for  some  time,  and  was  the  proprietor 
of  several  bull-dogs  !  He  cultivated  poetry, 
which  he  began  to  compose  at  the  sge  of 
ten,  and  in  1S06  he  printed  a  tiiin  volume 
for  private  circulation.  A  year  later,  he 
published  his  "  Hours  of  Idleness,"  which 
was  handled  with  merciless  ridicule  by 
Lord  Brougham,  in  the  Edinburgli  Review, 
who  predicted  that  these  poems  would  be 
"the  last  we  shall  hear  from  him!"  The 
contempt  thus  heaped  upon  him  aroused 
the  indignation  of  IJyron,  and  in  1S09  he 
produced  his  "  English  Bards  and  Scotcli 
Reviewers,"  a  biting  satire,  which  fell  liico 
a  thunderbolt  among  tlie  astonished  critics. 
Abo\U  this  time  he  left  college,  and  spent 
nearly  three  years  in  travelling  in  Spain, 
Portugal,  Greece,  and  Turkey.  On  his 
return  he  published  the  first  two  cantos  of 
Childe  Harold's  Pilgrimage,  which  produced 
a  great  sensation.  "I  went  to  bed  a  com- 
mon man,"  he  says,  "and  when  I  got  up  in 
the  morning,  I  found  myself  f  imous ! "  He 
became  at  once  the  idol  of  .society.  A  few 
days  before,  he  had  made  his  tirst  speech 
in  Parliament,  the  success  of  which  might 
have  excited  him  to  seek  political  distinc- 
tion, had  it  not  been  for  iiis  fir  greater 
success  as  a  poet.  "  The  Giaour,"  "  The 
Bribe  of  Abydos,''  and  "  The  Corsair,"  soon 
followed,  and  such  was  his  reputation  that 
fourteen  thousand  of  the  latter  were  sold  in 
one  day ! 

But,  notwithstanding  liis  success,  he  was 
subject  to  fits  of  melancholy,  during  which 
he  frequently  shut  himself  up  at  Newstead. 
By  his  profligacy  he  had  incurred  heavy 
debts,  to  extricate  himself  from  which  he 
determined  on  marriage,  and  accordingly 
olfered  his  hand  to  the  daughter  of  Sir 
Ralph  Milbank,  and  was  married,  October, 
1S14.  For  a  season  he  resided  with  his 
wife  at  London,  in  most  extravagant  style  ; 
but  the  portion  which  his  lordship  received 
with  his  bride,  (£10,000,)  was  soon  run 
through,  and  he  was  beset  with  duns,  and 
execution  \VaS  even  levied  on  his  furniture. 
He  became  irritable,  and  his  wife,  being  a 
pers(m  of  cold  heart  and  manners,  did  little 
to  soften  him.  She  bore  him  a  child  after- 
wards, named  Ada,  but  the  diliiculties  be- 
tween them  increasing,  they  separated  in 
January,  1816,  and  Byron  saw  his  wife  and 
child  no  more. 

In  the  spring  of  1S16,  Lord  Byron  left 
England,  with    a   determination    never  to 


return.  His  estrangement  from  his  wife, 
followed  by  the  impertinent  interference  of 
the  public,  put  him  in  ill-humor  with  the 
world  and  with  himself,  and  induced  the 
resolution  of  banishment.  He  crossed  over 
to  France,  throunh  which  he  passed  rapidly 
to  Brussels,  taking  in  liis  way  a  survey  of 
the  field  of  Waterloo,  on  which  Napoleon 
had  but  recently  been  overthrown.  He 
then  passed  up  the  Rhine,  and  afterwards 
proceeded  to  Geneva,  where  he  spent  the 
summer,  and  wrote  several  of  his  poems. 
While  at  Geneva,  he  visited  very  little,  and 
spent  much  of  his  time  on  the  lake,  with 
the  poet  Shelly  and  his  wife.  His  lord- 
ship's travelling-equipage  was  rather  a  sin- 
gular one  :  —  seven  servants,  live  carriages, 
nin'e  horses,  a  monkey,  a  bull-dog  and  mas- 
tiff, two  cats,  three  pea-fowls,  and  some 
hens  ;  in  addition  to  which  he  had  a  large 
library,  and  a  vast  quantity  of  furniture  ! 

At  length,  in  the  year  1S17,  Lord  Byron 
fixed  his  home  at  Venice,  where  he  aban- 
doned himself  to  everj-  kind  of  pleasure. 
Under  the  influence  of  excesses  not  only 
did  his  health  suffer  and  bis  hair  turn  gray, 
but  his  mind,  too,  received  sensible  injury. 
He  remained  about  three  years  at  Venice, 
devoting  much  of  his  time  to  composition. 
During  his  residence  at  this  city,  he  dis- 
played a  noble  instance  of  generosity,  'i'he 
house  of  a  shoemaker,  near  his  residence, 
having  been  burnt  to  the  ground,  with  every 
article  it  contained,  and  the  proprietor,  with 
a  large  family,  reduced  to  the  greatest  indi- 
gence. Lord  Byron,  on  ascertaining  the 
facts,  not  only  built,  from  his  own  purse,  a 
new  and  superior  habitation  Ibr  the  sutierer, 
but  presented  him  with  a  sum  equal  to  his 
loss  in  stock  and  furniture. 

In  1820,  Byron  removed  to  Ravenna, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north  of  Rome, 
where  he  maintained  a  scandalous  intimacy 
with  the  Countess  Guiccioli.  The  countess 
(who  is  now  about  fifty  years  of  age)  is  the 
original  of  Dudu,  in  Don  Juan,  and  pictured 
by  Byron  as 

"  reing  somewhat  large,  and  languisliing,  and  lazy. 
Yet  of  a  beauty  tliat  wouKl  drive  you  crazy  !  " 

Becoming  implicated  with  the  countess 
and  her  friends  in  some  plot  against  the 
Pope's  government,  they  took  refuge  in 
Pisa.  Among  his  companions,  during  his 
residence  in  Italy,  were  Shelly  and  Leigh 
Hunt,  with  whom  he  established  a  periodi- 
cal called  the  Liberal ;  but  after  the  publi-  ; 
cation  of  a  few  numbers  the  plan  was 
relinquished.  "  While  he  was  writing,  as 
if  to  spite  the  world,  and  particularly  to 


400 


show  forth  his  contempt  of  England,  he 
was  living  in  the  most  abstemious  manner, 
to  prevent  growing  fat,  and  to  preserve  a 
genteel  figure  ;  and  was  also  suffering  ex- 
cruciating torture  to  remedy  the  deformity 
of  his  foot,"  —  an  infirmity  which  had  ren- 
dered him  slightly  lame  from  infancy. 

In  1823,  Byron  received  flattering  pro- 
posals from  the  Greek  committee  in  London 
to  go  to  Greece,  and  lend  his  name  and 
fame  in  aid  of  that  oppressed  people.  He 
acceded,  and  reached  Missolonghi  in  Janu- 
ary, 1824,  where  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
work  with  great  energy,  bestowing  with  the 
same  prodigality  his  personal  exertions  and 
his  money.  On  the  ninth  of  April,  he  got 
wet  while  riding  out,  and  a  fever  set  in,  at 
a  time  when  he  was  dispirited  at  seeing  his 
efforts  unavailing  to  inspire  harmony  among 
the  leaders  of  the  Greeks.  "  His  danger 
was  seen  by  his  physician,  and  bleeding 
was  advised ;  but  Byron  obstinately  refused 
to  allow  it.  His  last  words  had  reference 
to  his  wife,  his  child,  and  his  sister.  He 
ordered  his  servant  to  bring  him  pen,  inli, 
and  paper,  and  appeared  to  suffer  great 
agony  that  he  could  not  collect  his  mind 
for  the  purpose  of  communicating  his  last 
wishes  and  directions.  In  a  state  of  partial 
delirium,  he  threatened  one  of  his  servants 
with  torment  in  a  future  world,  if  he  did 
not  take  his  instructions  accurately.  His 
words  now  became  unintelligible,  and  what 
he  intended  to  communicate  is  left  to  con- 
jecture. He  fell  into  a  state  of  lethargy, 
and  died  twenty-four  hours  after,  on  the 
nineteenth  of  April,  1824,  aged  thirty-six 
years." 

The  death  of  Byron  produced  a  great 
sensation  throughout  the  world.  Sir  Wal- 
ter Scott  compared  his  departure  to  the 
"withdrawal  of  the  sun  from  the  heavens,  at 
the  moment  when  every  telescope  through- 
out the  world  was  levelled  to  discover  either 
its  brightness  or  its  spots." 

As  a  poet,  Byron  claims  the  highest  place 
among  modern  writers  ;  but  most  of  his 
works  must  be  read  with  caution,  and  many 
are  entirely  unfit  for  perusal,  so  marred  are 
they  by  the  poet's  loose  morals.  In  person, 
Byron  was  of  middling  stature,  his  head 
remarkably  small,  though  finely  formed  and 
with  a  lofty  forehead.  His  lips  were  large, 
his  eye  deep,  his  hair  thin,  brown,  and 
curling.  The  defect  in  one  of  his  feet  was 
scarcely  perceptible  in  his  gait,  and  did  not 
prevent  his  being  a  vigorous  swimmer,  as 
he  once  swam  across  the  Hellespont,  a  dis- 
tance of  four  miles.  He  prided  himself 
more  on  his  descent  than  talents,  and  was 


vain  of  his  skill  in  boxing  and  pistol-shoot- 
ing. He  was  not,  strictly  speaking,  an  in- 
fidel, though  he  lived  as  though  he  thought 
there  were  no  God. 

His  final  interment  took  place  July  16th, 
and  his  remains  were  deposited  in  the  fam- 
ily vault  at  Hucknall,  within  two  miles  of 
the  venerable  abbey  of  Newstead,  he  having 
expressed  a  wish  in  one  of  his  poems 
that  his  dust  might  mingle  with  that  of  his 
mother. 


PAPUA. 

Papua,  or  New  Guinea,  is,  next  to  New 
Holland,  the  largest  of  the  Pacific  islands. 
It  is  about  twelve  hundred  miles  long,  and 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  wide.  The 
country  seems  to  be  fine,  but  little  is  known 
of  it.  The  natives  are,  like  the-  New  Hol- 
landers, a  species  of  negro,  though  probably 
less  degraded.  Their  canoes  are  large  and 
ornamented ;  they  have  great  skill  in  fishing ; 
are  hostile  to  strangers ;  carry  on  fierce  wars 
with  each  other  ;  and  live  in  huts  made  of 
poles.  Some  artist  has  furnished  us  with 
a  sketch  of  one  of  the  Papua  ladies,  which 
we  give  above  ;  we  leave  our  readers  to 
judge  of  her  beauty  and  costume. 


f  %^  %i^»^*»^»%^»^^/*<^^^^^^^^^^*xi%/v%/w^^^^%i^.^^^^'v^<^i'^-^'WV'v^'%-vv^'^'V^'%'V^'%^'^^^-^'^'^^'VNi^'^^i^'^'^i'^v%'^<v^*v^^^>'^>^^i»^i^»»W»  % 


THE   USE   OF   TELESCOPES. 


.  One  of  the  inventions  most  important  to 
scien'-c  that  ever  was  made,  was  that  of  the 
telescope.  The  common  telescope  is  usually 
called  a  spy-glass.  It  is  used  to  look  at 
distant  objects,  and  it  serves  to  bring  them, 
apparently,  nearer  to  view.  At.  sea,  the 
spy-glass  is  of  the  greatest  use,  for  it  enables 
the  masters  of  vessels  distinctly  to  see  the 
land,  which  would  scarcely  be  visible  to  the 
uaUed  eye.  He  can  also  see  vessels  which 
arc  distant,  and  be  able  to  tell  what  kind  of 
vessels  tliey  are,  what  rigging  they  have, 
what  colors  they  carry,  &:c.,  long  before 
these  things  could  be  discovered  by  the 
naked  eye. 

But  the  telescopes  made  for  looking  at 
the  heavenly  bodies,  though  apparently  less 
useful  than  the  common  spjr-gjass,  have  still 
revealed  to  us  many  interesting  and  won- 
derful, and,  indeed,  useful  truths.  By  means 
of  these,  we  are  better  acquainted  with  the 
moon  ;  we  now  know  that  it  is  a  rough 
planet  of  mountains  and  valleys,  and,  though 
resembling  our  earth,  that  it  is  without 
inliabitants,  water  or  atmosphere. 

By  means  of  telescopes  we  know  that 
Jupiter,  which,  to  the  naked  eye,  scenis  but 
a  little  star,  is  a  great  world,  with  four 
moons,  and,  what  is  curious,  we  know  that 
these  moons  keep  the  same  face  always 
turned  to  the  planet,  just  as  our  moon  docs 
to  the  earth.    We  know  that  Saturn,  which 


also  seems  like  a  little  star,  is  a  vast  world, 
with  seven  moons,  and  a  wonderful  belt  of 
light,  encircling  it  and  revolving  aroimd  it. 
These  are  some  of  the  wonders  reveali.d  to 
us  by  the  telescope. 

But  there  are  still  others  quite  as  inter- 
esting. Beyond  the  stars  which  we  can 
see  with  the  naked  eye,  the  telescope  un- 
folds to  the  view  thousands  upon  thousands 
of  others,  the  very  existence  of  which  we 
had  never  known  but  for  this  instrument. 
Nor  is  even  this  all  —  some  of  the  stars  are 
not  single,  hut  two  or  three  are  close  to- 
gether, and  evidently  revolve  around  one 
another.  These  are  called  Unai'ij,  or  double 
stars.  Astronomers  have  observed  many 
thousands  of  these  wonderful'  worlds,  far 
away  in  the  boundless  regions  of  space. 

We  have  all  seen  what  is  called  the 
Milky-way,  a  broad,  irregular  band  of  light, 
crossing  the  entire  heavens.  The  ancient 
poets  represented  this  as  the  milk  spilt  by 
the  nurse  of  their  god  Mercury,  and  from 
this  poor  and  paltry  conception  it  derived 
its  name.  Now,  let  us  remark  what  the 
telescope  says  the  Milky-way  is  —  an  im- 
mense number,  myriads  upon  myriads,  of 
worlds!  What  a  glorious  view  does  this 
unfold  to  us  of  that  God  who  has  not  only 
made  the  heavens,  but  us  also  ! 

But  besides  stars  of  various  magnitudes, 
revealed  by  the  telescope,  there  are  other 


;: 


;: 


51 


402 


THE    WATER-SPOUT. 


objects,  called  nebula,  from  their  cloud-like 
appearance.  These  are  of  various  sizes  and 
forms,  some  being  without  defined  shape, 
some  being  circular,  some  long  and  pointed, 
and  one  bearing  a  resemblance  to  a  dumb 
bell.  The  engraving  at  the  head  of  this 
article  will  give  some  idea  of  the  appearance 
of  these  mysterious  bodies,  which  are  seen 
I  many  millions  of  miles  ofT  in  the  far  regions 
of  space. 

The  idea  has  been  suggested,  and  with 
good  reason,  that  these  nehulcB  are  particles 
of  matter,  thin  almost  a^  air,  which  are  in 
the  process  of  being  condensed  and  formed 
.  into  worlds.  We  know  that  a  detached 
}  drop  of  water  forms  itself,  at  once,  into  a 
little  globe,  by  that  principle  which  pervades 
all  matter  —  called  gravitation;  and  we 
may  suppose  that  these  different  particles 
forming  the  nebulae,  being  attracted  to  each 
other,  will  gradually  assume  a  spherical 
form,  and  that,  in  the  rush  of  these  particles 
toward  each  other,  currents  will  be  created, 
which  will  give  the  globe  a  revolving  mo- 
tion. Such  are  the  curious  speculations  of 
the  astronomers,  and  there  is  some  reason 


to  think  them  correct.  What  a  vast  con- 
ception does  this  view  of  things  unfold  — 
for  it  seems  that  not  only  are  there  count- 
less millions  of  worlds  already  formed,  all 
around  us,  but  that,  in  the  distance,  the 
Almighty  is  still  carrying  on  the  stupendous 
process  of  manufacturing  other  worlds  !  — 
Far  —  far  beyond  the  reach  of  the  naked 
eye  —  far  beyond  the  reach  of  the  searching 
telescope  —  far  beyond  even  the  daring 
stretch  of  the  imagination,  into  the  unfath- 
omed  night  of  space  —  there,  there,  is  the 
Almighty  lighting  up  the  regions  of  nothing- 
ness with  existence,  bidding  new  suns  to 
sliine  in  the  chambers  of  silence  and  death, 
— and  thus  extending  his  dominions  and 
spreading  abroad  the  rays  of  his  glory  !  If 
the  angels  and  good  spirits  are  permitted  to 
look  upon  these  tilings  —  to  accompany  the 
Creator  in  his  mighty  movements  —  to  look 
upon  his  proceedings  —  to  fathom,  in  some 
degree,  his  designs  —  to  participate  in  his 
works  —  to  cooperate  in  his  views  —  and  to 
do  all  this  in  that  blissful  harmony  which 
love  to  God  creates  —  O,  how  glorious  must 
be  that  happiness  which  tliey  enjoy  ! 


THE    WATER-SPOUT. 

Tke  water-spont  is  a  strange  meteor,  I  ascertained.  Dr.  Franklin's  opinion  was 
\  which  has  attracted  a  good  deal  of  atten-  that  a  water-spout  and  a  whirlwind  proceed 
}   tion,  bat  the  causes  of  it  are  not  entirely  I  from  the  same  cause ;  the  only  difference 


SPECTRAL   ILLUSIONS. 


403 


being  that  the  latter  passes  over  the  land 
and  the  former  over  the  water.  This  opin- 
ion is  generally  believed  to  be  correct.  It 
is  supposed  that  opposing  winds  give  a 
whirling  motion  to  the  air,  which  force  up 
masses  of  water,  and  produce  the  phenom- 
ena to  which  we  allude. 

The  engraving  represents  the  appearance 
of  a  water-spout.  This  usually  resembles 
an  enormous  speaking-trumpet  in  shape, 
the  mouth  end  being  near  the  top  of  the 
sea.  The  wind  is  commonly  blo\ving  first 
this  way  and  then  that,  causing  the  spout 
to  bend  and  writhe,  and  move  from  one 
point  to  another.  Beneath,  where  it  nearly 
touches  the  water,  the  sea  is  agitated  and 
covered  with  foam.   Woe  to  the  vessel  that 


is  assailed  by  one  of  these  meteors  !  The 
usual  defence  at  sea  is,  to  fire  a  cannon 
shot  into  the  whirling  tube,  which  usually 
dispels  it,  and  the  water  falls  in  a  tremen- 
dous shower. 

Upon  land,  a  water-spout  sometimes  com- 
mits the  most  fearful  ravages ;  attended 
both  by  a  furious  wind  and  torrents  of 
water,  it  often  spreads  devastation  over  the 
country  which  it  visits.  In  1S39,  a  con- 
siderable district  upon  the  Seine,  in  France, 
experienced  the  most  dreadful  calamities 
from  a  water-spout.  It  uprooted  and  car- 
ried away  trees  of  the  largest  size ;  walls 
of  stone  were  overturned  ;  and  tiles,  roofs, 
and  even  houses,  were  carried  away. 


SPECTRAL   ILLUSIONS. 


: 


The  atmosphere  has  the  power  of  bend- 
ing the  rays  of  light,  so  that  we  see  the  sun 
before  it  actually  rises  above  the  horizon, 
and  after  it  has  actually  sunk  below  it. 

This  bending  of  the  rays  produces  some 
curious  appearances,  and  which  were  for- 
merly viewed  with  superstition.  Dr.  Vince, 
an  English  philosopher,  was  once  looking 
through  a  telescope  at  a  ship,  which  was  so 


far  off,  that  he  could  only  see  the  upper 
parts  of  the  masts.  The  hulk  was  entirely 
hidden  by  the  bending  of  the  water,  but 
between  himself  and  the  ship  he  saw  two 
perfect  images  of  it  in  the  air.  These  were 
of  the  same  form  and  color  as  the  real  ship ; 
but  one  of  them  was  turned  upside  down. 

When  Captain  Scoresby  was  in  the  Polar 
j  Sea  with  his  ship,  he  was  separated  by  the 


404 


A   MONSTER   OF   THE    DEEP. 


ice  from  that  of  his  father  for  some  time, 
and  looked  out  for  her  every  day  with  great 
anxiely.  At  length,  one  evening,  to  his 
utter  astonishment,  he  saw  her  suspended 
in  the  air,  in  an  inverted  position,  traced  on 
the  horizon  in  the  clearest  colors,  and  with 
the  most  distinct  and  perfect  representation. 
He  sailed  in  the  direction  in  which  he  saw 
this  visionary  phenomenon,  and  actually 
found  his  father's  vessel  by  its  indication. 
He  was  separated  from  the  ship  by  immense 
noasses  of  icebergs,  and  at  such  a  distance 


that  it  was  impossible  to  have  seen  her  in 
her  actual  situation,  or  to  have  seen  her  at 
all,  if  her  spectrum  had  not  been  thus  raised 
several  degrees  above  the  horizon  in  the  air 
by  this  most  extraordinary  refraction. 

It  is  by  this  bending  of  the  rays  of  light 
that  the  images  of  people  are  often  seen  at 
a  distance,  and  sometimes  magnified  to  a 
gigantic  size.  We  have  given  an  account 
of  such  an  appearance  in  the  Hartz  Moun- 
tains, in  Germany 


A  MONSTER  OF  THE   DEEP. 


i: 


OcR  readers  know  that  in  some  parts  of 
the  ocean  there  are  enormous  sea  animals 
called  Sepia,  which  are  a  kind  of  polypi. 
They  have  very  long  legs,  and  are  said 
sometimes  to  seize  upon  the  coral  divers 
along  the  coast  of  Italy.  Mr.  Beale  tells 
us  the  following  adventure  with  a  creature 
of  this  sort. 

"  While  upon  the  Bouin  Islands,  search- 
ing for  shells  on  the  rocks,  which  had  just 
been  left  by  the  receding  tide,  I  was  much 
astonished  at  seeing  at  my  feet  a  most  ex- 
traordinary looking  animal,  crawling  towards 
the  retreating  surf.  I  had  never  seen  one 
like  it  before.  It  was  creeping  on  its  eight 
legs,  which,  from  their  soft  and  flexible 
nature,  bent  considerably  under  the  weight 
of  its  body,  so  that  it  was  lifted  by  the 
efforts  of  its  tentacula  only  a  small  distance 
from  the  rocks. 

"  It  appeared  much  alarmed  on  seeing 
me,  and  made  every  effort  to  escape,  while 
I  was  not  much  in  the  humor  to  endeavor 
to  capture  so  ugly  a  customer,  whose  ap- 
pearance excited  a  feeling  of  disgust,  not 
unmixed  with  fear.   I,  however,  endeavored 


to  prevent  its  career,  by  pressing  on  one  of 
its  legs  with  my  foot;  but,  although  I 
used  considerable  force  for  that  purpose,  its 
strength  was  so  great  that  it  several  times 
quickly  liberated  its  member,  in  spite  of  all 
the  efforts  I  could  employ  in  this  wa)',  on 
wet,  slippery  rocks.  I  now  laid  hold  of  one 
of  the  tentacles  with  my  hand,  and  held  it 
firmly,  so  that  the  limb  appeared  as  if  it 
would  be  torn  asunder  by  our  united  strength. 
I  soon  gave  it  a  powerful  jerk,  wishing  to 
disengage  it  from  the  rocks  to  which  it  clung 
so  forcibly  by  its  suckers,  which  it  effect- 
ually resisted ;  but  the  moment  after,  the 
apparently  enraged  animal  lifted  its  head, 
with  its  large  eyes  projecting  from  the  mid- 
dle of  its  body,  and,  letting  go  its  hold  of 
the  rocks,  suddenly  sprang  upon  my  arm, 
which  I  had  previously  bared  to  my  shoul- 
der for  the  purpose  of  thrusting  it  into  holes 
in  the  rocks  to  discover  shells,  and  clung, 
with  its  suckers,  to  it  with  great  power, 
endeavoring  to  get  its  beak,  which  1  could 
now  see,  between  the  roots  of  its  arms,  in 
a  position  to  bite. 

"  A  sensation  of  horror  pervaded  my  whole 


ROBERT    FULTON. 


405 


frame,  when  I  found  this  monstrous  animal, 
—  for  it  was  about  four  feet  long  —  fixed  so 
firmly  on  my  arm.  Its  cold,  slimy  grasp 
was  extremely  sickening,  and  I  immediately 
called  aloud  to  the  captain,  who  was  also 
searching  for  shells  at  some  distance,  to 
come  and  release  me  from  my  disgusting 
assailant.  He  quickly  arrived,  and  taking 
me  down  to  the  boat,  during  which  time  I 
was  employed  in  keeping  the  beak  away 
from  my  hand,  quickly  released  me,  by 
destroying  my  tormentor  with  the  boat-knife. 


!when  I  disengaged  it  by  portions  at  a  time. 
j  This  animal  was  that  species  of  Sepia  which 
is  called  by  whalers  'rock  squid.'  Thus 
are  these  remarkable  creatures,  from  the 
diflferent  adaptation  of  their  tentacles  and 
slight  modifications  of  their  bodies,  capable 
of  sailing,  flying,  swimming,  and  creeping 
on  the  shore,  while  their  senses,  if  we  may 
judge  from  the  elaborate  mechanism  of  their 
organs,  must  possess  corresponding  acute- 
ness  and  perfection." 


ROBERT   KULTON. 


Robert  Fnr.TON,  the  celebrated  engineer, 
was  born  in  Little  Britain,  Pennsylvania,  in 
176.5.  In  his  infancy  he  was  put  to  school 
in  Lancaster,  where  he  acquired  the  rudi- 
ments of  a  common  English  education. 
His  peculiar  genius  manifested  itself  at  a 
very  early  age.  In  his  childhood,  all  his 
hours  of  recreation  were  passed  in  the  shops 
of  mechanics,  or  in  the  employment  of  his 
pencil.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he 
painted  portraits  and  landscapes,  in  Phila- 
dt'lphia,  where  he  remained  till  he  was 
about  twenty-one. 

In  his  twenty-second  year,  he  went  to 
England,  and  was  received  with  great  kind- 
ness by  his  distingiiished  countryman,  Mr. 
West,  who  was  so  pleased  with  iiis  promis- 
ing genius,  and  his  amiable  (jualitii's,  that 


he  took  him  into  his  house,  where  he  con- 
tinued an  inmate  for  several  years.  After 
leaving  the  family  of  West,  he  appears,  for 
some  time,  to  have  made  painting  his 
chief  employment.  He  spent  two  years  in 
Devonshire,  where  he  formed  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Duke  of  Bridgewater,  so 
famous  for  his  canals,  and  Lord  Stanhope, 
a  nobleman  celebrated  for  his  love  of  science, 
and  particularly  for  his  attachment  to  the 
mechanic  arts. 

In  1793,  we  find  Mr.  Fulton  actively 
engaged  in  a  project  to  improve  inland 
navigation.  Even  at  that  early  period,  he 
had  conceived  the  idea  of  propelling  vessels 
by  steam  ;  and  he  speaks,  in  some  of  his 
manuscrijits,  with  great  confidence  of  its 
practicability.     In  May,  1794,  he  obtained 


J 


406 


THE    DOMESTIC    BUFFALO. 


from  the  British  government  a  patent  for 
a  double-inclined  plane,  to  be  used  for 
transportation ;  and  in  the  same  year,  he 
submitted  to  the  British  Society  for  the 
Promotion  of  Arts  and  Commerce  an  im- 
provement of  his  invention  of  mills  for  saw- 
ing marble,  for  which  he  received  the  thanks 
of  the  society  and  an  honorary  medal.  He 
also  obtained  patents  for  machines  for  spin- 
ning flax  and  making  ropes. 

In  1797,  he  went  to  Paris,  and,  while 
there,  projected  the  first  panorama  that  was 
ever  exhibited  there.  He  also  planned  a 
sub-marine  boat.  In  1803,  he  completed  his 
first  steamboat,  which  was  tried  upon  the 
Seine,  and  proved  completely  successful. 
He  now  proceeded  to  New  York,  to  carry 
his  ideas  of  steam  navigation  into  practical 


effect,  and,  in  1807,  his  first  steamboat 
ascended  the  Hudson.  Thus  this  great 
man  brought  to  a  successful  issue  his  long 
meditated  invention,  and  determined  the 
possibility  of  applying  steam  to  navigation. 

Several  steamboats  were  soon  after  con- 
structed under  Mr.  Fulton's  directions,  and 
also  a  steam-frigate. 

He  continued  to  make  various  experi- 
ments till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1815. 
In  person,  Fulton  was  tall  and  slender,  with 
large,  dark  eyes  and  a  projecting  brow. 
His  temper  was  mild,  his  disposition  lively, 
and  his  conversation  fluent  and  original. 
But  his  principal  characteristic  was  his  con- 
stancy, industry,  and  perseverance,  which 
enabled  him  to  conquer  the  difficulties  in 
his  way. 


THE    DOMESTIC    BUFFALO. 


The  buffalo  and  the  ox,  although  greatly 
resembling  each  other — both  tame,  and  often 
\  living  under  the  same  roof,  and  fed  in  the 
j  same  meadows — yet,  when  brought  together, 
J  and  even  excited  by  their  keepers,  have 
^  ever  refused  to  unite  and  couple  together. 
\   Their  nature  is  more  distant  than  that  of 

<  the  ass  is  from  the  horse ;  there  even 
j  appears  to  be  a  strong  antipathy  between 
>.  them ;  for  it  is  affirmed  that  cows  will  not 
\  suckle  the  young  buffaloes  ;  and  the  female 
(  buffalo  refuses  the  same  kindness  to  the 
>   other's  calves.     The  buffalo  is  of  a  more 

<  obstinate  nature,  and  less  tractable  than  the 
5   ox;  he  obeys  with  great  reluctance,  and  his 

<  temper  is  more  coarse  and  brutal.     Like 


the  hog,  he  is  one  of  the  filthiest  of  the  tame 
animals,  as  he  shows  by  his  unwillingness 
to  be  cleaned  and  dressed ;  his  figure  is 
very  clumsy  and  forbidding ;  his  looks 
stupidly  wild ;  he  carries  his  tail  in  an 
ignoble  manner,  and  his  head  in  a  very  bad 
posture,  almost  always  inclined  towards  the 
ground.  His  voice  is  a  hideous  bellowing, 
with  a  tone  much  stronger  and  more  hoarse 
than  that  of  the  bull ;  his  legs  are  thin,  his 
tail  bare,  and  his  physiognomy  dark,  like 
his  hair  and  skin. 

He  differs  externally  from  the  ox  chiefly 
in  the  color  of  his  hide ;  and  this  is  easily 
perceived  under  the  hair,  with  which  he  is 
but  sparingly  furnished.     His  body  is  like- 


THE    LLAMA. 


407 


wise  thicker  and  shorter  than  that  of  tlie 
ox ;  his  legs  are  lonsrer,  and  proportionably 
much  less  ;  the  horns  not  so  round,  black, 
and  partly  compressed,  with  a  tuft  of  hair 
frizzled  over  his  forehead  ;  his  hide  is  like- 
wise thicker  and  harder  than  that  of  the  ox  ; 
his  flesh  is  black  and  hard,  and  not  only 
disagreeable  to  the  taste,  but  to  the  smell; 
the  milk  of  the  female  is  not  so  good  as 
that  of  the  cow ;  nevertheless  she  yields  a 
greater  quantity.  In  the  hot  countries  of 
the  eastern  continent,  almost  all  the  cheese 
is  made  of  bufllilo's  milk.  The  flesh  of  the 
young  buflalo,  though  killed  during  the 
suckling  time,  is  not  good.  The  hide  alone 
is  of  more  value  than  all  the  rest  of  the 
beast,  whose  tongue  is  the  oifly  part  that  is 
fit  to  eat.  This  hide  is  firm,  light,  and 
almost  impenetrable.  As  these  animals,  in 
general,  are  larger  and  stronger  than  the 
oxen,  they  are  very  serviceable  in  the  plough ; 
they  draw  well,  but  do  not  carry  burdens  ; 
they  are  led  by  means  of  a  ring  passed 
through  the  nose.  Two  bulialoes  harnessed, 
or  rather  chained,  to  a  wagon,  will  draw  as 
much  as  four  strong  horses. 


There  are  a  great  number  of  wild  buffaloes 
in  the  countries  of  Africa  and  India,  which 
are  watered  with  many  rivers,  and  furnished 
with  large  meadows.  These  wild  buflliloes 
go  in  droves,  and  make  great  havoc  in  cul- 
tivated lands ;  but  they  never  attack  the 
human  species,  and  will  not  run  at  them, 
unless  they  are  wounded,  when  they  are 
very  dangerous ;  for  they  make  directly  at 
their  enemy,  throw  him  down,  and  trample 
him  to  death  under  their  feet ;  nevertheless, 
they  are  greatly  terrified  at  the  sight  of  fire, 
and  are  displeased  at  a  red  color. 

Although  the  butllilo  is,  at  this  present 
time,  common  in  Greece,  and  tame  in  Italy, 
it  was  neither  known  by  the  Greeks  nor 
Romans;  for  it  never  had  a  name  in  the 
language  of  these  people.  The  word  buffalo 
even  indicates  a  strange  origin,  not  to  bo 
derived  either  from  the  Greek  or  Latin 
tongues.  In  etlect,  this  animal  is  originally 
a  native  of  the  hottest  countriss  of  Africa 
and  India,  and  was  not  transported  and 
naturalized  in  Italy  till  towards  the  seventh 
century.  The  bufliilo  of  the  United  States 
is  properly  called  l/ison. 


THE    LLAMA. 


The  hci^it  of  this  animal  is  about  four 
feet;  its  body,  comprehending  the  neck  and 
the  head,  is  five  or  six  feet  long ;  its  neck 
alone  is  near  three  feet.  The  head  is  small 
and  well  proportioned,  the  eyes  large,  the 
nose  somewliat  long.  The  e;irs  are  four 
inches  long,  and  move  with  srreat  agility. 
The  tail  is  seldom  above  eight  inches  long, 
small,  straight,  and  a  little  turned  up  at  the 


end.  It  IS  cloven-footed,  like  the  ox;  Imt 
the  hoof  has  a  kind  of  spear-like  appendage 
behind,  which  assists  the  anima!  to  move 
and  support  itself  over  precipices  and  rugged 
ways.  The  back  is  clothed  with  a  short 
wool,  as  is  the  crupper  and  tail ;  but  it  is 
very  long  on  the  belly  and  sides.  These 
animals  difler  in  color;  some  arc  white, 
others  black,  but  inost  of  them  brown. 


'  408 


TOURNAMENTS. 


They  are  gentle  and  phlegmatic,  and  do 
everything  witli  the  greatest  leisure  and 
caution.  When  they  stop  on  their  journeys, 
they  bend  their  knees  very  cautiously,  in 
order  to  lower  their  bodies  without  disor- 
dering their  load.  As  soon  as  they  hear 
their  driver  whistle,  they  rise  up  again  with 
the  same  precaution,  and  proceed  on  their 
journey.  They  feed,  as  they  go  along,  on 
the  grass  they  meet  with  in  their  way,  but 
never  eat  in  the  night,  making  use  of  that 
time  to  ruminate.  The  llama  sleeps,  like 
the  camel,  with  its  fet;t  folded  under  its 
belly,  and  ruminates  in  that  posture.  When 
overloaded  or  fatigued,  it  falls  on  its  belly, 
and  will  not  rise,  though  its  driver  strikes 
it  with  his  utmost  force. 


Peru,  according  to  Gregory  de  Bolivar,  is 
the  true  and  native  country  of  the  llamas; 
they  are  conducted  into  other  provinces, 
as  Chili,  Columbia,  &c.,  where  they  are 
less  used.  But  in  Peru,  from  Potosi  to 
Caraccas,  these  animals  are  found  in  great 
numbers,  and  make  the  chief  riches  of  the  > 
Indians  and  Spaniards,  who  rear  them.  '. 
Their  flesh  is  excellent  food;  their  hair,  > 
or  rather  wool,  may  be  spun  into  beauti-  \ 
ful  clothing ;  and  they  are  capable  of  car-  > 
rying  heavy  loads  in  the  most  rugged  and  \ 
dangerous  ways.  The  strongest  of  them  5 
will  travel  with  two  hundred  or  two  hun-  | 
dred  and  fifty  pounds'  weight  on  their  i 
backs.  < 


TOURNAMENTS. 


The  tonrnament  was  a  species  of  amuse- 
ment peculiar  to  the  middle  ages.  It  has 
its  name  from  the  parties  marching  to 
the  ends  of  the  enclosure,  and  then  ttirn- 
in<r,  in  French,  tmirnant,  and  rushing  to 
the  attack.  Upon  some  level  spot,  envi- 
roned by  swelling  bluffs  or  hills,  there  was 
first  an  oblong  enclosure  made  with  pali- 
sades. It  had  an  entrance  at  each  end, 
seats  built  above  the  barrier  all  around, 
and  a  sort  of  throne,  or  raised  seat,  and 
platform,  in  the  middle  of  one  side,  at  about 
the  height  of  the  horse's  head. 

The  challenging  party  appeared,  with 
tents  pitched,  perhaps,  at  one  end  of  the 


enclosure.  Stout  men  at  arms  walked  as 
guards  around  the  lists.  When  the  spec- 
tators were  all  seated,  the  most  honored 
person  present,  from  his  throne,  ordered  the 
heralds  to  proclaim  the  nature  of  the  com- 
bat, its  weapons,  and  conditions,  and  to  for- 
bid all  interference. 

Sometimes  a  single  knight  challenged 
any  knight  of  Christendom,  or  Heathendom, 
to  break  a  lance  with  him  in  honor  of  his 
"  ladye  love."  That  is,  the  challenger  ap- 
peared with  horse,  armor  and  weapons,  as 
in  battle,  and  maintained  the  superiority  of 
his  mistress,  and  that  all  others  were  her 
I  inferiors ;  and  then  he  threw  down  his  glove. 


CALIFORNIA. 


409 


He  who  accepted  the  challenge,  rode  for- 
ward, took  up  the  glove  upon  his  lance,  and 
depositing  it  with  the  lord  of  the  lists,  took 
his  place,  armed  and  equipped,  at  the  other 
end  of  the  enclosure. 

At  the  word  of  command  from  the  herald, 
each  laid  his  lance  in  rest,  and  charged  full 
agninst  his  adversary,  endeavoring  to  un- 
horse him  ;  or,  if  tiie  combat  was  a  Voutraiicc, 
attempting  to  pierce  him  tlirough  and  put 
him  at  his  mercy.  The  spectators,  who  were 
higlibom  ladies,  as  well  as  men,  applaiided 
every  brave  blow  ;  and  the  victor  received 
from  a  queen  of  beauty,  appointed  by  the 
lord  of  the  lists,  or  chosen  by  general  con- 
sent, the  prize  of  valor.  This  was  a  rib- 
bon, a  wreath,  or  a  scarf,  or  some  other 
token  which  the  knight  thenceforth  wore 
conspicuously,  and  it  was  often  adopted  into 
his  coat  of  arms. 


Sometimes  many,  combatants  fought  on 
each  side;  the  knights  on  horseback  and 
their  squires  on  foot.  Sometimes  the  combat 
was  on  foot  betwt^en  single  knights;  and 
this  is  the  origin  of  the  duel  of  modern  times. 
Usually  the  spears  were  blunted  or  dis- 
armed, and  the  combat  was  in  sport.  The 
horse  and  armor  of  the  vanquished  belonged 
to  the  victor,  and  were  generally  redeemed 
at  a  round  price  in  money. 

The  tournay,  or  tournie,  was  invented,  and 
its  laws  fixed,  in  France,  as  the  name  im- 
plies, though  the  Arabs  of  Yemen  probably 
developed  its  first  ideas  in  very  early  times, 
and  the  Arabs  of  Spain  introduced  them  to 
Europe.  It  had  quite  a  good  effect  on  the 
manners  of  a  rough  age,  and  was  part  and 
parcel  of  chivalry,  assisting  to  gi\e  it  that 
brilliant  character  which  makes  it  so  inter- 
esting a  portion  of  history. 


CALIFORNIA. 


Caufornia,  or  New  or  Upper  Califor- 
nia, is  the  name  now  used  to  designate  a 
vast  tract  of  country  on  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
extending  from  32=  50'  to  42°,  of  latitude, 
and  from  longitude  107°  to  121°,  an  area 
said  to  be  nearly  half  a  million  of  square 
miles  in  extent,  and  nearly  as  large  as  that 
occupied  by  all  the  states  east  of  the  Oliio 
and  Mississippi,  —  and  more  than  twice  the 
size  of  France. 

Refore  the  Europeans  penetrated  into 
California,  the  natives  had  no  form  of  reli- 


gion. They  were  well  made,  strong  men, 
but  extremely  pusillanimous,  inconstant, 
stupid,  and  insensible.  Each  nation  was  an 
assemblage  of  several  cottages,  more  or  less 
numerous,  whose  people  were  mutually  con- 
federated by  alliances,  but  without  any  chief. 
They  were  strangers  even  to  filial  obedi- 
ence. No  kind  of  dress  was  worn  by  tlie 
men  ;  but  the  women  made  use  of  some 
coverings,  and  were  even  fond  of  ornament- 
ing themselves  with  pearls  and  such  otlier 
trinkets  as  the  country  allbrded. 


I 


CALIFORNIA. 


411 


What  most  displayed  their  ingenuity, 
was  the  construction  of  their  fishing-nets, 
which  are  said  by  the  Jesuits  to  have  even 
exceeded  in  goodness  those  made  in  Europe. 
They  were  made,  by  the  women,  of  a  coarse 
kind  of  flax,  procured  from  some  pl-'nts 
which  grow  there.  Their  houses  were  built 
of  branches  and  leaves  of  trees,  though 
many  were  only  enclosures  of  earth  and 
stone,  raised  half  a  yard  high,  without  any 
covering,  and  even  then  were  so  small,  that 
the  people  could  not  stretch  themselves  at 
length  in  them.  In  winter,  they  dwelt  under- 
',[  ground,  in  caves,  either  natural  or  artificial. 
They  seem,  on  the  whole,  to  have  resembled 
the  natives  of  the  Pacific  islands,  more  than 
the  sterner  races  of  our  western  wilds. 

In  1526,  Cortez,  having  reduced  and  set- 
tled Mexico,  attempted  the  conquest  of 
California ;  but  was  obliged  to  return  to 
;:  quell  an  insurrectionary  spirit  in  the  former 
country.  Some  other  atten\pts  were  made 
by  his  ofHcers,  but  all  unsuccessful ;  and 
this  valuable  coast  was  long  neglected  by 
the  Spaniards,  who  have  never,  in  fact, 
developed  its  resources,  or  even  begun  to 
make  it  what  it  is  evidently  destined  to 
become,  the  focus  of  the  boundless  com- 
merce of  the  Pacific. 

In  1595,  a  galleon  was  sent  to  make  dis- 
coveries on  the  shore,  but  was  lost.  Seven 
years  after,  the  Count  de  Monterey,  the 
Viceroy  of  New  Spain,  sent  Sebastian  Bis- 
cayno,  on  the  same  design,  with  two  ships 
and  a  tender,  but  he  made  no  discovery  of 
importance.  In  1684,  the  Marquis  de  La- 
guna,  also  Viceroy  of  New  Spain,  despatched 
two  ships  with  a  tender,  to  make  discoveries 
on  the  Lake  of  California,  as  the  gulf  was 
called.  He  returned  with  an  inditTercnt 
account,  but  said  Old  or  Lower  California 
was  not  an  island. 

In  1697,  the  Spaniards  being  discouraged 
by  their  losses  and  disappointments,  the 
Jesuits  solicited  and  obtained  permission  to 
undertake  the  conquest  of  California.  They 
arrived  among  the  savages  with  curiosities 
that  might  amuse  them,  corn  for  their  food, 
and  clothes  for  which  they  could  not  but 
perceive  the  necessity.  The  hatred  these 
people  bore  to  the  Spanish  name  could  not 
support  itself  against  these  demonstrations 
of  benevolence.  They  testified  their  ac- 
knowledgment as  much  as  their  want  or 
sensibility  and  their  inconstancy  would  per- 
mit. 

These  faults  of  character  were  partly  over- 
come by  their  religious  instructors,  who  pur- 
sued their  project  with  a  warmth  and  resolu- 
tion peculiar  to  the  society.     Tiiey  made 


themselves  carpenters,  masons,  weavers,  and 

husbandmen ;  and  by  these  means  succeeded 
in  imparting  a  knowledge  of,  and  in  some 
measure  a  taste  for,  the  useful  arts,  to  these 
savage  tribes,  who  were  all  successively 
fo'-med  into  one  body.  They  grew  fruit, 
pulse,  and  grain,  —  each  hut  having  its  field, 
—  and  reared  domestic  animals.  Yet,  so  im- 
provident were  they,  that  they  would  squan- 
der in  a  day,  or  gamble  away  at  a  sitting, 
the  earnings  of  a  year,  if  the  missionary  did 
not  take  charge  of  and  distribute  it.  To 
enforce  the  few  and  simple  laws,  the  mission- 
ary chose  the  most  intelligent  person  of  the 
village,  who  was  empowered  to  whip  and 
imprison,  —  their  only  punishments. 

In  1745,  the  Jesuits  had,  in  all  Califor- 
nia, forty-three  villages,  separated  from 
each  other  by  the  barrerness  of  the  soil  and 
the  want  of  water.  In  1813,  it  followed  the 
fortunes  of  filexico,  in  declaring  its  inde- 
pendence of  Spain  ;  in  1S36,  it  asserted  its 
independence  of  Mexico,  but  held  a  kind  of 
dependence  upon  it  afterwards.  In  1846, 
it  wns  taken  military  possession  of  by  the 
United  States,  and  on  May  30th,  1S4S,  it 
became  ours  by  the  ratification  of  the  Mex- 
ican treaty. 

In  1S41,  all  its  exports  and  imports  were 
something  less  than  a  million.  Such  has 
been  the  change  since  it  came  under  the 
power  of  the  Americans,  that  it  is  calculated 
the  duties  alone,  if  collected  at  the  custom- 
houses, for  1849,  would  amount  to  that  sum. 
Its  exports,  in  1841,  were  hides,  salmon, 
tallow,  skins,  furs,  wheat,  &c. ;  its  im- 
ports, cottons,  velvets,  tea,  &;c.  Since  the 
discovery  of  its  abounding  in  gold,  hundreds 
of  vessels,  with  thousands  of  emigrants,  are 
pouring  in,  and  it  is  asserted,  that,  what 
with  outfits  of  emigrants,  value  of  vessels 
employed,  and  their  cargoes,  &c.  ice,  the 
capital  now  embarked  in  the  California 
trade  verges  on  twenty  millions,  and  a  rail- 
road to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  is  seiio\isly 
talked  of.  In  1845,  California's  chief  wealth 
was  live  stock.  Now  its  gold  and  quick- 
silver are  deemed  so  valuable,  that  the  four 
millions  already  taken  from  them  is  but  an 
insignificant  item  of  their  expected  yield  ! 

A  traveller,  who  visited  the  country  some 
years  since,  says  that  little  advantage  is 
obtained  from  their  vast  number  of  domestic 
animals,  beyond  the  value  of  the  hides  and 
fat.  The  management  of  the  dairy  is  ; 
wholly  unknown.  There  is  hardly  any  such 
thing  in  use  as  butter  or  cheese,  and  what 
little  is  made  is  of  the  very  worst  descrip- 
tion. The  art  of  making  butter  and  cheese 
seems  to  be  unknown  in  all  the  Americas 


^^'^'V^f^i'V^^V^r^^^AM^^I 


{  412 


CALIFORNU. 


inhabited  by  the  Spaniards  and  their  descend- 
ants ;  what  they  call  by  these  names  is 
quite  different  from  ours.  Both  the  butter 
and  cheese,  particularly  the  former,  are 
execrable  compounds  of  sour,  coagulated  milk 
and  its  cream  mixed  together.  The  butter 
is  made  of  the  cream,  or  top  of  the  milk, 
mixed  with  a  large  proportion  of  the  sour 
or  coagulated  part,  and  beat  up  together  by 
the  hand,  and  without  a  churn,  till  some- 
thing of  the  consistency  of  butter  is  pro- 
duced. It  is  of  a  dirty  gray  color,  and  of  a 
very  disagreeable  flavor,  which  in  a  short 
time  is  rendered  still  worse,  by  its  tendency 
to  get  rancid,  in  which  state  it  is  almost 
always  found  before  it  arrives  at  the  place 
of  sale,  and  is,  of  course,  intolerable  to  pal- 
ates used  to  that  of  a  better  sort. 

The  cheese  is  made  of  the  remainder  of 
the  sour  milk,  or  sometimes  of  the  whole 
milk  and  cream  ;  in  either  case,  it  is  made 
up  in  small  moulds,  containing  about  half  a 
pound,  and  undergoes  no  pressure  e.xcept  by 
the  hand.  It  is  always  mixed  with  a  large 
proportion  of  salt,  and  is  of  a  soft,  crumbling 
consistency.  It  is  truly  incredible,  that  from 
such  an  immense  number  of  cows  as  are 
contained  in  Upper  California,  no  attempt 
should  have  been  made  to  reap  advantage 
from  their  milk.  Certainly  the  American 
women,  who  have  of  late  emigrated  to  Cal- 
ifornia, will  take  this  matter  in  hand,  and 
as  they  cannot  dig  for  gold,  nor  wash  it 
from  tlie  soil,  they  will  find  means  to  win 
their  just  share  of  it,  by  a  tempting  product 
of  rich  yellow  cheese  and  golden  butter. 

California  enjoyed  its  best  days  when  it 
was  chiefly  under  the  power  of  the  priests 
belonging  to  the  mission,  during  the  gov- 
ernment of  old  Spain.  These  missions  were 
twenty-one  in  number,  in  Upper  California, 
and  the  priests  who  conducted  them  had 
gathered  the  Indians  about  them  and  under 
their  influence,  forming  a  kind  of  distinct 
families.  The  principles  of  Christianity 
were  taught  them,  and  various  arts  of  civil- 
ized life ;  industry,  honesty,  and  piety  were 
inculcated  by  precept  and  example  ;  and  a 
very  pleasing  condition  of  things  developed 
itself.  Since  Mexican  independence,  and 
the  consequent  destruction  or  derangement 
of  these  establishments,  the  country  has  been 
miserably  governed  by  a  succession  of  mis- 
creants, whose  history  is  as  obscure  as  it 
would  be  disagreeable.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  all  classes,  except  the  governor  and  his 
soldiers,  welcomed  the  United  States  troops 
as  their  protectors  from  the  horrors  of  ulti- 
mate anarchy  and  despotism. 

There  is  no  country  which  offers  a  greater 


diversity  in  surface,  soil,  and  climate,  than 
Upper  California.  In  its  natural  features, 
it  has  all  the  contrasts  of  lofty  ranges  of 
mountains,  confined  valleys,  and  broad  open 
plains.  Alongthecoast  itis  high  and  hilly, 
from  Cape  Mendovino,  to  32°  of  lat.,  and 
ten  to  twenty  miles  broad.  This  is  sandy 
or  rocky,  with  scanty  soil,  and  unfit  for 
cultivation,  e.xcept  in  the  small  valleys. 
But  it  is  excellently  adapted  to  herds  and 
flocks,  and  is  at  present  the  feeding  ground 
of  numerous  deer,  elk,  &c.,  for  which  the 
short  sweet  grass  and  wild  oats  afford  plenty 
of  delicious  nutriment.  The  climate  of  the 
coast  is  very  blustering  and  disagreeable, 
being  subject  to  cold,  damp,  north-west  winds, 
so  that  it  is  colder  in  summer  than  in  winter. 

Next  come  the  valleys  of  San  Juan,  the 
Sacramento,  and  Buenaventura.  The  San 
Juan  valley  is  twenty  miles  long  by  twelve 
broad,  and  lays  just  back  of  Monterey,  and 
the  high  coast  to  the  south-east  of  it.  It 
has  the  most  salubrious  climate  in  the  world, 
resembling  that  of  Andalusia,  in  Spain.  The 
breezes  of  the  sea  lose  their  rawness,  but 
retain  their  freshness ;  the  weather  is  equa- 
ble, the  heats  temperate,  and  the  soil  fertile, 
—  producing  wheat,  rye,  corn,  oats,  grapes, 
olives,  —  in  fine,  all  the  fruits  of  the  tempe- 
rate zone,  and  many  of  the  tropical.  Good 
wine  is  made,  and  brandy  in  large  quanti- 
ties. This  was  the  seat  of  the  far-famed 
"  Missions." 

The  Sacramento  valley  is  fifteen  to  twenty 
miles  wide.  With  the  San  Juan  valley,  it 
is  the  garden  of  California ;  having  similar 
products  in  abundance,  and  excellent  pas- 
turage, though  in  dry  seasons  the  cattle  suf- 
fer. One  hundred  and  twenty -five  for  one  of 
corn  has  been  known  to  be  produced  on  its 
rich  soil ;  eighty  for  one  is  a  fair  crop. 
Corn,  potatoes,  peas,  beans,  and  all  vegeta- 
bles, grow  luxuriously.  It  extends  far  north, 
and  on  the  south  continues  in  the  Buena- 
ventura valley. 

The  Buenaventura  valley  is  watered  by 
the  Joaquin ;  it  runs  parallel  with  the  San 
Juan,  to  which  it  is  inferior  in  soil  and  cli- 
mate. Enclosed  as  it  is  between  two  ridges, 
the  heats  are  here  oppressive,  constant,  and 
greater,  on  the  average,  than  in  many  tropi- 
cal spots.  A  north-east  wind  is  never 
known.  In  this  valley  the  Indians  reside 
almost  entirely.  It  extends  far  south  to 
Mount  Bernardino,  in  34°  lat. 

East  of  this  great  valley  of  the  Sacramento 
and  Buenaventura,  lies  the  Sierra,  a  low 
range  of  mountains,  a  continuation  of  the 
Cascade  range  of  Oregon.  Some  of  its  sum- 
mits are  capped  with  snow ;  generally,  it  has 


CAUFORNU. 


413 


about  2500  feet  elevation,  and  gradually  de- 
clines into  hills.  The  Sierra  is  much  broken, 
often  barren  and  sandy.  In  places,  it  is  cov- 
ered with  cedar,  pine,  or  oak,  but  generally 
presents  few  inducements  to  settlers.  The 
mountains  of  the  streams  of  the  Joaquin, 
are  well  wooded  with  oak  at  the  base,  red 
California  cedar  higher  up,  and  then  pines  1 
to  the  region  of  snow.  The  eastern  side 
of  the  ridge  is  too  deficient  in  moisture  to 
be  forested. 

Beyond  the  Sierra,  the  country  is  little 
known ;  it  seems  to  be  dirided  into  two  vast 


regions,  characterized  by  distinct  features. 
In  the  northern  part  is  a  frightlul  desert, 
said  to  be  three  hundred  miles  long  and 
two  hundred  broad  ;  a  vast  expanse  of  sand 
and  gravel,  almost  entirely  destitute  of  wood 
and  water.  It  is  impassable  at  all  seasons,  on 
account  of  its  extreme  drjmcss,  and  lack  of 
suitable  nourishment  for  animals ;  the  trip 
from  Santa  Fe  to  California,  by  the  regular 
trail,  indeed,  can  only  be  undertaken  in  fall 
or  spring,  when  the  ground  is  moistened  by 
the  annual  rains,  and  the  transient  streams 
appear  awhile  upon  the  sand. 


;: 


i; 


i 


On  the  eastern  and  .southern  extremities 
of  this  desolate  waste,  in  a  country  scarcely 
less  forbidding,  dwell  the  miserable  tribes 
of  the  Digger  Indians.  The  landscape  here 
is  highly  undulating  and  varied  by  conical 
hills,  some  of  which  are  mere  heaps  of  naked 
sand,  or  baked  clay  of  a  whitish  hue  ;  others 
are  vast  piles  of  granite  rock,  alike  des- 
titute of  vegetation  or  timber ;  while  yet 
others  are  clothed  with  a  scanty  herbage, 
and  occasional  clusters  of  stunted  pines  and 
cedars.  Now  and  then,  but  very  seldom, 
a  diminutive  plain  greets  the  eye,  —  amidst 
the  desolation  around, — with  its  rank  grasses 
and  blushing  prairi'e  flowers.  The  water- 
courses are  mere  beds  of  sand,  skirted  with 
sterile  bottoms  of  stiff  clay  and  gravel,  and 
afford  permanent  streams  only  at  their  heads, 
while,  for  nearly  the  entire  year,  both  dew 
and  rain  are  unknown. 

The  Digger  Indians  of  this  region  have  but 
one  species  of  game,  a  small  rabbit,  of  the 
skins  of  which  they  make  their  whole  cloth- 
ing ;  the  rest  of  their  food  consists  of  insects, 
roots,  and  seeds  of  grass  and  herbs.  They 
spread  out  a  dampened  skin,  or  a  fresh 
peeled  bark  over  the  ant-hills,  upon  which 
the  insects  swarm,  when  they  are  shaken 


into  a  tight  sack,  and  soon  die  ;  they  are 
then  thoroughly  sun-dried,  and  laid  away 
for  food,  and  eaten  uncooked.  These  peo- 
ple live  in  holes  dug  in  the  sand,  or  in  rude 
lodges  made  of  wild  sage  stalks,  where  they 
remain  in  a  semi-torpid  state,  only  crawling 
out  at  the  urgent  calls  of  nature,  or  to  make 
a  little  fire  in  their  lairs.  In  spring,  they 
come  forth  emaciated  and  weakened,  —  a  re- 
lief from  miserj' seeming  to  be  all  their  am- 
bition. The  trappers  here  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  shooting  them,  if,  impelled  by  hun- 
ger, they  attempt  to  kill  their  animals,  so 
that  they  now  flee  from  the  sight  of  a  white 
man.  They  never  go  to  war,  and  their 
weapons  are  but  clubs,  and  small  bows  and. 
arrows  of  reeds.  When  pains  are  taken 
with  them,  however,  they  show  themselves 
capable  of  rapid  improvement. 

South  of  this  desert,  to  the  Mexican  line, 
and  still  east  of  the  Sierra,  is  a  broad  waste 
of  country,  almost  unkno\vn.  The  hills  are 
mostly  clothed  with  grass  and  timber;  the 
landscape  is  "highly  picturesque  and  pleas- 
ingly diversified  with  mountains,  hills,  plains, 
and  valleys,  with  every  variety  of  climate 
and  soil.  The  Virgin  river  and  its  branches 
water  the  eastern  part  of  it ;  and  though 


i   414 


CALIFORNIA. 


Biaclc  Tailed  Deer. 


ittle  or  no  rain  falls  in  the  summer  months, 
the  night  dews  are  so  copious,  as,  in  a  great 
degree,  to  supply  the  defect.  The  soil  of 
the  valleys  is  one  to  three  feet  in  depth,  and 


very  fertile ;  the  rocky  hills  are  excellent 
for  grazing ;  copper,  iron,  coal,  salt,  and 
sulphur  are  found  ;  game  is  abundant,  —  an- 
telopes, black  and  white-tailed  deer,  elk,  bear, 


Btllfalo  aLlacked  by  Wolves. 


buffaloes,  mountain  sheep,  and  vast  numbers 
of  water-fowl ;  large  herds  of  wild  horses 
and  cattle  are  not  unfrequent ;  timber  is  too 
scarce,  though  little  is  needed  for  fuel,  as 
the  climate  is  so  mild,  and  not  much  for 
building  and  fencing;  most  kinds  of  fruits 
are  indigenous;  grapesarein  profusion;  red 
clover,  luxuriant  oats,  fiax,  and  onions,  grow 
spontaneously. 

The  two  chief  forks  of  the  Colorado  rise 
respectively  at  the  foot  of  Long's  Peak,  in 
Nebraska  territory,  about  lat.  40°,  and  at 
the  foot  of  Fremont's  Peak,  in  the  south- 


east corner  of  Oregon,  in  about  lat.  43° ;  the 
sources  are  three  hundred  miles  apart,  and 
the  river  is  '  »eive  or  fifteen  hundred  mi.es 
long.  It  IS  navigable  about  one  hundred 
miles.  For  two  hundred  miles  from  its 
mouth,  its  valley  averages  from  five  to  fif- 
teen miles  in  breadth.  Then,  for  five  or 
si.ic  hundred  miles,  as  is  said,  it  presents  an 
almost  continuous  gorge  of  overhanging 
rocks,  from  fifteen  to  a  thousand  feet  high, 
interrupting  the  river  with  numerous  cas- 
cades, cataracts,  and  rapids,  and  sometimes 
almost  concealing  its  bed,  so  that  one  may 


yv^.^'H'v 


CALIFORNIA. 


415 


Bear. 


jump  nrrops  ihc  chasm.  This  river,  as  well 
as  the  Gila,  ami  most  others,  is  full  of  fish, 
as  well  as  the  Gull",  which  has  lobsters, 
crabs,  clams,  and  especially  oysters,  one 
kind  of  which  affords  the  pearl. 

Much  choice  land  is  found  in  the  valleys, 
but  the  hi^h  grounds  and  hills  are  rather 
too  arid.  The  table  lands  and  mountains 
on  both  sides,  as  a  whole,  disclose  a  dreary 
prospect.  Now  the  traveller  meets  with  a 
wide  reach  of  naked  rock,  paving  the  sur- 
face to  the  exclusion  of  grass,  shrubs,  or 
trees, — now  a  narrow  fissure,  filled  with 
detritus  and  earth,  sustains  a  few  stunted 
pines,  —  now  a  spread  of  hard,  sun-baked 
clay,  refuses  root  to  aught  earth-growing, — 
now  a  small  space  of  saline  clfiorescence 
obtrudes  its  snowj-  incrustations ;  then 
comes  a  broad  area,  clothed  with  thin, 
coarse  grass ;  an  opening  vale  next  greets 
the  eye,  with  a  generous  growth  and  fertile 
soil ;  a  beautiful  grove  of  stately  pines, 
cedars,  and  pinion?,  rises  in  the  back  gnmnd  ; 
a  still  larger,  more  expanded,  and  exceed- 
ingly lovely  valley,  skirts  the  banks  of  some 
bounding  stream,  and  delights  the  fancy 
with  its  smiling  flowers  and  luxuriant  ver- 
dure. 

Here  a  huge  mountain  rears  itself  in 
majesty  —  now  piling  heaps  upon  heaps  of 
naked  granite,  limestone,  sandstone,  and 
basalt,  variegated  and  parti-colored,  —  now, 
thickly  studded  with  lateral  pines,  cedars, 
pinions,  and  hemlocks,  —  then  again  denu- 
ded, till  at  last  its  sharpened  peaks  pierce 
the  clouds.  Then  a  lesser  coniform  eleva- 
tion, of  the  continuous  chain,  is  mantled  in 
living  green,  while  by  its  side  is  another, 
marked  with  utter  desolation.  The  valleys 
of  the  Uintah,  lat.  401°,  &c.,  are  broad, 
fertile,  and  tolerably  well  timbered.  Grass 
continues  green  nearly  all  winter,  and  moun- 
tain game  is  plenty. 

The  landscape  of  the  Gila  river,  the  south 


boundan,'  of  California,  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  Virgin  river,  above  described,  thout;h 
the  soil  is  not  generally  so  sandy,  and  tlie 
country  is  more  rough  and  broken.  The 
bottom  lands  are  broad,  rich,  and  well  tim- 
bered;  vegetation  is  lusty  and  exuberant; 
many  an  Eden  revels  here  in  perennial 
spring  or  unfading  summer.  Winter  is  but 
two  or  three  months  of  rainy  and  damp 
weather;  fruits  and  grains  abound;  the 
atmosphere  is  highly  salubrious,  as  in  all 
eastern  California  ;  the  natives  are  friendly, 
partly  civilized,  and  grow  corn,  melons, 
beans,  potatoes,  &c. ;  they  live  in  wooden 
huts,  coated  with  earth,  and  present  a  prom- 
ising field  for  the  good  missionary  of  the 
gospel,  witb  all  his  improving  influences. 

The  Nabajos,  or  Navihos  Indians  are  a 
very  interesting  people,  on  the  south-east 
frontier  of  California  ;  they  have  a  civiliza- 
tion of  their  own,  similar  to  that  of  their 
ancestors,  the  early  Mexicans,  or  Aztecs,  as 
they  have  never  been  subdued  by  the  Span- 
iards, whom  they  hate  and  detest,  and  will 
i  not  allow  to  eet  foot  in  their  territory. 
Their  country  is  shut  in  by  high  mountains, 
accessible  only  through  a  few  easily  de- 
fended passes.  It  abounds  in  gold  and 
minerals.  The  people  live  in  stone  houses, 
cultivate  vegetables  and  grain,  raise  horses, 
cattle,  and  sheep  ;  make  butter  and  cheese, 
and  spin  and  weave.  Their  blankets  are 
superior  to  those  of  their  Spanish  neighbors, 
and  are  woven  so  as  to  be  impervious  to 
water,  being  sometimes  used  to  carry  it. 
Their  police  is  adapted  to  the  common 
weal ;  lewdness  is  punished ;  dishonesty 
checked  by  penalties  ;  industry  encouraged, 
and  hospitality  commonly  practised.  They 
kill  their  men  prisoners,  reserving  the  wo- 
men and  children.  They  are  brave  and 
daring,  often  carrying  off  vast  herds  and 
flocks  from  the  Spaniards. 

The  country  about  Salt  Lake  remains  to 


416 


CALIFORNIA. 


be  described.  This  large  body  of  water, 
thougli  receiving  several  streams,  is  without 
an  outlet,  like  the  similar  salt  lakes  of  Cen- 
tral Asia.  The  mineral  and  vegetable  salts 
constantly  dissolving  in  it,  with  the  immense 
evaporation  of  so  dry  a  climate,  account  for 
these  peculiarities.  Several  large  islands 
dot  its  surface.  From  the  southern  extrem- 
ity of  Utah  Lake,  (an  expanse  of  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  by  ten  miles,)  which  commu- 
nicates with  it  by  a  long  strait,  to  its 
northern  extreme,  it  is  about  130  miles. 
At  its  widest  part,  it  is  fifty  miles  across ; 
it  was  formerly  thought  to  be  much  larger. 
Taken  as  a  whole,  the  vicinity  of  the  lake 
holds  out  strong  inducements  to  settlers,  and 
can  support  a  dense  population. 

The  largest  of  its  rivers  is  the  Big  Bear, 
a  stream  250  to  300  miles  long,  rising  near 
the  South  Pass,  and  200  yards  wide  at  its 
mouth.  The  valleys  of  this  and  the  few 
small  streams  emptying  into  the  lake,  have 
a  very  rich  soil,  and  are  well  timbered  ;  the 
region  around  the  lake,  with  its  plains, 
highlands,  marshes,  and  mountains,  pre- 
sents a  most  variegated  scenery ;  there  is 
sufficient  timber,  plenty  of  game,  and  the 
soil  is  prolific  in  many  indigenous  plants  of 
service  to  man. 

It  is  on  the  fine  valley  of  the  Bear  river, 
that  the  sect  of  the  Mormons  have  taken 
refuge.  During  1847  and  1848,  they  have 
collected  here  some  seven  or  eight  thousand 
souls,  who  have  built  houses,  opened  farms, 
have  already  a  surplus  produce,  and  are 
walling  in  an  area  of  twelve  miles  in  extent. 
Here  they  intend  to  build  anew  their  temple, 
and  invite  their  fellow-believers  to  join  them. 
It  is  said  that  this  sect,  amounting  already 
to  some  fifty  thousand,  in  England  and  the 
United  States,  are  gathering  towards  this 
point.  This  busy  people  thus  form  a  focus 
of  civilization,  half-way  between  our  out- 
skirts and  the  great  regions  of  Oregon  and 
California,  whose  destinies  are  so  full  of 
grandeur.  It  cannot  fail  to  have  a  fine 
influence  on  the  wealth  and  resources  of 
our  country,  and  being  on  the  route  to  the 
Pacific,  must  immeasurably  benefit  emigra- 
tion, and  reduce  the  perils  of  the  wilderness, 
assisting  to  bind  the  vast  proportions  of  our 
Union  into  an  harmonious  whole. 

The  towns  of  California  are  not  large. 
Puebla  de  los  Angelos,  in  about  lat.  34°,  was 
the  largest,  previous  to  our  conquest  of  the 
country.  It  is  pleasantly  situated,  and  had 
about  1500  inhabitants.  Along  the  coast, 
beginning  at  the  south,  of  the  ports  more  or 
less  convenient  and  safe,  San  Diego,  San 
Pedro,  Santa  Barbara,  Monterey,  and  Ross 


or  Bodega,  may  be  mentioned.  But  San 
Francisco  Bay,  opening  in  lat.  37°  40', 
affords  an  unrivalled  harbor,  capable  of  con- 
taining all  the  navies  of  the  earth,  to  ride 
at  anchor  in  safety.  It  contains  three  sev- 
eral bays,  one  within  another,  and  connected 
by  deep,  narrow  straits.  All  these  are  com- 
pletely land-locked,  and  have  an  area  of 
twelve  to  fifteen  miles  either  way. 

The  settlement  of  Verba  Buena,  succeed- 
ed by  the  town  of  San  Francisco,*  just  within 
this  bay,  on  the  south,  is  described,  in  1841, 
as  consisting  of  one  large  frame  building, 
a.  store,  billiard-room,  and  bar,  a  poop  cabin 
of  a  ship,  and  a  blacksmith's  shop,  with  one 
or  two  out-buildings ;  now  it  contains  thou- 
sands of  busy  people,  from  all  parts  of  the 
known  world,  chiefly  Yankees.  Indeed,  it 
is  supposed  there  are,  by  this  time,  (1849,) 
50,000  people  in  the  territory,  attracted  by  ; 
the  wonderful  discoveries  of  gold. 

Vague  notions  of  the  existence  of  gold  :J 
had  from  time  to  time  been  divulged,  but  it  j; 
was  not  till  1848,  that  accident  discovered 
the  marvellous  fact  of  its  abundance.  In 
that  year,  a  Mr.  Suter,  a  Swiss,  formerly 
of  the  king's  guard,  in  Paris,  was  settled 
near  the  mouth  of  the  American  fork  of  the 
Sacramento  river,  at  the  head  of  naviga-  ; 
tion,  150  miles  from  its  mouth.  Here  he  had 
founded  New  Helvetia,  and  obtained  a  grant 
of  thirty  miles  round.  He  had  sent  some 
men  to  the  upper  part  of  the  American  fork, 
to  clear  out  a  mill  race.  The  soil  was 
washed  down  in  the  process,  and  some  shin- 
ing scales  laid  bare.  These  proved  to  be 
gold,  and  on  investigation,  not  only  the 
valley  of  this  stream,  but  the  beds  of  all  the 
other  streams  running  into  the  Sacramento, 
were  found  to  have  a  soil  full  of  gold,  in 
minute  scales  and  in  bits,  from  a  grain  to 
many  ounces  in  weight.  New  "placers," 
as  the  "washings,"  or  dry  "diggings"  are 

*  St.  Francisco  is  in  lat.  35°  4S'  N.  It  is  on  a  neck 
of  land  about  five  miles  from  the  ocean.  The  site  of 
the  town  is  handsome  and  commanding,  being  an 
inclined  plane  of  about  a  mile  in  extent,  from  the 
water's  edge  to  the  hills  in  the  rear.  Two  points  of  ^ 
land,  one  on  each  side,  extending  into  the  bay,  form  a  ;; 
crescent,  or  small  bay,  in  the  snape  of  a  crescent,  in 
front,  which  bears  the  name  of  the  town.  These  points  * 
afford  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country  —  the 
snow-capped  mountains  in  the  distance  —  the  green 
valleys  beneath  them  —  the  beautiful,  smooth,  and  un- 
ruflled  bay  in  front  and  on  either  side,  at  once  burst 
upon  the  eye.  There  is  in  front  of  the  town,  a  small 
island,  rising  high  above  the  surface  of  the  bay,  about 
two  miles  long  and  one  wide,  which  is  covered  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  with  the  most  exuberant  herb- 
age, of  untrodden  freshness.  The  climate  here  is,  in 
the  winter,  which  is  the  rainy  season,  damp  and  chilly. 
During  the  balance  of  the  year,  it  is  dry,  but  chilly. 
There  is  but  little  variation  in  the  atmosphere  throujrn- 
out  the  year,  the  thermometer  rangiug  from  fifty-ljve 
to  seventy  degrees  Fahrenheit. 


CALIFOKNIA. 


417 


called,  are  constantly  teing  discovered,  and 
people  have  rushed  to  these  hills  from  all 
qiiarters,  with  pans,  tubs,  pickaxes,  shovels, 
I  hoes,  filterins  machines,  and  energetic  sin- 
ews, till  they  have  extracted,  by  digging  and 
washing,  previous  to  1S49,  four  millions  of 
dollars'  worth  of  the  yellow  treasure.    Gold 
is  now  reported  to  he  found  over  an  extent 
5   of  many  hundred  miles,  and  also  on   the 
i  Gila,  and  throughout  the  great  central  pla- 
i   teau,  north  and  north-cast  of  it. 
I       In  a  favorable  locality,  the  lucky  finder 
I  of  the  placer  will  sift  out  hundreds  of  dollars' 
I  worth  per  day.    Persons  with  not  a  shirt  to 
!   their  backs,  and  scarce    a  whole  garment 
I   ujioii  them,  are  seen  with  bags  of  gold  in 
i  their  hands.     Prices  of  cvcrytliing  went  up 
I  at  once  to  an  enormous  rate  ;  laborers'  wages 
I  became  S  or  10  dollars  a  day;  cooks  at  the 
I  diggings,  $100  per  day;  clerks,  S1500  to 
/  S6000  per  annum,  &c.  &c.    As  all  the  pro- 
l  ductive  industry  of  tbe  country  is  now  turned 
J   to  gold  digging,  and  as  such  vast  numbers 
;   of  consumers  are  Hocking  in  from  all  parts, 
!   [iriccs  continue    to    range   high,  for  every 
i  article   of  necessity,   although    such    large 
!  quantities  of  goods  have  been  sent, 
s       Many  comical  as  well  as  tragical  scenes 

>  are  exhibited  in  the  general  excitement  cou- 
l  sequent  upon  this  strange  state  of  things. 
S  Outrages  upon  person  and  property  arc  said 
I  to  be  constantly  recurring,  as  there  is  no 
j  accredited  government;  for  the  United 
i   States    have    not   yet  extended  their  laws 

>  over  the  territory,  and  the  Mexican  laws 
\  are  supposed  to  be  in  abeyance  —  at  least, 
i  there  seems  no  power  but  the  mob  that  can 
I  enforce  order.  But  these  accounts  are 
!  doubtless  much  exaggerated,  and  the  emi- 
!  grants  who  have  gone  from  the  United 
!  States,  are  mostly  of  a  very  high  order  of 
'.  character,  for  vigor,  enterprise,  intelligence, 
!  and  morality.  They  will  not  remain  long 
{  without  a  good  government.  In  fact,  incip- 
'  lent  measures  have  already  been  taken  to 
I  call  together  a  convention  in  the  early  part 

>  of  IS  19,  to  frame  a  government,  and  our 
5   next  congress  will  doubtless  be  belter  pre- 
pared than  the  last,  to  second  the  civil  and 
political  wishes  of  our  distant  fellow-citizens, 
upon  the  Pacific. 

San  Francisco  is  about  2700  miles  in  a 
straight  line  from  New  York,  and  1500  from 
the  western  boundary  of  the  States.  The 
passage  by  the  way  of  Cape  Horn  is  more 
than  twelve  times  as  far.  The  land  route 
is  a  dangerous  journey  of  four  months.  The 
<  best  route  for  wagons  from  the  United 
i   States,  is  through  the  "  South  Pass,"  in  lat. 


42°  20',  where  the  Sweet  water  tributary 
of  the  north  fork  of  tbe  Platte,  interlocks 
with  the  north  fork  of  the  Colorado ;  thence 
to  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  by  Bear  river  val- 
ley ;  thence  the  emigrant  may  direct  his 
course  to  any  part  of  the  countrj'.  Near 
lat.  37°,  is  another  pass,  by  way  of  the 
Santa  Fe  trail,  but  it  is  verj''  difficult  for 
wagons,  and  should  only  be  travelled  on 
horseback.  One  or  two  other  passes  are 
spoken  of,  further  south.  Vast  numbers  of 
people  are  collecting  on  the  frontiers,  to  take 
these  routes  across,  though  many  must  in- 
evitably' be  exposed  to  a  great  deal  of  suf- 
fering, as  has  already  occurred  to  .several 
parties.  Some  rash  parties,  overwhelnie;l 
by  the  snows  of  the  mountains,  or  bewil- 
dered on  the  trackless  and  ariil  plains,  have 
been  reduced  to  the  direful  necessity  o( 
feeding  on  their  companions,  who  died  of 
hunger  and  fatigue,  or  were  killed  for  the 
horrible  purpose  I 

Of  the  other  routes  pursued,  to  reach  the 
Pacific  from  the  United  States,  some  are 
across  Mexico,  from  IMatamoras,  through 
the  northern  states  to  Mazatlan,  or  San 
Bias,  or  by  Vera  Cruz  and  the  capital,  to 
tliese  ports,  or  Acapulcn.  Others  prefer  to 
cross  the  isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  sailing 
up  the  Coazacuaico  river  to  the  city  of  that 
name ;  thence  along  the  river,  across  the 
ridge,  and  down  the  valley  of  the  stream 
that  runs  by  Tehuantepec,  120  or  150  miles 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  This  route  is  now 
surveying  for  a  railroad,  and  bids  fair  to  be 
very  convenient. 

Another  route,  likely  to  be  the  favorite 
one  when  the  steam  lines  upon  the  Pacific 
are  fully  established,  is  that  by  the  waj'  of 
Chagres,  thence  up  the  Chagres  river  to 
Gorgona,  thence  twenty  miles  across  the 
isthmus  of  Darien,  or  Panama,  to  Panama, 
a  fine  town  on  the  Pacific.  This  road  is 
now  sufficiently  rough,  expensive,  and  vex- 
atious, but  it  is  under  survey  for  a  railroad, 
and  such  regulations  will  doubtless  soon  be 
adopted,  as  will  give  every  facility  to  travel. 
A  line  of  monthly  steamers  connects  New 
York  with  Chagres,  and  Panama  with  San 
Francisco,  and  another  line  is  to  run  thence 
to  China.  English  steamers  already  run 
up  and  down  the  Pacific  coast  to  Panama. 
Chagres  seems  to  be  a  miserable  place,  as 
well  as  Gorgona,  but  Panama  is  in  a  lovely 
climate,  beautifully  built,  with  an  excellent 
population,  and  the  government  of  New 
Grenada  seems  to  be  well  and  wisely  dis- 
posed to  make  this  isthmus  the  great  thor- 
oughfare of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  worlds. 


*  — 


i    s 


et.  Francisco. 


Pemama. 


.^^■v^^^^^^.'N^'*^  5(E 


THE   FIRST   FRENCH   REVOLUTION. 


The  French  Revolution  commenced  when, 
on  tlie  openinij  of  the  Slates  General,  (a  con- 
vention from  the  nobility,  clerq;y,  and  com- 
iTions,)  the  commons  were  ready  to  seize  the 
lec:i^ilative  authority,  by  meriting  the  other 
two  classes,  and  constituting  themselves 
the  National  Assembly,  one  and  indivisible, 
without  distinction  of  ranlis  or  bodies.  Bail- 
Iv  was  tbe  President  of  this  asscmblj',  and 
Mirabeau  the  popular  leader.  The  true 
business  of  the  assembly  was  to  conquer 
liberty  from  unjust  power,  and  equality  from 
iniquitous  laws  ;  instead  of  which,  it  usurped 
power,  and  inflicted  injustice,  though  adopt- 
ing some  salutary  reforms. 

The  causes  of  the  revolution,  separate 
from  the  intellectual  and  moral  excitement 
of  the  age,  wore  the  oppressive  taxes,  re- 
sulting from  long  wars  and  an  extravagant 
court,  arbitrary  arrests  and  punishment  by 
the  government ;  various  abuses  of  author- 
ity ;  vexations  by  the  provincial  governors  ; 
ruinous  delays  of  justice ;  the  insolence  of 
a  weak-minded  nobility  —  in  fine,  a  most 
irritating  inequality  of  conditions,  rights, 
privileges  and  burdens  —  and  all  this  in  glar- 
ing contmst  witli  the  freedom  and  equality 
just  achieved  for  America, and  partly  by  the 
arms  of  Frenchmen  ! 

The  power  of  the  crow'n  had  swallowed 
up,  long  before,  the  feudal  sovereignties  of 
tlic  nobles  ;  the  progress  of  wealth  had  raised 
up  a  large  class  of  such  as  had  al)ility  and 
property  witiiout  that  rank,  of  whose  priv- 
ileges they  were  jealous,  and  whose  follies 
they  could  no  longer  endure.     These  were 


able,  therefore,  to  instigate  the  masses,  by 
acting  (thro\i!rh  an  intelligence  now  mor(^ 
generally  dillused  than  ever  before)  on 
their  already  excited  sense  of  wrong.  But 
the  whirlwind  of  passion  could  not  be 
quelled,  and  the  stormy  waves  for  a  while 
submerged  everything  in  one  wild  anarchy. 

The  National  Assembly  decreed  its  own 
sovereignty  over  the  nation,  placing  under 
its  dependence  all  the  privileged  orders  and 
the  king  at  their  head.  It  abolislied  the 
privileges  of  the  nobles  and  clergy,  and  the 
relics  of  the  feudal  system,  in  all  its  branch- 
es, discontinuing  the  three  orders  of  clergy, 
nobles  and  commons.  It  established  the 
freedom  of  the  press,  and  of  conscience  in 
matters  of  religion.  It  confiscated  the  chinxh 
lands;  suppressed  the  monasteries  ;  and  di- 
vided France  into  eighty-three  departments, 
the  more  rigidly  and  impartially  to  admin- 
ister the  laws  and  government.  It  com- 
pleted a  constitution  establishing  a  limited 
monarchy  and  equality  of  ranks,  which  was 
signed  by  the  good  king,  Louis  XVI.  ;  and 
on  the  30lh  Septendier,  1791,  the  assem- 
bly dissolved. 

On  the  1st  of  Octobei,  the  legislative 
Asseinlihj  met,  in  accordance  with  the  pro- 
vision of  the  Constitution,  and  to  carry  that 
instrument  into  effect.  The  Jacobin  club 
(so  called  from  its  place  of  meeting,  a  con- 
vent of  suppressed  Jacobin  monks)  gained 
ascendency  over  the  assembly  and  governed 
the  capital.  On  the  21st  September,  1792, 
the  Natiorud  Convention,  a  new  body,  sat, 
and  at  once  abolished  the  royal  government, 


420 


THE    FIRST    FRENCH    REVOLUTION. 


deirlar.tiir  France  a  Republic.  They  ar- 
raigned the  king,  and  by  a  majority  of 
t\vent3'-six,  in  seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  votes,  sentenced  hi«.n  to  death,  and  he 
was  executed  January  21st,  1793. 

Desezes,  before  sentence  was  passed, 
arose  and  thus  eloquently  defended  the 
king:  —  "Ascending  the  throne  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  Louis  carried  with  him  there  an 
example  of  morals,  of  justice,  and  of  econ- 
omy. He  had  no  weaknesses,  no  corrupt- 
ing passions,  and  he  was  the  constant  friend 


of  his  people.  The  people  desired  that  a 
disastrous  impost  slionld  be  abolished,  and 
Louis  abolished  it;  the  people  asked  for  the 
destruction  of  servitudes,  and  Louis  de- 
stroyed them  ;  they  demanded  reforms,  he 
consented;  they  wished  to  change  the  laws, 
he  agreed  to  it ;  the  people  recjuired  that 
several  millions  of  Frenciimen  should  re- 
cover their  rights,  and  these  he  restored  to 
them  ;  the  people  asked  for  liberty,  and  he 
gave  it." 


"T' 


Publishing  the  New  Constitution  at  Paris. 


The  National  Convention  published  a 
new  Constitution,  completely  democratic. 
It  lodged  the  executive  power  in  a  Commit- 
tee of  Public  Safety.  The  passions  of  the 
mob  had  been  alrcadj'  unchained  at  the  at- 
tack on  the  palace  of  the  Tuileriea,  the 
massacre  of  its  Swiss  guard,  anJ  the  sack- 
ing of  tlie  palace  ;  their  thirst  for  blood  and 
love  of  violence  had  been  whetted  also  by 
other  feats  of  lawlessness.  Men  of  tiger 
instincts  arose  to  control  this  tide  of  brutal- 
ity, and  direct  it  into  such  channels  as  their 
selfishness,  wickedness  or  fanaticism  found 
for  it.  The  Revolutionary  Tribunal  was 
instituted,  the  Reign  of  Terror  commenced, 
previous  to  the  death  of  the  king.  Intim- 
idated by  menaces  from  without  and  from 
within,  the  Assemblj'  appointed  a  tribunal 
for  the  trial  of  those  offenders  who  had 
stood  asjainsl  the  mob,  of  which  the  prisons 
were  full  by  the  act  of  the  town  council  of 
Paris.     The  victims  selected  were  chiefly  of 


the  noblesse  and  the  dissenting  clergy.  On  | 
the  2d  Septeniber,  1792,  a  band  of  three  i 
hundred  assassins,  paid  by  the  magistrates  > 
and  spurred  to  their  ferocious  work  by  ar-  5 
dent  spirits  and  money,  broke  into  the  pris-  i 
ons,  and  dragged  the  jjrisoners  forth  to  the  s 
tribunal,  which  sentenced  them,  and  they  J 
were  then  thrust  out  to  the  mob  to  be  mas-  < 
sacred  with  every  outrage  brutality  could  ; 
devise.  About  five  thousand  persons  thus  s 
perished.  This  was  at  the  very  time  when  < 
the  armies  of  the  Republic  were  most  glo-  } 
riously  resisting  an  overwhelming  invasion  ! 
at  the  frontier.  j 

The  Assembly  could  do  nothing,  doini-  > 
neered  over  as  it  was  by  two  fierce  factions,  j 
the  Girondists,  with  their  leaders,  Brissot,  ! 
Vergniaud  and  Condorcet,  and  the  "Moun-  s 
tain,"  the  most  violent  revolutionists,  whose  | 
leaders  were  the  unparalleled  miscreants,  i 
Robespierre,  Danton  and  Mar?  t.  These  lat-  } 
ter  soon  brought  their  opponents  totheguil-  | 


THE    FIRST    FRENCH    REVOLUTION. 


421 


loline,  and  were  giiilty  of  the  most  horrid 
massacres.  Queen  Antoiiiette  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  vile  Duice  of  Orleans  on  the 
other,  were  executed  by  them.  No  one  felt 
safe;  anxiety,  ploom  and  terror  were  every- 
where. None  knew  when  he  or  she  might 
become  obnoxious  to  the  new  tyrants. 

The  convi  ntion  suppressed  the  Christian 
religion;    decreed   that    Liberty,    Equality 


and  Reason  should  alone  he  worshipped  as 
deities  in  France;  established  a  republican 
calendar,  changing  the  names  and  days  of 
the  month  ;  abolished  the  Sabbatli,  mailing 
every  tenth  day  a  holiday,  instead  ;  plun- 
dered churches,  and  melted  their  bells  into 
cannon  —  besides  other  freik-  of  phrenzy 
or  fanaticism. 


Paper  money,  iasueJ  iliirin^  the  First  Frciicli  Revolution. 


The  dominant  faction  soon  split  into  two 
most  violent  parties,  of  which  I)iinton  head- 
ed the  one,  and  Robespierre  the  other.  JIarat 
was  slain  by  a  female  liand,  which  posterity  is 
yet  doubtful  whether  to  call  the  hand  of  an 
assassin  or  of  a  heroine.  Eoliespierre  ob- 
tained the  ascendant,  and  his  worst  enemies 
were  decapitated  ;  he  liimsclf  was  guillo- 
tined, on  a  charge  of  tyranny,  in  July,  1794. 
The  Jacobins  were  soon  after  suppressed. 
Volumes  upon  volumes  have  been  filled  with 
the  details  of  the  horrors  of  these  revolution- 
ary years  ;  and  though  it  is  ajxxinful  record, 
yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  spite  of  all  its 
excesses,  the  French  Revolution  advanced 
tiic nation  very  mucli  in  the  patli  of  Christian 
liberty.  Our  space  restricts  us  to  noticing  fur- 
ther only  a  few  of  the  most  important  events. 

In  1795  the  third  constitution  was  pro- 
claimed, vesting  the  executive  in  a  direc- 
tory oi  five.  Four  (iiflerent  constitutions,  in 
fact,  were  adopted  from  1791  to  1799.  By 
the  last,  the  power  was  vested  in  three  Con- 
suls, Bonaparte,  Cambaceres,  and  Le  Brun. 

Ill  1792  occurreil  tlie  first  coalition  of  all 
Europe  against  France,  to  restore  the  nobil- 


ity who,  as  "  emiL:rants,"had  deserted  their 
coimtry  in  the  hour  of  her  utmost  need. 
This  invasion  was  gloriously  repelled  by 
the  French  people  unikr  Dumourier;  who 
also  coniiuered  the  Netberianils  in  this  year, 
and  afterwards,  Holland,  Switzerland,  and 
part  of  Germany.  In  1790,  Italy  was  to 
bo  fraternized,  and  the  command  of  the 
Frenfh  army,  sent  toconf|ucr  it  into  liberty, 
was  given  to  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  then  in 
his  27th  year.  He  freed  Italy  from  the  Aus- 
trians  by  a  series  of  astonishing  successes, 
obliged  them  to  peace,  and  to  give  the  Mi- 
lanese territory  to  France. 

On  the  9th  November,  1798,  after  Napo- 
leon had  returned  from  the  conquest  of 
Egypt,  he,  by  the  aid  of  Fouche,  Cam- 
baceres, Talleyrand,  Lucien  Bonaparte,  and 
Sicycs,  abolished  the  Directory,  and  under 
a  new  constitution  procured  himself  to  be 
made  First  Consuh  The  Revolution  was 
now  at  an  end  ;  with  despotic  force  ho  gath- 
ered together  the  mangled  lind)s  of  France 
and  built  them  into  a  Cnlo'sus,  which  soon 
bestrode  all  Europe,  crowning  and  uncrown- 
ing kings  at  its  pleasure. 


MONTEZUMA. 


MoNTi'zUMA  was  Emperor  of  Mexico 
when  Cortez  invaded  that  country  in  151S; 
invited  thither,  as  he  pretended,  by  the  in- 
habitants, whose  children,  Montezuma,  in 
the  blindness  of  his  superstition,  had  sac- 
rificed to  idols.  Cortez  arrived  at  a  time, 
also,  when  several  of  the  chiefs  were  disaf- 
fected to  their  emperor. 

The  warlike  animals  on  which  the  Span- 
ish officers  were  mounted,  the  artificial 
thunder  with  which  they  were  armed,  the 
wooden  castles  on  which  they  had  crossed 
the  ocean,  the  armor  with  which  they  were 
covered,  the  victories  they  gained  wherever 
they  went  —  all  these  circumstances,  added 
to  that  foolish  disposition  to  wonder,  which 
always  characterizes  simple  people,  so  op- 
erated upon  the  minds  of  the  Mexicans, 
that  when  Cortez  arrived  at  the  city  of 
Mexico,  he  was  received  by  Montezuma  as 
his  master,  and  by  the  inhabitants  as  a  god. 

At  first,  they  fell  down  in  the  streets 
when  even  a  Spanish  valet  passed  by  ;  but 
by  degrees,  the  court  of  Montezuma  grew 
familiar  with  the  strangers,  and  ventured  to 
treat  them  as  men.  Montezuma,  unable  to 
expel  them  by  force,  endeavored  to  inspire 


them  with  confidence  at  the  capitol,  by  ex- 
pressions of  friendship,  while  he  employed 
secret  means  to  weaken  their  power  in 
other  quarters.  With  this  view,  one  of  his 
generals,  who  had  private  orders  to  that  pur- 
pose, attacked  a  party  of  the  Spaniards  who 
were  stationed  at  Vera  Cruz  ;  and,  although 
his  troops  were  unsuccessful,  yet  three  or 
four  of  the  Spaniards  were  killed.  The 
head  of  one  of  them  was  brought  to  Mon- 
tezuma. 

In  consequence  of  this,  Cortez  did  what 
has  been  reckoned  one  of  the  boldest  polit- 
ical strokes  that  was  ever  struck.  He  ran 
to  the  palace,  followed  by  fifty  of  his  troops, 
and,  bj'  persuasion  and  threats,  carried  the 
emperor  prisoner  inlo  the  Spanish  quarters. 
He  afterwards  obliged  him  to  deliver  up 
those  who  had  attacked  his  troops  at  Vera 
Cruz ;  and  like  a  general  who  punishes  a 
common  soldier,  he  loaded  Montezuma 
with  chains.  He  next  obliged  him  to  ac- 
knowledge himself,  in  public,  the  vassal  of 
Charles  V.,  King  of  Spain,  &c. ;  and  in 
name  of  tribute  for  this  homage  Cortez  re- 
ceived 600,000  merks  (75000  lbs.)  of  pure 
gold — about  fourteen  millions  of  dollars. 


423 


Montezuma  soon  afterwards  fell  a  sacri- 
fice to  his  submission  to  the  Spaniards.  He 
and  Alvaro,  the  lieutenant  of  Cortez,  were 
besieged  in  the  palace  by  200,000  Mexi- 
cans. Montezuma  proposed  to  show  him- 
self to  his  subjects,  that  he  might  persuade 
them  to  desist  from  the  attack.  When  the 
emperor  appeared  upon  the  walls,  dressed 
in  a  robe  sparkling  with  jewels,  the  people 
at  first  bowed  in  reverence;  but  when  lie 
spoke  of  the  Spaniards  as  his  friends,  their 
feelings  changed  to  those  of  contempt  and 
indignation.  They  no  longer  considered 
him  in  any  other  light  than  as  the  slave  of 
foreign  conrjuerors,  the  confederate  of  their 
deadly  enemies.    In  the  midst  of  his  speech 


he  received  a  blow  from  a  stone  wiiich 
wounded  him  mortally,  at  the  same  time 
that  the  Mexicans  discharged  upon  him  a 
shower  of  arrows.  He  expired  immediate- 
ly, A.  D.  1520. 

From  the  little  we  know  of  him,  and  that 
only  tluough  his  enemies,  we  should  sup- 
pose this  unfortunate  emperor  to  have  been 
both  weak  and  tyrannical.  He  left  two 
sons  and  three  daugliters,  who  embraced 
the  Christian  faith.  The  eldest  received 
baptism,  and  obtained  from  Charles  V.  lands, 
revenues,  and  the  title  of  Count  de  Monte- 
zuma. He  died  in  160S  ;  and  the  family 
of  this  nobleman  is  now  one  of  the  most 
powerful  in  Spain. 


ATTILA. 


Attila  succeeded  his  uncle,  as  King  of 
the  Huns,  in  433,  A.  D.  His  residence  was 
to  the  north  of  the  upper  part  of  the  Theiss 
river,  in  Hungary.  His  palace  was  a  great 
building  of  planks,  of  highly  polished  wood, 
and  surmounted  with  towers.  It  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  fence  of  similar  materials,  but 
more  for  ornament  than  defence. 

In  person  Attila  reseiribled  the  Kalmucks 
and  Finns  of  the  present  day.  He  had  a 
largo  head,  a  swarthy  complexion,  flat  nose, 
small,  sunken  eyes,  and  a  short,  square 
body.  His  looks  were  fierce,  his  gait  proud, 
and  his  deportment  stern  and  hauglity  ;  yet 
he  was  merciful  to  a  suppliant  foe,  and  ruled 
his  own  people  with  justice  and  lenity. 

At  first  Attila  shared  the  throne  with  his 
brother,  Bleda,  and  the  Huns  were  then 
such  a  terror  to  the  Emperor  of  Constanti- 
nople,  that  he   paid  them  seven    hundred 


pounds  of  gold  per  annum  to  abstain  from 
plundering  the  empire.  In  442,  however, 
the  Huns  ravaged  Thrace  and  Illyria,  and 
the  weak  emperor  felt  obliged  to  retire  into 
Asia. 

In  444,  Attila  murdered  Bleda,  saying  it 
was  by  command  of  God.  He  was  now 
sole  master  of  a  warlike  people,  and  his  un- 
bounded and  bloody  ambition  made  him  the 
terror  of  all  nations  ;  or,  as  he  called  him- 
self, the  Scourge  of  God.  He  ruled  the 
Huns,  Gepidae,  Goths  or  Ostrogoths  of 
Pannonia,  the  Suevi,  Alans,  Quadi,  Mar- 
conianni,  and  some  Franks,  —  all  barbari- 
ans, and  hovering  over  the  Roman  empire, 
like  vultures  round  a  carcass.  It  is  said 
ho  could  lead  forih  an  army  of  700,000  war- 
riors. 

In  447,  he  devastated  the  Eastern  em- 
pire to   the   very  gates   of  Constantinople  ;   | 


424 


JOHN    MARSHALL. 


and  was  bought  ofT  with  6000  lbs.  of  solid 
gold.  In  451  he  desolated  France  and  took 
Orleans  ;  but  was  defeated  at  Chalons  by 
Theodcric.  In  453,  this  destroyer  ravaged 
northern  Italy,  pillaging'  its  cities  ;  but  was 
beaten  back  from  France  by  the  Goths  and 


Alans.  He  died  the  same  year.  His  body 
was  enclosed  in  three  coffins,  one  of  gold, 
one  of  silver,  and  one  of  iron  ;  and  the  cap- 
tives who  dug  the  grave  were  strangled,  that 
its  place  might  not  be  known  to  his  en- 
emies. 


JOHN  MARSHALL. 


The  man,  whose  portrait  we  here  give, 
was  one  of  tliose  persons  whose  memory  is 
to  be  revered  for  his  wisdom  and  his  good- 
ness. He  was  born  in  Fauquier  county, 
Virginia,  Sept.  24,  1755.  His  father  was 
a  very  sensible  man,  and  he  gave  John  a 
good  education,  but  he  did  not  send  him  to 
college. 

When  John  came  to  manhood,  the  revo- 
lutionary war  had  begun,  and,  like  a  good 
patriot,  he  went  forth  to  help  drive  out  King 
George's  red-coats.  When  the  war  was 
over,  he  became  a  lawyer,  and,  though 
devoted  to  a  very  slippery  profession,  he 
showed  that  a  lawyer  may  be  an  honest 
man. 

When  the  question  came  up,  in  the  Vir- 
ginia House  of  Delegates,  whether  the  pres- 
ent constitution  should  be  adopted  by  the 
people  or  not,  Marshall  put  forth  his  elo- 
quence in  its  behalf,  and  thus  greatly  aided 
in  giving  his  country  that  good  government 
under  which  it  has  since  flourished. 


Such  was  now  his  reputation,  that^A'ash- 
ington  tried  to  persuade  him  to  accept 
several  important  oflices ;  but,  for  private 
reasons,  he  declined.  Afterwards,  however, 
he  went  as  minister  to  France,  and,  on  his 
return,  became  a  member  of  Congress,  then 
secretary  of  war,  then  secretary  of  state, 
and,  in  1801,  chief  justice  of  the  United 
States. 

It  was  in  this  latter  situation  that  he  ac- 
quired a  lasting  and  enviable  fame.  He 
held  the  office  till  his  death,  in  July,  1S36 ; 
and,  during  this  long  period,  his  powerful 
mind,  enlightened  by  his  noble  and  truth- 
loving  heart,  was  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
justice. 

What  a  blessing  is  a  great  and  good  man 
to  his  country  !  for  he  not  only  benefits 
the  generation  with  which  he  lives,  by  his 
acts,  but  he  leaves  his  glorious  example  to 
all  after  ages  ;  thus  calling  upon  all  those 
who  have  a  noble  ambition,  to  go  and  do 
likewise. 


AQUEDUCTS. 


Aqueduct',  or  comluit^  for  water,  have 
been  in  use  tVoin  tlie  earliest  times.  Tiiey 
are  spoken  of  in  tlie  remotest  histories  of 
Ef^ypt,  Assyria,  and  Persia,  in  connection 
witli  the  exploits  of  Somiraniis,  Sesostris, 
and  others.  Solomon  built  Uiem  in  Pales- 
tine, one  tiiousand  years  before  tlio  Christian 
era.  and  King  llezeliiah  after  him. 

I  Jilt  the  most  fannins  aquedui'ts  of  antiq- 
uit}',  are  those  which  were  bnilt  by  Roman 
perseverance,  energy,  and  wealth.  The 
oldest  of  these  is  that  bnilt  by  Appius  Clau- 
dius, more  than  three  hundred  years  15.  C. ; 
it  had  eleven  miles  of  deep  subterranean 
channel.  Another  of  Quintns  Marcius,  com- 
menced at  a  sjiring  thirty-three  miles  from 
Home,  took  a  circuit  of  three  miles,  and  then, 
forminfj  a  vault  of  sixteen  feet  in  diameter, 
ran  thirty-eiglit  miles,  along  a  series  of 
arcades  at  an  elevation  of  seventy  feet.  It 
had  three  distinct  channels,  6no  above  the 
other,  conveying  water  from  diti'erent 
sources.  Another  is  namcil  having  a  tun- 
nel four  thousand  feet  in  length.  Another, 
the  Aqua  Chuidia,  begun  by  the  Emperor 
Nero,  and  finished  by  Claudius,  is  thirty- 
eight  miles  long,  and  .still  brings  water  to 
mitdern  Home.  Another  led  the  Ario  river 
into  Homo  by  two  different  channels,  one 
forty-three  and  the  other  sixty-three  miles 
long,  and  running  six  and  a  half  miles  over 
a  continuous  s\iccession  of  arches,  many  of 
them  over  one  hundred  feet  high.  At  one 
time  lioinc  numbered  twenty-four  aqueducts, 
which,  perhaps,  discharged  tifty  millions  cu- 
bic feet  of  water  daily,  or,  as  is  reckoned, 
fifty  cubic  feet  per  day  for  every  inhabitant 
of  the  city. 

In  other  parts  of  the  Roman  empire,  the 
sovereign.s,  or  wealthy  and  public-spirited 
citizens,  built  aqucilurts  wdiose  fame  has 
come  down  to  us,  and  whose  ruins  attiat  the 


crandeur  of  the  Roman  genius.  One  of 
these  is  at  Metz,  in  Germany,  conducted  by 
subterraneous  tunnels  of  masonry,  through 
which  a  man  might  walk  upright  ;  and  over 
fifty  arches,  fifty  feet  high.  Another  is  seen 
at  Tyre,  in  Syria  ;  it  ran  from  a  spring,  three 
or  four  miles  south  of  the  city,  and  its  sturdy 
arches  still  stretch  themselves  across  the 
desolate  plain  in  defiance  of  time  and  vio- 
lence. The  most  striking,  however,  of  the 
remains  of  Roman  aqueducts,  is  seen  it 
Segovia,  in  Spain.  It  is  constructed  of 
huge  \vroui;ht  stones,  without  cement;  it 
has  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  arches,  in  two  rows;  and  is 
one  hundred  feet  liigli,  passing  over  the  tops 
of  most  of  the  houses  of  the  city. 

Louis  XIV.  expended  enorniinis  sums  to 
bring  the  waters  of  tlie  Eure  to  Versailles  ; 
the  aqueduct  has  tw-o  hundred  and  forty 
arcades,  with  seven  hundred  and  twenty-six 
arches,  of  fifty  feet  span  ;  and  a  bridge  two 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  high.  Passing  by 
the  wat<?r-\vorks  of  London  and  Paris,  we 
have,  on  this  side  the  .\tlantic,  aqueducts 
challenging  comparison  with  any,  of  ancient 
or  modern  times. 

The  Cochituate  aqueduct,  which  brings 
water  from  Long  Pond  (659  acres)  to  Bos- 
ton, is  nearly  twenty  miles  long.  For  nearly 
fifteen  miles  the  water  passes  through  a  brick 
conduit,  large  enough  for  a  man  to  walk  up- 
right in.  Here  it  enters  the  Brookline  receiv- 
ing reservoir,  whence  it  is  carried  in  two  iron 
pipes  thirty  and  thirty-six  inches  indiaincter, 
to  the  Beacon  Hill  distributing  reservoir,  in 
Boston.  These  reservoirs,  with  another 
on  Dorchester  heights ;  the  gate  houses  in 
Brookline  and  at  the  pond  ;  the  bridge  over 
Charles  river,  seventy-one  feet  above  the 
water;  the  Pipe  Chandler,  near;  the  Road 
Bridge;  the  Waste  Wicr,  —  arc  the  great 


54 


^^.^^■^'V^i^^.^^^/^  I 


.v^v%»<^»^»»J| 


4 
li 


42S 


\r^'^^>^^.^)4 


A    S\VISS    GIRL. 


features  of  the  aqueduct.  It  supplies  the 
fountain  on  Boston  Common,  —  which  flings 
a  jet  of  ninety-two  feet  in  the  air, —  and 
others  to  be  placed  in  the  yard  of  the  State 
House  on  Beacon  street.  The  aqueduct  can 
supply  ;norc  than  eleven  millions  of  gallons 
per  day ;  thus  far  it  has  cost  over  three 
millions  of  dollars. 

The   Croton  aqueduct  cost   over  twelve 
millions.     It  dams   the  Croton   river,  by  a 
stupendous  structure,  making  a  lake  of  five 
hundred  acres,  forty  miles  from  the  city  of 
New  York.    The  main  trunk  consists  of  an 
immense  mass  of  masonry  six  and  a  half 
feet  wide,  nine   feet  high,  and   forty  miles 
long,  formed  of  walls  three  feet  thick,  ce- 
mented into  solid  rock,  and  having  air-holes 
at   every  mile,  turret-shaped,  and  of  white  1 
marble.     The   chief  features  are  —  eleven j 
tunnels,  some  through   solid  rock  ;  an  arch  ] 
at  Sing  Sing  creek,  eighty-eight  feet  span! 
and  one  hundred  feet  high ;  Haarlem  river 


bridge,  one  fourth  of  a  mile  long,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  feet  high,  along  which  the 
iron  pipes  run,  three  feet  in  diameter  and  | 
buried  four  feet  under  soil ;  the  pipes  in  | 
the  valley  at  Manhattanville,  descending  / 
one  hundred  and  five  feet;  viaduct  across  s 
Clendenning  valley,  forty  feet  high ;  the  | 
granitereceivingreservoir,  thirty-eight  miles  ) 
from  the  dam,  covering  thirty-five  acres,  and  \ 
containing  one  hundred  and  sixty  million  < 
gallons  ;  the  granite  distributing  reservoir,  5 
on  Forty-Second  street,  covering  five  acres,  i 
forty  feet  deep,  surrounded  by  its  triple  5 
granite  wall  sixt}'  feet  thick,  and  having  I 
upon  it  a  broad  flagged  and  railed  walkl  > 
This  reservoir  will  hold  twenty-two  million  { 
gallons,  and  is  of  Egyptian  architecture,  j 
Various  fountains  are  supplied  by  the  waters,  > 
the  largest  of  which  is  in  the  Park,  throwing  \ 
up  its  enormous  cataract  to  the  height  of 
more  than  sixty  feet.  It  can  discharge  twen- 
ty-two miUions  of  gallons  of  water  per  day. 


A   SWISS   GIRL. 


TuEKE  is  no  disputing  about  tastes.  This 
picture  represents  a  Swiss  girl,  of  the  canton 
of  Berne,  in  her  best  dress.  The  article 
upon  her  head,  which  appears  like  the  ex- 
panded  wings  of  a  butterfly,  is  a  kind  of 
network,  made  of  hair  or  silk.  The  hair  is 
I    braided  behind  in  a  double  cue,  a  yard  long. 


The  leg-of-mutton  sleeves  are  white  ;  the 
bodice  is  black,  embroidered  on  the  breasts. 

How  infinite  are  the  varieties  of  taste  in 
dress  !  Yet  this  Swiss  fashion  has  been 
long  established,  and  passes  from  one  gen- 
eration to  another.  There  are  many  other 
curious  costumes  in  Switzerland. 


* — • 


Noth'i  Ark. 


THE   DELUGE. 


Tin?  cTcat  event  tonk  phre  sixteen  hun- 
dred nnd  fifty-six  years  nl'ler  tlio  creation, 
and  was  designed  to  show  the  displeasure 
of  the  Ahnighty  at  the  miivcrsal  wickedness 
and  depravity  of  mankind.  The  account  of 
it  is  given  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  chap- 
ters of  Genesis.  Many  of  the  ancient  na- 
tions have  had  traditions  of  tliis  memorable 
phenomenon,  from  tlie  earliest  ages.  In 
various  parts  of  the  world,  far  away  from 
the  sea,  and  on  the  tops  of  high  mountains, 
are  found  bones,  shells,  water-washed  stones, 
and  other  evidences  that  the  ocean  has,  at 
some  period  or  other,  spread  over  all  the 
land  of  the  earth. 

Learned  men  have  attempted  to  account 
for  the  deluge.  Some  suppose  that  the 
earth  was  like  a  great  globular  hogshead, 
filled  with  water.  The  outside,  or  crust, 
being  thin,  got  broke,  and  so  the  water 
rushed  out  and  swashed  over  the  world  ! 
Tliis  was  the  opinion  of  the  learned  Dr. 
Burnet.  Some  have  supposed  the  deluge 
to  have  been  caused  by  internal  fires  instead 
of  internal  waters  ;  others  think  that  a  comet 


ran  foul  of  the  earth,  and  imparted  to  it  an 
extraordinary  quantity  of  the  liquid  element. 

For  ourselves,  we  rest  satisfied  with  the 
Scrijiture  account,  confirmed  as  it  is  by  tra- 
dition and  the  actual  geological  appearance 
of  certain  parts  of  the  earth.  Wo  know 
that  great  changes  in  the  distribution  of 
land  and  water  upon  the  earth's  surface 
have  taken  place,  and  we  know,  also,  that 
when  the  Creator,  who  made  the  earth, 
desires  to  change  its  condition,  he  has  in 
his  hands  the  means  of  accomplishing  his 
object. 

Previous  to  the  deluge,  God  had  commu- 
nicated his  design  to  Noah,  who,  by  divine 
command,  built  an  ark  or  ship,  into  which 
he  gathered  his  family,  and  pairs  of  all 
animals,  with  the  requisite  food  for  them. 
After  all  was  ready,  the  floods  came,  and 
the  rain  fell  forty  days.  The  face  of  the 
whole  earth  was  covered,  and  all  animal 
creation  was  cut  off. 

"When  the  waters  had  lain  on  the  earth 
a  hundred  and  fifty  days,  the  Lord  remem- 
bered Noah,  and  every  living  thing,  and  all 


430 


THE    DELUGE. 


the  cattle  that  was  with  him  in  the  ark  ;  and 
God  made  a  wind  to  pass  over  the  earth,  and 
the  waters  were  assuaged;  the  fountains 
also  of  the  deep,  and  the  windows  of  heaven 
were  stopped,  and  the  rain  from  heaven  was 
restrained  ;  and  the  waters  returned  from 
off  the  earth  continually  ;  and,  after  the  end 
of  the  hundred  and  fifty  days,  the  waters 
were  abated.  And  the  ark  rested  in  the 
seventh  month,  on  the  seventeenth  day  of 
the  month,  upon  the  mountains  of  Ararat. 
And  the  waters  decreased  continually,  until 
the  tenth  month;  in  the  tenth  month,  on 
the  first  day  of  the  month,  were  the  tops  of 
the  mountains  seen. 

"  And  it  caine  to  pass  at  the  end  of  forty 
days,  that  Noah  opened  the. window  of  the 
ark,  which  he  had  made  ;  and  he  sent  forth 
a  raven,  which  went  forth  to  and  fro,  until 
the  waters  were  dried  up  from  off  the  earth. 
Also,  he  sent  forth  a  dove  from  him,  to  see 
if  the  waters  were  abated  from  off  the  face 
of  the  ground  ;  but  the  dove  found  no  rest 
for  the  sole  of  her  foot,  and  she  returned 
unto  him  into  the  ark  ;  for  the  waters  were 
on  the  face  of  the  wliole  earth.  Then  he 
put  forth  his  hand,  and  took  her,  and  pulled 
her  in  unto  him  into  the  ark.  And  he 
stayed  yet  other  seven  days,  and  again  he 
sent  forth  the  dove  out  of  the  ark.  And 
the  dove  came  in  to  hiin  in  the  evening,  and 
lo,  in  her  mouth  was  an  olive-leaf  plucked 


off.  So  Noah  knew  that  the  waters  were 
abated  from  off  the  earth.  And  he  stayed 
yet  other  seven  days,  and  sent  forth  the 
dove  ;  which  returned  not  again  unto  liim 
any  more. 

"  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  six  hundredth 
and  first  year,  in  the  first  month,  the  first 
day  of  the  month,  the  waters  were  dried  up 
from  off  the  earth  ;  and  Noah  removed  the 
covering  of  the  ark,  and  looked,  and  behold, 
the  face  of  the  ground  was  dry.  And  in  the 
second  month,  on  the  seven  and  twentieth 
day  of  the  month,  was  the  earth  dried. 
And  God  spake  unto  Noah,  saying.  Go  forth 
of  the  ark,  thou,  and  thy  wife,  and  thy  sons, 
and  thy  sons'  wives  with  thee.  Bring  forth 
with  thee  every  living  thing  that  is  with 
thee,  of  all  flesh,  botii  of  fowl  and  of  cattle, 
and  of  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth 
upon  the  earth ;  that  they  may  breed  abun- 
dantly in  the  earth,  and  be  fruitful,  and 
multiply  upon  the  earth." 

Noah's  ark  is  estimated  to  have  been  of 
forty-two  thousand  four  hundred  tons'  bur- 
then. It  seems  that  it  was  at  least  half  a 
century  in  being  built.  The  material  was 
gopher-wood,  which  was  probably  cedar.  It 
was  covered  inside  and  out,  with  pitch.  It 
was  in  form  like  an  old-fashioned  trunk, 
with  a  rounded  roof.  It  was  probably  built 
near  the  mountain  of  Ararat,  where  it  finallj 
rested. 


Mjunl  AraraL 


In  Armenia,  near  the  mountam  of  Ararat, 
there  are  many  popular  traditions  of  the 
deluge  and  the  ark,  and  we  find  traces  of 


this  narrative   in  the  ancient  writings  of 
Egj'pt,  Greece,  Syria,  &c. 


THE    BLUE    JAY. 


431 


THE   BLUE   JAY. 

This  elegant  bird  is  peculiar  to  North 
America,  ami  is  distingiiislicd  as  a  kind  of 
bean  among^  the  feathered  tenants  of  our 
woods  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  dress;  and, 
like  most  other  coxcombs,  he  makes  himself 
still  more  conspicuous  by  his  locpiacity  and 
the  oddness  of  his  tones  and  ijestures.  He  is 
almost  a  universal  inhabitant  of  the  woods, 
frecpientinsj  the  tiiickest  settlements  as  well 
as  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  forest,  where 
his  squallintj  voice  often  alarms  the  deer,  to 
the  disappointment  of  the  luniter. 

In  the  charmiiit:^  season  of  spring-,  when 
every  tliicket  pours  forlh  harmony,  the  part 
performed  by  the  jay  always  catches  the  ear. 
He  appears  to  be,  among  his  fellow-musi- 
cians, what  tlie  trumpeter  is  in  a  band,  some 
of  his  notes  bearing  no  distant  resemblance 
to  the  tones  of  that  instnnnent.  These  he 
has  the  faculty  of  changing  through  a  great 
variety  of  modulations.  When  disposed 
for  ridicule,  there  is  scarcely  a  bird  whose 
peculiarities  of  song  he  cannot  tune  his 
notes  to.  When  engaged  in  the  blandish- 
ments of  love,  they  resemble  the  soft  chat- 
terings  of  a  duck,  and  are  scarce  heard  at 
some  paces  distant ;  but  no  sooner  does  he 
discover  your  approach,  than  he  sets  up  a 
sudden  and  vehement  outcrv,  flying  ofT  and 
screaming  with  all  his  might.  His  notes, 
a  stranger  might  readily  mistake  for  the 
repeated  creakings  of  an  ungrcased  wheel- 
barrow !  All  these  he  accompanies  with 
various  rwds,  jerks,  and  other  gesticula- 
tions, for  whioli  the  whole  tribe  of  jays  are 
so  remarkable. 


The  blue  jay  builds  a  large  nest,  on  a 
cedar  or  apple-tree.  His  favorite  food  is 
chestnuts,  acorns,  and  Indian  corn.  He 
sometimes  feeds  on  bugs  and  caterpillars, 
and  often  plunders  orchards,  cherry-rows 
and  potato-patches.  He  spreads  alarm  and 
sorrow  around  him,  by  robbing  the  nests 
of  other  birds,  sucking  the  eggs,  and  fre- 
quently devouring  the  young.  In  times  of 
great  extremity,  he  will  devour  any  animal 
substance  that  comes  in  his  way. 

Of  all  birds,  he  is  the  most  bitter  enemy 
to  the  owl.  No  sooner  has  he  discovered 
the  retreat  of  one  of  these,  than  he  sum- 
mtins  the  whole  feathered  fraternity  to  his 
assistance,  who  surround  the  glimmering 
solitaire,  and  attack  him  from  all  sides,  rais- 
ing such  a  shout  as  may  be  heard  half  a 
mile  oil';  the  owl  meanwhile  returning  every 
compliment  with  a  broad  goggling  stare. 
The  war  becomes  louder  and  louder,  and 
the  owl,  at  length  forced  to  betake  himself 
to  flight,  is  followed  by  the  whole  train  of 
his  impudent  persecutors,  until  driven  be- 
yond their  jurisdiction. 

The  jay  is  not  only  bold  and  vociferous, 
but  possesses  considerable  talent  for  mimic- 
ry, and  seems  to  enjoy  great  satisfaction  in 
mocking  and  teasing  other  birds,  particu- 
larly the  sparrow-hawk,  nnitating  his  cry 
whenever  he  sees  him,  and  squealing  out 
as  if  caught.  This  soon  brings  a  number 
of  his  tribe  aroimd  him,  who  all  join  in  the 
frolic,  darting  about  the  hawk,  and  feigning 
the  cries  of  a  bird  sorely  wounded  ;  but  this 
ludicrous  farce  often  ends  tragically.  The 
hawk,  singling  out  one  of  the  most  insolent 
and  provoking,  sweeps  upon  him  in  an  un- 
guarded moment,  and  offers  him  up  a  sac- 
rifice to  his  hunger  and  resentment.  In  an 
instant  the  tone  is  changed  ;  all  their  buf- 
loonery  vanishes,  and  loud  and  incessant 
screams  proclaim  their  disaster. 

A  blue  jay,  which  was  brought  up  in  the 
family  of  a  gentleman  in  South  Carolina, 
had  all  the  tricks  and  loquacity  of  a  )iarrot ; 
pilfered  everything  he  could  conveniently 
carry  ofl",  and  hid  if  in  holes  and  crev- 
ices ;  answered  to  his  name  with  great 
sociability  when  called  on,  could  articulate 
a  number  of  words  pretty  distinctly  ;  and 
when  he  heard  any  uncommon  noise  or 
loud  talking,  seemed  impatient  to  contrib- 
ute to  the  general  festivity,  by  a  display  of 
all  the  oratorical  powers  he  was  possessed  of. 

This  bird  is  eleven  inciies  in  lengtli.  His 
head  is  ornamented  with  a  crest  of  light 
blue  or  purjile  feathers  ;  whole  upper  parts 
light  blue  or  purple.  The  tail  is  long,  and 
light  blue,  tijiped  with  black. 


MOUNT   AUBURN 


We  propose  to  devote  a  few  pages  to  this 
hamlet  of  (he  dead.  It  was  a  sweet  spot  as 
it  came  from  the  hands  of  nature  ;  but  it 
has  been  improved  by  art,  and  fitted  for  its 
solemn  purposes.  It  is  now  the  home  of 
our  kindred.  There  sleep  the  high  and  the 
humble  —  those  who  lived  many  years,  and 
went  down  with  gray  hairs  (o  the  tomb,  and 
those  of  a  few  days,  who  were  cut  off  like 
early  flowers  by  tlie  frosts  of  spring.  There 
lie  Spurzheim  and  Story,  among  the  men 
of  fame  —  and  there  sleep  McLellan  and 
Buckingham,  among  the  youthful  and  the 
beloved.  And  all  around  these,  and  many 
other  sleepers,  there  are  trees  in  full  leaf, 
and  flowers  in  full  bloom  ;  and  birds  are 
singing  there,  and  the  sunshine  is  dancing 
upon  the  face  of  rippling  waters.  'T  is  a 
lovely  spot  —  beautiful  and  holy  —  beauti- 
ful to  the  eye,  and  holy  to  the  heart. 

The  grounds  are  shaped  into  hills  and 
valleys,  and  pathways  are  cut  between  ;  and 
as  you  pass  along,  sheets  of  water,  and  white 
monuments,  of  chaste  and  classic  forms, 
shine  upon  the  eye,  through  the  shadowy 
vistas  that  open  on  every  side.  How  cold 
and  senseless  are  these  marbles  !  yet  not 
colder  than  the  human  forms  that  repose 
beneath  them.  How  solemn  is  the  city  of 
tbe  dead!  and  yet  here  death  itself  is  rob- 
bed of  its  gloom.  The  place  is  mournful, 
yet  suggestive  of  hopeful  and  cheerful 
thoughts.  We  know  that  the  dead,  the 
departed,  are  here  ;  but  there  is  a  sermon 
in  the  scene,  which  teaches  us  that  this  is 
not  their  final  resting-place.  The  interest 
we  feel  in  these  forms  convinces  us  that 
they  are  not  really  dead,  but  sleeping. 
When  we  go  away,  the  mind  returns  often 


to  the  place,  and  becomes  familiar  with 
death.  We  are  thus  made  to  think  of  our 
own  departure,  and  the  remembrance  of  the 
tomb  mingles  in  the  affairs  of  busy  life. 
The  idea  of  death  is  now  not  shut  out  as  a 
horrible  and  revolting  vision  ;  it  is  admitted 
and  made  the  subject  of  frequent  contempla- 
tion and  reflection.  It  may  well  be  iioped, 
that,  under  such  circumstances,  the  reality 
of  death  may  be  established  in  the  mind 
and  a  preparation  for  it  be  the  natural  result. 

The  cemetery  of  Mount  Auburn  is  situ- 
ated in  Cambridge,  about  four  miles  north- 
west of  Boston.  The  grounds  comprise 
about  70  acres,  and  are  now  encircled  with 
a  handsome  iron  railing.  The  place  had 
been  long  known  by  the  name  of  "  Sweet 
Auburn''  —  a  fact  which  shows  how  its 
beauty,  even  in  a  state  of  nature,  had  struck 
the  mind  of  observers. 

The  idea  of  purchasing  this  place  for  a 
cemetery  was  started  about  the  year  1S25  ; 
and  that  year  a  meeting  upon  the  subject 
was  held  By  several  gentlemen,  at  the  house 
of  Dr.  Bigelow,  in  Boston.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  efficient  measures  in  1831;  the 
site  was  purchased  for  si-X  thousand  dollars, 
and  an  act  of  incorporation  obtained  from 
the  state.  In  September,  1S31,  the  place 
was  consecrated,  there  being  more  than  two 
tiiousand  persons  present.  On  this  occa- 
sion. Judge  Story  delivered  an  address,  full 
of  interesting  and  beautiful  thoughts.  From 
this  we  make  the  following  extract :  • — 

"What  a  multitude  of  thoughts  crowd 
upon  the  mind  in  the  contemplation  of  such 
a  scene  !  How  much  of  the  future,  even  in 
its  far  distant  reaches,  rises  before  us  with 
all  its  persuasive  realities  !     Take  but  one 


MOUNT    AUBURN. 


433 


little  narrow  space  of  time,  and  how  aflect- 
ing  are  its  associations  !  Within  the  flight 
ofone  half  century,  how  many  of  the  great, 
the  good,  and  tlie  wise  will  be  gathered 
here  '.  How  many,  in  the  loveliness  of  in- 
fancy, the   beauty  of  youth,  the   vigor  of 


manhood,  and  the  matuiity  of  age,  will  lie 
down  here,  and  dwell  in  the  bosom  of  their 
mother  earth  !  —  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the 
gay  and  the  wretched,  the  favorites  of  thou- 
sands and  the  forsaken  of  the  world,  the 
stranger  in  his  solitary  grave,  and  the  patri- 


Gmsecralion  Pt^lL 


arch  surrnnnded  hy  the  kindred  of  long  lin- 
eage. How  many  will  here  bury  their 
brightest  hopes,  or  blasted  expectations  ! 
How  many  bitter  tears  will  here  be  shed  I 
How  many  agonizing  sighs  will  here  lie 
heaved  !     How   many  trembling   feet   will 


cross  the  pathways,  and,  returning,  Icnve 
behind  them  the  dearest  objects  of  their 
reverence  or  their  love  !  And  if  this  were 
all,  sad,  indeed,  and  fimereal,  would  be  our 
thonghts  ;  gloomy,  indeed,  would  be  these 
shades,  and  desolate  these  prospects." 


Forest  Pond. 


It  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  give  a 
minute  account  of  this  interesting  cemetery, 
for  our  rc-iders  have  all  seen  it,  or  heard 
a  great  deal  about  it ;  but,  for  the  benelit 
of  those  who  have  never  had  the  pleasure 


of  visiting  it,   we   sliall  give   a   f(\v  brief 
sketches  of  the  most  interesting  objects  to   ; 
be  seen. 

Garden  Pond  is  a  lovely  sheet  of  watei, 
not  far  from  the  entrance  to  the  grounds. 


434 


MOUNT    AUBURN. 


A  neat  walk  passes  around  it,  and  bright 
flowers,  that  bloom  along  the  margin,  are 
reflected  in  the  tranquil  waters.  There  are 
also  other  charming  pieces  of  water,  among 
which  Forest  Pond  is  conspicuous. 

A  little  beyond  this  is  the  tomb  of  the 
celebrated  German  phrenologist  Spurzheim, 
who  died  in  Boston,  in  November,  1S32, 
aged  56  years. 


No  sacred  voice  of  Falher-lanrl, 

Like  home  familiar,  soothed  liis  bed  ; 
No  aucienl  friend's  Idest,  welcome  iiaa-i 
Raised  Ills  sick  head. 

From  the  far  home  thai  gave  him  birth, 

A  pilLjriin  o'er  ihe  ocean  wave, 
He  came  to  lind,  in  oiln^r  earth, 
A  stranger's  grave. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  finer  monuments  in 
the  cemetery,  we  present  a  view  of  that  be- 


longnig  to  S.  Appleton.  It  is  of  white  Ital- 
ian marble,  in  the  form  of  a  temple,  of  cor- 
rect proportions,  and  beautifully  chiselled. 
It  is  copied,  we  believe,  from  the  model  of 
a  celebrated  Roman  toirib  of  high  anticjuity. 
The  Curtis  monument  is  on  the  left  of 
the  central  avenue,  as  we  proceed  from  the 
gatev.'ay,  and   is   interesting  as   the   place 


where  the  remains  of  James  Freeman  Curti.s 

arc  deposited.     This  individual,  who  had  as 

i   inanv'  personal  friends  as  any  other,  and  who 


was  suddenly  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  days, 
was  a  native  of  Boston,  and  became,  in  early 
life,  a  midshipman  in  our  navy.  He  was 
captured  in  the  Chesapeake,  when  she  was 
taken  by  the  Shannon,  1S13.  He  was  car- 
ried to  Halifax,  and  was  one  of  the  officers 
selected  bj^  the  British  as  hostages  for  the 
lives  of  certain  Englishmen  imprisoned  by 
our  government.  Afterwards,  he  served  as 
midshipman  in  the  Constitution,  when,  un- 
der Commodore  Stev.'art,  she  captured  in 
the  same  action  the  frigate  Cyane  and  the 
Levant.  He  was  sent  home  by  the  com- 
modore second  in  command  of  the  Cyane, 
and  arrived  with  the  prize  at  New  York. 
In  1815,  after  peace  with  England,  he  joined 
the  fleet  sent,  under  Decatur,  to  chastise 
the  Algerincs,  then  in  power  in  the  Medi- 
terranean. His  ne.xt  service  of  iinportance 
was  as  first  lieutenant  of  the  brig  Porpoise, 
which  was  ordered  to  the  West  Indies  to 
protect  our  commercf  from  pirates.  Mr. 
Curtis  personally  'destroyed,  by  leading  his 
inen  in  boats  up  a  deep  lagoon,  at  the  immi- 
nent risk  of  his  life,  one  of  the  most  con- 
siderable establishments  of  these  miscreants. 
After  these  duties  were  performed,  he  ob- 
tjiined  a  furlough,  and  made  several  voyages 
to  India  and  Eunipe,  in  the  merchant  ser- 
vice ;  during  which  period,  as  captam  of  a 


MOUNT    AUBURN. 


435 


brig,  it  fell  to  his  Int  to  rescue  the  lives  of 
eight  fellow-hcinnrs,  left  in  the  midst  of  the 
Atlantic,  their  ship  having  foundered. 

Such  was  the  activity  of  the  youth  of 
Curtis.  Nor  was  it  less  signal  in  after  years ; 
though,  having  resigned  his  commission  in 
the  navy,  in  lSiJ4, —  at  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, —  it  displayed  itself  in  another  sphere 
of  usefulness  and  duty.  His  fellow-citizens 
were  familiar  with  him,  particularly  as  su- 
perintendent of  the  Boston  and  Worcester 
railroad,  in  which  ofTice  he  remained  till  his 
decease.  In  lS3o,  while  passing  under  an 
arch  in  one  of  the  cars,  his  head  was  dashed 
against  a  pier,  and  life  was  immediately  ex- 
tinct. It  is  a  strong  and  emphatic  testimo- 
nial, as  to  the  puhlic  estimate  of  his  charac- 


Loihrop. 

ter,  that  a  suitable  provision  for  his  family 
was  immediately  made  by  subscription. 

Proceeding  up  the  central  avenue,  and 
passing  a  monument  which  bears  the  name 
of  "  Stilhnan  Lothrop,"  we  come  to  a  liand- 


Haniialt  Adams. 

some  white  marble  column  on  the  left,  in- 
scribed thus  :  "  To  Hannah  Adams,  Histo- 


rian of  the  Jews,  and  Reviewer  of  the 
Christian  Sects,  this  is  erected  by  her 
Female  Friends.  First  tenant  of  ]\Iount 
Auburn,  she  died  Dec.  15,  1S31,  aged  TO." 


.^..  ■^. 


On  the  same  avenue  is  Dr.  J.  Rigelow's,  I 
—  a  rmmd,  uiilirii>hed  colunm  of  marble,  f 
with  a  festoon  of  olive  leaves  Inmg  about  it,  i 
near  the  top ;  and,  further  onward,  two  ! 
granite  obelisl,s,  with  tlie  names  of  "  Stone''  i 
and  "  Stephens."  > 


This  brings  us  to  Cedar  Avenue,  where 
we  liiid  the  name  of  "jMelzar  Dunbar"  on 
one  stone,  and  that  of  "  Lienow"  on  another 
—  ihe  latter  an  untinished  column. 

On  Poplar  Avenue,  the  stranger's  eye 
will  be  arrested  by  the  monument  of  "  Mc- 
Lellan."  Among  the  names  on  the  tablets, 
each  side  of  the  door  of  the  tiimb  beneath, 
appears  that  of  "  Henry  Blake  McLellan," 
who  died  in  1833,  at  the  age  of  22  ;  to  which 
the  inscription  adds,  that  he  was  "gradu- 


436 


MOUNT    AUBURN. 


ated  at  Harvard  University  in  1829  ;  com- 
menced the  study  of  divinity  at  Andover  ; 
spent  two  years  at  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh, and  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  in 


Lieiiow. 


the  completion  of  his  studies."  He  returned 
home,  but  a  fever  closed  his  life  in  three 
months  afterwards.  A  writer  on  Mount 
Auburn  says :  — 


'  I  was  a  stricken  deer,  that  left  the  herd 

Lotig  since.     With  many  an  arrow,  deep  infixed, 

My  panting  side  was  charged,  when  I  witluircw 

To  sceli  a  tranquil  death  in  distant  shades. 

There  was  I  found  hy  one,  wiio  liad  himself 

Been  Ittirt  iiv  the  arcllers.     In  fiis  side  he  hore. 

And  in  his  hands  and  feet,  the  cruel  scars. 

With  gentle  force,  solicilmg  the  darts. 

He  drew  them  forth,  and  healed,  and  hade  me  live.' 

"The  author  of  the  memoir  of  McLellan, 
.Tttachcd  to  the  Journal  of  his  Travels  in 
Europe,  which  was  published  soon  after  his 
decease,  states  that,  not  long  previous  to 
leaving  tliis  country,  he  wrote,  in  one  of  his 
letters,  the  following  passage  in  relation  to 
the  cemetery  at  Mount  Auburn.  It  is  justly 
retnarked,  that  the  coincidence  of  that  pas- 
sage with  the  event  of  his  death  was  cer- 
tainly striking,  and  that  the  sentences  pos- 
sess a  peculiar  interest,  when  we  remember 
that  he  himself  was  the  first  member  of  the 
ifamily  laid  to  rest  in  that  rural  cemetery, 
and  that  there  he  is  now,  according  to  his 
own  wish,  'sleeping  his  long,  cold  sleep.' 

" '  You  speak  of  the  rural  cemetery  at 
sweet  Auburn.  I  am  pleased  with  the 
project.  It  will  undoubtedly  succeed.  I 
am  happy  to  learn  that  father  contemplates 
taking  a  spot  there.  With  those  pleasant 
places  my  college  days  are  tenderly  con- 
nected, and  I  would  lore  there  to  sleeji  my 
long,  cold  sleep.  To  such  a  place  there  is  a 
permanence  which  is  wanting  fo  the  com- 
mon churchyard  ;  the  bodies  there  deposited 
rest  quietly  forever.  Besides,  to  such  a  spot 
we  are  led  by  our  best  sympathies,  —  to 
shed  tears  or  scatter  flowers.  I  am  glad, 
too,  that  iny  dear  father  is  about  to  make 
arrangeinents  for  our  common  burial-place, 
that,  as  we  have  been  united  in  life,  we 
may  not  be  separated  in  death.' " 


McLellan. 

"There  is  one  at  rest  in  his  tomb  in  this 
enclosure,  who  was  known  to  a  large  circle 
of  friends,  and  whose  bright  prospects  were 
early  shut  in  by  death.  Having  enjoyed 
every  advantage  for  the  improvement  of  his 
mind,  and  of  preparation  for  future  useful- 
ness, by  visiting  foreign  lands,  he  returned 
to  the  bosom  of  his  family  to  die. 

"  Should  we  now  express  for  him  the 
feelings  of  anxiety  upon  the  subject  of  reli- 
gion with  which  he  left  college,  his  convic- 
tions that  he  had  not  found  a  satisfactory 
and  permanent  resting-place  for  his  hopes 
for  eternity,  and  his  subsequent  acquaint- 
ance with  evangelical  truth,  and  the  divine 
Saviour,  who  is  its  distinguished  glory  and 
chief  corner-stone,  we  should  write  upon  his 
tomb,  — 


Choate. 

The  monument  of  Choate  will  be  found 
on  Poplar  Avenue  ;  that  of  Prichard  on  Oak 


MOUNT    ADBUKN. 


437  I 


Avenue.  The  monument  of  McLeod  is  on 
VV^illow  Avenue.  It  bears  two  inscriptions, 
in  one  cf  wiiich  are  these  touching  lines  — 

"  She  died,  and  left  to  me 

Tills  spet  —  this  cahn  and  (|uiet  scene  ; 
The  memory  nf  what  has  lieeii, 
And  never  more  shull  he." 


On  Willow  Avenue  is  also  the  monument 
of  Martha  Ann  Fisher,  wiio  was  the  iJol  of 
many  friends,  and  an  ol^ct  of  ailiniration 
to  every  eye  that  beheld  her.  The  inscrip- 
tion has  this  sentence  :  "  She  is  not  here  — 
she  is  ri.sen." 


Marlh.1  Ann  Fiahcr. 

In  the  same  direction  are  the  monuments 
of  Wyin.tn  and  Howe,  Thayer,  Mason,  and 
Unckinijham.  The  latter  is  an  object  of 
deep  interest  to  all  who  know  in  life  the 
death-sleeper  in  the  vault  below. 

The  followintf  lines,  occasioned  by  the 
decease  of  Biickinrrham,  and  tlie  authorship 
of  which  is  ascribed  to  Mr.  Spraijiie,  ap- 
peared, not  long  after  that  event,  in  tlie  New 


Wyman  anil  Howo. 

England  Magazine,  of  which  highly  respec- 
table publication  he  was  a  proprietor,  as  wcl! 
as  editor,  in  coimection  with  his  father,  for 
several  years  :  — 


Edwin  Buckingham. 


il 


"  Spare  him  one  little  week,  Almiiihlv  Power! 

Yield  lu  his  father's  hmise  ills  dyiiii,'  lumr  ; 

Once  more,  once  more  Kt  them,  who  Iit-Kl  him  dear, 

Hut  see  his  face,  hi.s  faltering  voice  luit  lie.ir. 

We  know,  alas!  that  he  is  nuirkeil  for  death  ; 

liiu  lei  his  mother  watch  his  parting  hrcalh  : 

Oh !  let  hiiu  die  at  home  1 

"  It  cmild  not  be  : 
At  midnifrht,  on  r\  dnrl;  nntl  stormy  si-a, 
I'ar  frnm  his  kindreil  ami  his  native  land, 
His  panics  unsooilied  hy  lender  woman's  hand, 
The  patient  victim  in  his  cahin  lay, 
And  meekly  breathed  liis  blameless  life  away. 
****** 
'Wrapped  in  the  raiment  that  it  loni;  must  wear, 
His  hotly  to  the  deck  they  slowly  hear  : 
How  eloquent,  how  awful  in  its  power, 
The  silent  lecture  of  Death's  Sabbath  hour! 
One  voire  that  silenec  breaks  —  the  prayer  is  said, 
And  the  last  rile  man  pays  to  man  is  paid  : 
The  plashinij  water-*  ui:irk  his  restincf  place, 
And  fold  him  round  in  one  lonj;,  cold  embrace; 
Uriifht  bulibles  for  a  moment  sparkle  o'er, 
Then  bre:ik.  to  be,  like  him,  beheld  no  more  ; 
Pown,  countless  fathoms  down,  he  sinks  to  sleep, 
With  all  the  nameless  shapes  that  haunt  ihe  deep.* ' 


438 


MOUNT    AUBURN. 


It  would  not,  perhaps,  interest  the  reader, 
if  we  were  to  extend  to  any  great  length 
our  notice  of  the  various  monuments  which 
mark  the  places  of  repose,  the  chosen  abodes, 
in  this  home  of  the  dead.  We  shall  add  a 
few  more  sketches,  and  commend  it  to  the 
reader  ratlier  to  visit  this  sad  but  fascinat- 
ing spot  than  to  be  content  with  our  repre- 
sentation. 


AA  arieu  Culburn 

On  Locust  Avenue  will  be  found  the 
tomb  of  Warren  Colburn,  the  arithmetician 
—  who  died  in  1833,  at  the  age  of  40.  His 
private  character  was  most  exemplary.  A 
writer,  about  the  time  of  his  decease,  re- 
marked of  him  justly,  that  "his  study 
through  life  seemed  to  be  to  do  good." 


Chee\  er. 


came  to  America  1637 ;  died  in  1693  aged 
86." 

Not  far  from  the  tomb  of  the  Cheevers, 
on  Mountain  Avenue,  the  visitor  will  hardly 
fail  to  notice  tlie  beautiful  plain  cross,  of 
wliite  marble,  which  bears  the  name  of 
"  Swett." 


Swell. 

The  visitor  will  find,  near  to  Consecration 
Dell,  of  which  we  have  given  a  cut,  the 
sweet  avenue  called  Violet  Path  ;  and  here 
the  monument  of  Hicks  will  be  noticed. 


On  Locust  Avenue  a  handsome  sarcopha- 
gus shows  the  familiar  and  ancient  name  of 
"Cheever."     The  inscription  reads  thus:  — 

"  Bartholomew  Cheever  was  born  in  Can- 
terbury, county  of  Kent,  England,  in  1607;   and  bloom  of  society. 


Kicks. 

On  Beach  Avenue  is  the  monument 
erected  to  S.  F.  Coolidge,  with  this  inscrip- 
tion :  "  The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life." 

We  have  noticed  but  a  few  of  the  monu- 
ments in  this  cemetery,  which  is  now  stud- 
ded with  numerous  tombs,  of  various  devices, 
and  indicating  the  havoc  that  the  scythe  of 
time  is  making,  not  only  among  those  who 
are  ripe  in  years,  but  among  the  verj'  flush 


THE    NAUTILUS. 


4:J9  \ 


Wc  close  our  imperfect  sketches  with  the 
followiiio^  lilies,  founded  upon  the  fond  re- 
membrance which  redeems  the  lost  —  for  a 
time  at  least  —  from  the  grave,  and  seems 
to  make  them  live,  while  yet  dead, 

"  I  SCO  ihoe  still ! 
Rom.Miijmncc,  fniihfiil  to  her  U-ust, 
Calls  lliec  ill  licauty  from  the  ilust  ; 
Tlu'ii  coincst  ill  llie  mnriiiiig  liirht  — 
Thou'rl  with  me  through  ihe  gloomy  night ; 


In  dreams  I  meet  thee  as  of  old  ; 
Then  lliy  soft  arms  my  neck  infold, 
Aii;l  ihy  sweet  voiee  is  in  my  ear  ; 
In  every  scene  to  memory  dear 

I  see  thee  still  ! 

"  I  see  thee  still 
tn  every  hallowed  token  round  ! 
This  liiile  rini;  thy  finirer  h<Mmd, 
This  lock  of  h;iir  ihy  forehead  shaded, 
This  silken  rh.iin  hy  thee  was  hraided  ; 
ThfM'  liowers,  all  withered  now  like  thee, 
Sweet  siller,  ihon  didst  cull  for  me  ; 
'i'his  lirxdx  was  thine  —  here  didst  ihou  read 
This  jiiclure,  a!i  !  yes,  here  indeed 

I  see  thee  sliil ! 

"  I  see  thee  Mill! 
Here  was  thy  summer  noon's  retreat  ; 
This  was  thy  favorite  fireside  seal  ; 
This  was  thy  chaniher,  where,  each  day, 
1  sal  and  watrhed  thy  sail  decay  ; 
Here  on  this  hed  ihtn'i  last  diilsi  lie, 
Hero  on  this  pillow  llion  didst  pie! 
Park  hour  I  once  uku'c  its  woes  unfold  — 
As  then  I  saw  thee,  jmle  and  cold, 

I  sec  thee  still ! 

"  I  see  thee  still ! 
Thou  art  not  in  tne  tomh  confined  ; 
Pealh  cannot  claim  tlio  immortal  mind, 
[,ct  earth  close  o'er  its  sacred  trust, 
Vet  gomjiiess  dies  not  in  ihedusl. 
Thee,  0  my  sister  !  't  is  not  thee 
I^encalh  the  eolVin's  lid  I  see  ; 
Thou  to  a  fairer  land  art  gone  — 
There,  let  me  hope,  mv  journey  done, 

To  see  thee  sliU  !  " 


-         J 


THE    NAUTILUS. 


There  are  few  objects  in  nature  which 
have  more  frequently  excited  the  ailinirafion 
of  the  wise,  as  well  as  the  simple,  than  this. 
Its  shell  is  often  met  with  in  collections  of 
the  concholog:ist ;  but  to  undcrstanJ  the 
real  nature  of  the  animal,  it  sliould  be  seen 
in  its  own  clement.  Its  home  is  on  tiie  sea, 
and  it  launches  forth  upon  the  briny  el- 
ement as  fearlessly  as  a  man-of-war  ! 

It  is  said  to  spread  a  sail,  on  particular  oc- 
casions, and  thus  to  move  before  the  wind 


like  a  ship  ;  and  it  has  even  been  supposed 
to  have  first  surrffesled  the  idea  of  propel- 
ling vessels  by  means  of  sails. 

There  is  one  curious  question  in  respect 
to  the  na\itilus  which  remains  unsettled 
among  naturalists,  —  and   that  is,  whether 

i  the  creature  grows  to  his  shell,  as  an  oyster 
or  a  clam  to  his,  or  whether  he  only  carries 

I  it  on  his  back,  as  a  snail  does  his —  t;iking 

I  it  olFand  putting  it  on  at  his  pleasure.    We 

'  incline  to  the  former. 


Hfv 


THE   HORSE. 


The  horse  is  not  known  in  its  primitive 
state.  Those  which  are  found  wild,  are 
not  ferocious,  but  they  are  high-spirited. 
Though  superior  in  strength  to  the  greater 
part  of  animals,  they  never  attacli  them, 
and  if  they  are  attacked  by  others,  either 
di.^diin  them,  or  trample  them  under  their 
feet.  They  go  also  in  bodies,  and  unite 
themselves  into  troops,  merely  for  the  pleas- 
ure of  being  together  ;  for  they  are  not  fear- 
ful of,  b\it  have  an  attachment  to,  each 
other.  As  herbs  and  vegetables  are  suffi- 
cient for  their  nourishment,  they  have  quite 
enough  to  satisfy  their  appetite  ;  and  as 
they  have  no  relish  for  the  flesh  of  animals, 
they  never  make  war  with  them,  nor  witli 
each  other.  They  never  quarrel  about  their 
food;  they  have  no  occasion  to  ravish  the 
prey  of  another,  the  ordinary  source  of  con- 
tentions and  quarrels. 

The  astonishment  and  fear  which  the 
inhabitatits  of  Mexico  and  Peru  expressed 
it  tlie  sight  of  horses  and  their  riders,  con- 
vinced the  Spaniards  that  this  animal  was 
entirely  unknown  in  those  countries.  They 
therefore  carried  thither  a  great  number,  as 
well  for  service  and  their  particular  utility,  as 
to  propagate  the  breed.  These  have  spread 
over  parts  of  Mexico  and  South  America. 
Herds  of  wild  horses,  the  offspring  of  those 
which  have  escaped  from  the  Spanish  pos- 
sessions in  Mexico,  are  not  uncommon  in 
the  extensive  prairies  that  He  to  the  west 
of  the  Mississippi.  These  are  often  caught, 
and  reduced  to  service  by  the  Indians  anc 
hunters. 


THE   JAVANESE   TIGER- 
BEETLE. 

The  family  of  beetles  is  exceedingly  nu- 
merous, and  infinitely  diversified  in  size, 
form,  and  color.  Some  live  in  the  water, 
and  some  in  the  earth,  and  most  of  them  keep 
out  of  sight ;  they  are  a  sturdy,  busy,  bust- 
ling race,  and  possess  voracious  appetites. 
Nearly  all  of  them  can  fly,  though  this  is 
only  done  for  business  and  not  for  pleasure. 
Some  beetles  are  black,  some   brown,  and 


some  of  the  most  brilliant  green  and  purple, 
often  chatiging  their  hues  like  the  feathers 
of  a   peacock.     Like   other   insects,  they 


DAHIEL    WEBSTER. 


441 


breathe  by  spii'acleSjand  in  the  water-beetles 
these  are  placed  in  the  abdomen,  so  that 
you  may  often  see  these  creatures,  when 
tliey  wish  to  breathe,  putting-the  head  down 
and  the  tail  up  ! 

The  Javanese  beetle,  of  which  we  give  a 
portrait,  is  remarkable  for  its  flatness.  It 
looks,  in   fact,  like   a  piece  of  thin   rolled 


[gingerbread,  or  an  Italian  jumble  —  rather 
than  like  a  living  thing.  Yet,  singular  as  it 
appears,  the  species  docs  not  seem  to  ditTer 
in  genus  and  habits   from  the  rest  of  the 

[family,  but  is  satisfied  to  live  in  obscurity, 
under  a  stone,  in  a  cellar,  amid  the  dead 
trees  of  the  forest,  or  among  ruins,  provided 

,  it  can  get  enough  of  fish,  flesh  or  fowl  to  eat. 


DANIEL   WEBSTER. 


Daniel  Webster  was  born  in  Salisbury, 
in  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  on  the 
18th  of  January,  17S2.  He  came  of  a  good 
stock,  his  father  having  usefully  served  his 
country,  both  as  a  soldier  and  a  civilian. 
During  the  "old  French  war,"  Rlr.  Elicri- 
ezcr  Webster  served  as  a  member  of  that 
famous  corps,  "  Rogers'  Rangers  ;"  and  in 
the  revolutionary  contest,  he  look  a  promi- 
nent part  in  tlie  important  military  events 
which  led  to  the  surrender  of  Buri^oync.  In 
civil  life,  he  was  a  member  of  both  branches 
of  the  Legislature  of  New  Hampshire;  and 
in  1791  he  was  elevated  to  a  seat  on  the 
bench  of  the  Common  Pleas.  He  was  not 
a  man  likely  to  be  backward  in  procuring 
for  his  cliildrcn  every  means  of  intell'-ctnal 
cultivation  afforded  by  the  country  half  a 
century  since  ;  and  Daniel,  after  receiving 
instruction  from  a  clergyman  in  Boscawen, 
was  sent  to  E.xeter  Academy,  whence  he 
went  to  Dartmouth  College,  where,  in  due 
season,  he  graduated.  He  had  charge  of 
an  academy  at  Fryburgh,  for  about  a  year. 


Entering  the  office  of  a  lawyer,  in  his 
native  town,  he  soon  acquired  all  that 
could  be  taught  therein,  and  then  removed 
to  Boston,  where  he  commenced  a  high 
course  of  study  in  the  otTice  of  Mr.  Gore, 
afterwards  governor  of  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
Gore  had  an  important  practice,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  discovered  ]\Ir.  Webster's 
intellectual  superiority  ;  and  the  discovery 
was  attended  with  good  results  to  the  pupil, 
as  Mr.  Gore's  social  position  was  high,  and 
his  friendship  a  matter  of  great  moment  to 
any  young  man  about  to  enter  upon  a  course 
of  jiolitical  and  professional  life.  While  in 
his  oilice,  i\Ir.  Webster  devoted  himself  to 
legal  and  historical  studies  of  the  first  im- 
portance, and  laid  the  foundation  of  those 
extensive  accpiiremcnts  which  have  been  so 
useful  to  him  throughout  his  great  career. 

After  finishing  his  studies  in  Boston,  Mr. 
Webster  returned  to  New  Hampshire,  anj 
opened  an  nflice  at  Boscawen.  He  soon 
rose  to  eminence,  both  as  a  lawyer  and  a 
politician.     He  took  the  federal  side  in  poll- 


56 


■■•""ft  ./-"^nt,^  M  ■'--*        /•  'III  '"^'"' 


^Q.^ y 


1   SliStS^'"  \:.'IS'^      .^ 


^^^'^-^>^-;>*^r^^^^ 


DANIEL    WEBSTER. 


143 


tics,  and  was  by  that  party  chosen  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  the 
thirteentli  Congress.  He  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  proceeding's  of  that  body,  and 
his  reputation  at  once  became  national. 
He  made  several  speeches  on  important 
questions,  which,  as  regard  vigor  and  clear- 
ness of  style,  are  in  no  respect  inferior  to 
his  best  efTorts  in  the  Senate  of  the  Union. 
He  also  practised  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States, — a  school  admirably 
adapted  to  sharpen  the  intellect  and  purify 
the  taste  of  great  men. 

After  serving  four  years  in  Concrress,  Jlr. 
Webster  left  liiat  body,  to  devote  iiiniself 
entirely  to  his  profession.  He  removed 
from  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  which  had  been 
his  place  of  residence  for  some  years,  to 
Boston,  in  which  city  he  rapidly  acquired 
an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  In 
1S18,  he  a])pcared  in  the  famous  Dartmouth 
College  case.  Mr.  Webster  was  one  of  the 
counsel  for  the  College,  and  tlie  United 
States  Supreme  Court  sustained  his  posi- 
tion, and  set  aside  the  decision  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  New  Hampshire.  When 
the  Massachu.setts  State  Convention  met 
in  1S20,  to  revise  the  Constitution  of  the 
commonwealth,  I\Ir.  Webster  was  a  mem- 
ber of  it ;  and  in  that  body  he  spoke  several 
times  on  questions  of  great  interest,  and  in 
a  manner  calculated  to  add  to  his  fame. 

In  1S20,  ]\Ir.  Webster  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  United  States  House  of 
Representatives,  by  the  people  of  the  Suf- 
folk district.  He  represented  this  district 
for  six  years,  when  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Senate,  in  which  body  he  has  since 
played  so  conspicuous  a  part.  While  a 
member  of  the  House,  he  made  several 
speeches  on  topics  of  interest  to  the  whole 
civilized  world.  That  on  the  Greek  ques- 
tion, and  another  on  the  Panama  mission, 
may  be  particularly  cited. 

In  the  Senate,  ]\Ir.  Welister  continued  to 
serve  until  he  was  made  Secretary  of  State, 
by  President  Harrison,  in  March,  1S41. 
His  place  in  that  body  was  second  to  that 
of  no  man  during  tlie  long  period  that  he 
remained  there  ;  and  among  the  senators  of 
those  days  were  Calhoun,  Clay,  Woodbury, 
Benton,  Hayne,  Randolph,  Van  Buren,  and 
several  others  of  the  most  distinguished  of 
our  countrymen,  who  have  lived  and  flour- 
ished during  the  last  forty  years.  On  every 
question  which  atrordcd  room  for  great  and 
weighty  discussion,  Mr.  Wobstei  had  more 
or  less  to  say  in  tlie  Senate.  Tiie  bare 
enumeration  of  his  leading  speeches  in  that 
branch   of  the   national    legislature   would 


suffice  to  show  how  vast  was  his  applica- 
tion, how  various  weTe  his  attainments,  and 
how  universal  was  his  comprehension.  His 
greatest  efforts  were  made  on  constitutional 
questions,  and  these  acquired  for  him  that 
title  of  which  his  friends  are  so  justly  proud, 
namely,  "  The  Expounder  of  the  Consti- 
tution." He  spoke  on  the  tariff  question 
in  1S2S;  and  his  replies  to  Mr.  Hayne,  in 
Jan.,  1S.30,  completed  his  fame.  Opinions 
may  difler  on  the  merits  of  the  views  upheld 
by  the  southern  and  the  northern  states- 
men in  that  intellectual  lournay  ;  but  there 
cannot  bo  more  than  one  opinion  as  to  the 
ability  with  whicli  ]\^r.^\'ebste^  sustained  his 
sentiments  respecting  the  constitution,  and 
vindicated  New  Kngland  against  the  absurd 
charges  of  men  who  were  ignorant  alike  of 
her  history  and  the  spirit  of  her  people. 

In  the  "winter  of  1S3L',  '33,  he  took  the 
lead,  thongli  a  principal  member  of  the  op- 
position partv,  in  support  of  those  measures 
whicli  were  proposed  by  government  to  pre- 
vent the  full  siiccess  of  the  nullification 
party  in  South  Carolina.  His  course  on 
that  occasion  was  much  approved  through- 
out the  country,  by  men  of  all  parties,  and 
is  said  to  have  brought  the  President  (Gen. 
Jackson)  and  Mr.  Webster  into  intimate 
relations  with  each  other;  and  certainly  no 
men  were  more  likely  to  appreciate  one 
another's  great  qualities,  several  of  which 
were  common  to  both.  Throughout  the 
great  contest  which  resulted  from  the  de- 
termination of  government  to  suppress  the 
United  States  Bank,  ]\Ir.  Webster  was  the 
chief  champion  of  the  opposition  party,  in 
support  of  whose  principles  he  made  some 
of  his  most  cfTectivc  speeches,  as  well  at 
public  meetings  as  in  the  Senate. 

At  the  presidential  election  of  1S36,  Jlr. 
Webster  received  the  vote  of  ^Massachusetts 
for  the  presidency.  The  election  of  that 
year  was  remarkable  for  presenting  a  sort 
of  guerilla  warfare  on  the  part  of  the  op- 
position, who,  instead  of  uniting  their  etrorts 
on  some  one  of  their  eminent  leaders,  ran 
no  less  than  four  diflerent  candidates, —  a 
policy  so  suicidal  that  there  is  nothing  to 
bo  said  in  excuse  of  it  by  those  who  are  of 
opinion  that  the  government  should  be  con- 
ducted on  Whig  principles.  Being  able,  at 
this  distance  of  time,  to  speak  with  some 
degree  of  certainty  on  the  subject,  it  is  not 
hazarding  much  to  say,  that  had  the  Whig 
party  concentrated  its  whole  energies  on 
some  one  competent  man  at  that  election, 
they  would  have  triumphed  almost  as  sig- 
nally as  they  did  four  years  later ;  and  the 
future  historian  of  the  country  will  have  to 


444 


DANIEL    WEBSTER. 


express  either  his  joy  or  his  regret,  accord- 
ing to  the  character  of  his  political  senti- 
ment*, that  an  opportunity  was  thrown 
away  for  elevating  the  first  man  of  the  na- 
tion to  the  first  place  in  the  nation. 

In  1S39,  Mr.  Webster  visited  England, 
where  he  was  received  in  the  most  flattering- 
manner,  his  reputation  having  become  uni- 
versal. Returning  home,  he  took  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  great  presidential  contest 
of  1S40,  which  eventuated  in  the  defeat  of 
the  democratic  party.  He  was  called  to 
the  first  place  in  the  cabinet  by  President 
Harrison,  with  the  full  approbation  of  the 
triumphant  party.  After  Gen.  Harrison's 
death,  Mr.  Webster  continued  Secretary  of 
State  under  President  Tyler,  and  did  not 
retire  from  that  office  when  his  colleagues 
resigned  their  places,  after  the  bill  enacting 
a  National  Bank  had  been  refused  the  ex- 
ecutive sanction.  Mr.  Webster  had  entered 
the  cabinet,  it  is  understood,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  settling  several  questions  connected 
with  foreign  affairs  and  our  commercial 
policy  ;  and  he  very  properly  did  not  think 
it  necessary  to  lose  sight  of  these  in  a  con- 
test relating  solely  to  matters  connected 
with  our  domestic  financial  policy.  It 
would  be  unjust  to  Mr.  Webster  to  omit  to 
say,  that  his  opinions  on  great  questions 
underwent  no  change  because  of  his  re- 
maining in  the  cabinet ;  and  he  left  that 
body  so  soon  as  Mr.  Tyler  showed  a  deter- 
mination to  favor  the  democracy,  and  had 
commenced  those  movements  which  resulted 
in  the  annexation  of  Texas.  He  was  Sec- 
retary of  State  more  than  two  years,  during 
which  time  the  North-Eastern  Boundary 
question  was  settled,  and  a  source  of  irrita- 
tion between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain  removed. 

Mr.  Webster  remained  about  two  years 
in  private  life,  when  he  was  again  elected 
to  the  United  States  Senate,  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  Massachusetts,  in  place  of  Mr. 
Choate.  Of  his  labors  in  that  body  during 
the  last  three  years,  it  is  not  necessary  to 
speak  at  length.  He  has  spoken  on  sev- 
eral interesting  occasions,  and  always  com- 
manded, from  senators  and  from  the  country, 
that  degree  of  attention  which  is  due  to  the 
greatness  of  his  intellect  and  the  extent  of 
his  experience.  His  term  of  service  in  the 
U.  S.  Sei  ate  will  expire  in  18.31. 

Great  as  have  been  Mr.  Webster's 
speeches  in  Congress,  it  may  be  doubted 
if  they  are  superior  to  many  made  by  him 
elsewhere.  He  has  been  very  nappy  on 
occasions  when  he  has  addressed  his  fel- 
Icw-citizens,  and  it  is  proper  to  add,  that 


the  respect  in  which  he  has  been  held  by 
his  countrymen  has  prevented  them  from 
calling  upon  him  save  on  occasions  of  the 
first  consequence.  As  illustrative  of  our 
remark,  we  may  be  permitted  to  refer  to  his 
address  at  Plymouth,  on  the  two  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims, 

—  to  that  of  the  17th  of  June,  182.5,  at  the 
laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  Bunker  Hill 
monument,  when  Lafayette  was  present,  — 
to  the  eulogy  on  Adams  and  Jefl^erson,  pro- 
nounced in  Faiieuil  Hall,  in  1S26,  —  and  to 
the  address  on  the  completion  of  Bunker 
Hill  monument,  June  17,  1843.  All  these 
addresses  are  of  the  highest  order,  and  have 
taken  permanent  places  in  our  literature. 

As  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Webster  has  been  very 
successful.  The  cases  in  which  he  has 
been  engaged  have  always  been  of  that 
class  which,  from  the  principles  involved, 
or  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  at  stake, 
have  commanded  attention,  and  compelled 
counsel  to  have  recourse  to  law  as  a  science. 
Most  of  his  cases  have  been  of  a  civil 
character.  We  have  no  knowledge  of  his 
having  been  concerned  in  more  than  three 
criminal  cases  of  importance  since  his  resi- 
dence in  Massachusetts. 

The  place  of  Mr.  Webster  will  be  great 
in  American  history.  He  has  not,  it  is 
true,  filled  the  highest  office  of  the  land  ; 
but  it  is  not  necessary  to  a  man's  fame  that 
he  should  be  successful  in  reaching  to  high 
official  station.  The  greatest  of  historical 
personages,  those  men  to  whom  "  fame  has 
lent  her  purest  ray,  the  most  renowned  of 
worthy  wights  of  yore,"  rarely  reached  to 
high  places  in  life.  It  was  reserved  to  them 
to  achieve  immortality  in  other  than  common 
ways.  What  places,  beyond  those  which 
the  most  ordinary  of  English  gentlemen 
have  often  liUed,  fell  to  the  lot  of  John 
Hampden  ?  Yet,  there  is  not  a  man 
living  who  would  not  prefer  to  have  been 
Hampden  rather  than  either  SU'afibrd  or 
Clarendon.  Wm.  Pitt  was,  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  prime  minister  of  England, 

—  Charles  James  Fox's  olTicial  life  did  not 
extend  to  as  many  months  ;  but  will  any 
one  undertake  to  say  that  Fox  will  have  a 
place  in  history  inferior  to  that  of  Pitt?  So 
will  it  be  with  many  of  our  American  states- 
men. Some,  who  have  been  elevated  to 
high  places,  will  find  their  proper  level  in 
history,  while  those  who  have  been  voted 
"  unavailables "  in  life,  will  become  the 
guiding-stars  of  the  nation  when  removed 
beyond  the  reach  of  both  the  apj  lause  of 
friends  and  the  malice  of  enemies. 

Pictorial  National  Library. 


HF  «««^iv«^«^^^^vvw<v^ 


JOHN  CALDWELL  CALHOUN. 


John  C.  Calhoun  was  born  in  the  State 
of  South  Carolina,  of  Irish  parents,  on  the 
lS(h  of  March,  17S2.  His  parents  were 
rcvohitionary  Wiiicfs,  and  during  the  war 
of  Independence  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  tierce  strnggles  which  marked  the  war 
in  the  southern  departnient.  His  father 
was  distinguished  for  his  prowess  against 
the  Indians,  and  was  thirtv  years  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  of  South  Carolina.  In 
spite  of  the  dillicullics  which  at  that  period 
lav  in  the  way  of  olitaining  an  education, 
young  Callioun  had,  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen, aci|uircd  a  large  stock  of  information. 
Though  he  had  at  (irst  intended  to  liecomc 
a  planter,  he  changed  his  mind,  at  the  in- 
stance of  his  brother  James,  and  entered 
Yale  College,  where  he  graduated  with  full 
honors  in  1801.  After  passing  three  years 
in  studying  for  the  bar,  he  entereil  at  once 
upon  his  political  career,  being  nominated 
and  elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  where 
lie  stivod  two  years.  In  ISIO,  he  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  House  of  Rep- 
rcsent.ativcs,  where  he  was  put  upon  the 
Committee  of  Foreign  Relations,  at  that 
time  a  very  important  committee,  owing  to 
the  position  of  this  country  towards  Europe. 
As  chairman  of  this  committee,  he  reported 
the  bill  declaring  war  against  England. 


In  1S17,  Mr.  Calhoun  became  Secretary 
of  War  in  Mr.  INIonroc's  cabinet.  Under 
his  control  the  war  office  became  a  model 
of  administrative  excellence.  In  1S21, 
there  being  no  choice  of  president  by  the 
people,  Jolin  Quincy  Adams  was  elected  as 
such  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  ]\Ir. 
Calhoun  liaving  been  chosen  vice-president 
by  the  people.  In  1S2S,  he  was  again 
elected  vice-president  by  the  people,  Gen. 
Jackson  being  named  president.  In  1S32, 
Mr.  Calhoun  resigned  the  ofTice  of  vice- 
president,  in  order  to  bo  sent  to  the  Senate 
from  his  State,  to  sustain  the  political 
opinions  of  South  Carolina  on  the  tariff 
question.  This  question  was  debated  in 
the  winter  of  1S33,  where  the  South  Caro- 
linian had  to  sustain,  alone  and  tmassisted, 
the  entire  weight  of  the  argument,  against 
Daniel  Webster,  and  a  host  of  others.  The 
controversy,  which  received  the  name  of 
the  "nullification  question,'  was,  however, 
closed  by  the  compromise  bill  of  Mr.  Clay. 
In  1S43,  he  retired  from  the  Senate,  having 
served  with  that  body  upwards  of  ten  years. 
In  1S44,  the  last  year  of  President  Tyler's 
term,  he  filled  the  office  of  Secretary  of 
State.  In  1845,  he  was  returned  to  the 
Senate,  where  he  still  continues  to  serve. 


THE   CITY   OF   BAGDAD. 


Bagdad,  a  famous  city  nf  Asiatic  Tur- 
key, and  DOW  the  capital  of  the  province  of 
the  same  name,  is  situated  on  the  Tigris, 
about  200  miles  from  tlie  junction  of  that 
river  with  the  Euphrates.  Its  population 
amounts  to  about  70,000,  and  consists 
chiefly  of  Arabs  and  Turks.  It  stands  on 
both  banks  of  the  river,  and  the  communi- 
cation between  the  two  sides  is  Icept  up  by 
means  of  a  bridge  of  boats.  The  town  is 
of  an  oblong  shape,  and  is  surrounded  by 
a  high  wall  of  briclc  and  mud,  flaidced  at 
regular  distances  with  towers,  some  of  which 
are  of  immense  size.  It  is,  however,  a 
place  of  no  strength.  The  town  is  meanly 
built ;  the  streets  are  so  narrow,  that  when 
two  horsemen  meet  they  can  hardly  pass 
each  other.  Few  of  the  ancient  buildings 
remain,  and  but  little  of  its  former  splendor 
has  survived  the  spirit  of  trade  which  has 
seized  upon  it  in  modern  times.  The  city 
was  founded  in  the  7lh  century,  and  was  for 
a  long  time  the  capital  city  of  the  Caliphs  ;  it 
was  here  that  lived  and  flourished  Haroun 


al  Raschid,  of  Arabian-Nights  memory. 
The  tomb  of  Zobeida,  the  favorite  among 
his  wives,  is  among  the  buildings  of  another 
age,  which  still  exist.  Not  a  vestige  remains 
of  the  far-famed  palace  of  the  Caliphs  ;  and 
the  spot  where  it  stood  is  not  even  ascer- 
tained. 

Bagdad  was,  some  years  since,  a  place  of 
great  trade,  and  the  resort  of  merchants  from 
almost  every  quarter  of  the  east.  Of  late 
years,  however,  the  commerce  of  the  city 
has  a  good  deal  declined,  in  consequence  of 
the  inability  of  the  government  to  repress 
the  attacks  and  exactions  of  the  Arabs.  The 
climate,  though  very  hot,  is  admitted  to  be 
verj'  healthy,  but  the  natives  are  universally 
subject  to  a  sort  of  cutaneous  disorder.  In 
this  city, which  was  formerly  the  capital  of 
the  scientiiic  world,  reading  and  writing  are 
now  rare  accomplishments  :  and  when  Nie- 
buhr  was  there,  there  was  not  a  single  dealer 
of  books  in  the  town,  nor  were  there  any 
means  of  obtaining  a  single  volume.  Since 
1038,  the  city  has  belonged  to  the  Turks. 


THE  SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION  AT  WASHINGTON. 

In  the  year  1S35,  James  Smithson  died  lapse  of  several  years.  Congress,  in  1846, 
in  England,  leaving  a  bequest  to  the  U.  [passed  a  law  establishing  the  institution,  and 
States,  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  to  !a  building  is  now  erected  for  its  acconnno- 
be  used  for  establishing  an  institution  at  dation.  The  establishment  is  under  a  board 
Washington,  to  be  called  the  "  Smithsonian  of  15  regents,  appointed  by  Congress,  and 
Institution  for  the  Increase  and  Diffusion  of  j  it  has  already  begun  its  labors.  It  is  to  have 
Knowledge  among  Men."  The  government  a  library  and  scientific  apparatus  ;  is  to  give 
sent  Mr.  Rush  to  England,  to  secure  the  courses  of  lectures,  and  issue  books  of  a 
funds,  which   was  accomplished.     After  a  Iscientific  and  useful  character. 


K^ 


^^^^■**  M 


MARCO   BOZZARIS. 


Makco  Bozzaris,  styled  the  Leonidas  of 
Modern  Greece,  was  born  in  the  rnountain 
of  Epirus,  about  the  end  of  the  ISth  cen- 
tury. Being  yet  a  boy  at  the  close  of  the 
war  between  his  countrymen  the  Souliots, 
and  Ali  Pacha  of  Janina  —  he  and  his  father 
were  among  the  few  that  escaped  to  the 
Ionian  islands,  then  under  the  protection 
of  Russia.  In  1S20,  a  war  broke  out  be- 
tween the  Sultan  of  Turkey  and  Ali  Pacha, 
and  Bozzaris  otTorod  his  services,  and  those 
of  800  Souliots  under  his  command  to  tiie 
Turkish  admiral  against  his  old  enemy  Ali 
Pacha.  Soon  after,  however,  having  reason 
to  complain  of  the  Turks,  and  receiving 
favorable  proposals  from  Ali  Pacha,  they 
went  over  to  him,  and  were  replaced  in  pos- 
session of  their  native  mountains.  The  war 
was  continued  with  general  success  on  the 
part  of  the  Souliots  during  the  years  1S20 
and  '21.  Towards  the  close  of  the  year 
1S21,  the  Greek  revolution  broke  out,  and  in 


Feb.,lS22,  All"  Pacha  died.  From  this  time, 
Bozzaris  and  his  Souliots  continued  the  war 
on  their  own  account.  In  May  and  June 
of  the  same  year,  they  defeated  the  Sultan's 
army,  under  the  command  of  Rhoursid 
Pacha,  witli  great  slaughter.  At  the  same 
time  Prince  Mavrocordato  landed  at  Misso- 
longhi  with  a  body  of  regular  Greek  troops, 
and  was  joined  by  Bozzaris.  Soon  after, 
they  lost,  through  treachery,  the  battle  of 
Petta.  The  greater  part  of  the  Souliots 
now  left  Bozzaris,  and  signed  a  capitulation 
with  the  Turks,  by  which  they  gave  up 
Souli  and  retired  to  Cephalonia.  Bozzaris 
remained  wiiha  handful  of  Souliots  at  Mis- 
solonghi,  determined  to  defend  ii  to  the  last. 
A  Hydriote  flotilla  coming  to  his  relief,  the 
Turks  raised  the  siege,  and  retired  into 
Epirus.  In  the  summer  of  the  year  1823, 
the  Pacha  of  Scodra  advanced  with  a  large 
force  of  Albanians  upon  Missolonghi,  deter 
mined  upon  taking  it.    Bozzaris,  who  knew 


THE    KAMTSKADALES. 


449 


the  city  was  unable  to  resist  a  regular  siege, 
and  yet  was  aware  of  its  importance  to  the 
Greek  cause,  sallied  forth  to  meet  the  ene- 
my. A  battle  ensued,  in  which  800  Alba- 
nians were  killed,  and  in  which  the  army 
of  the  Pa:ha  suflTered  great  losses.  Bozza- 
ris  was  shot  in  the  lungs,  and  a  second  time 
in  the  face,  when  he  fell  and  expired.  His 
self-devoteduess  to  the  cause  of  Greece  was 
the  means  of  saving  Missolonghi  for  two 
years  more :  for  it  resisted  all  attempts 
against  it,  till  1S25,  when  it  was  besieged 
and  taken  by  the  Egyptians  under  Ibrahim 
Pacha.  The  stirring  lines  of  our  country- 
man, Halleck,  have  served  to  give  additional 
interest  to  the  fate  and  character  of  the 
Grecian  hero  ! 

"  At  midnight,  in  his  (guarded  tent, 

Tlie  Turk  was  drciiniini,'  nf  ilio  liour 

^Vhen  GrcfCL',  Iier  Icnee  in  suppliance  bent, 
Should  trt'nililo  at  his  ptnvcr  ; 

In  dreams,  tlirouuh  catn|>  and  conrt,  lie  hore 

Tlie  Ironhies  of  a  conqueror ; 


In  dreams,  his  sons?  of  triumph  heard  ; 
Then  wore  his  monarch's  signet  rin^, — 
Then  pressed  that  monarch's  throne,  —  a  king  ; 
As  wild  his  thoushts,  and  gay  of  wing, 

As  Eden's  garden  bird. 

An  hour  passed  on  —  the  Turk  awoke  ; 

Thai  bright  dream  was  !iis  last  ; 
He  woke  to  hear  his  sentry's  shriek, 
'  To  arms  !  they  come  !  the  Greel< ;  the  Greek  !• 
He  woke  —  to  die  midst  Hanie  and  smoke. 
And  shout,  and  groan,  and  sabre  strcdie, 

And  death-shots  falling  thick  and  fast 
As  lightnings  from  the  monnlain  cloud  ; 
And  heard,  with  voice  as  trumpet  loud, 

Hozzaris  cheer  his  band  ;  — 
'Strike  —  till  the  last  armed  foe  expires, 
Strike  —  for  your  altars  and  your  fires, 
Strike  —  for  the  green  graves  of  your  sires, 

God  —  and  your  native  land  !' 

Thev  fought,  like  brave  men,  long  and  well, 

Tfiey  piled  that  grounil  with  Mo-slem  slain, 
They  conquered  —  but  Bozzaris  fell, 

lileeding  at  every  vein. 
His  few  surviving  comrad.es  saw 
His  smile,  when  rang  their  proud  hurrah, 

And  the  red  field  was  won  ; 
Then  saw  in  death  his  eyelids  close 
Calmly,  as  to  a  night's  repose, 

Like  flowers  at  sctof  smi." 


THE   KAMTSKADALES, 


We  here  give  a  picture  of  a  singular 
race  of  people,  called  the  Kamtskadalos,  and 
who  are  subject  to  Russia.  They  live  on  a 
long  peninsula,  which  might  seem  the  world's 
end.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  very  north-eastern 
extremity  of  Asia,  and  is  one  of  the  coldest 
spots  on  the  earth.  It  is  impossible  to  raise 
wheat  there  ;  but  there  are  some  berries 
and  roots,  which  the  people  eat. 

They  have  a  compensation  for  the  scanti- 
ness of  vegetable  productions  in  the  profu- 
sion of  aniinal  life,  which  seems  alike  to  fill 
earth,  air,  and  water.  The  coasts  swarm 
with  seals  and  other  marine  animals;  the 
rocks  are  coated  with  shell  fish  ;  the  bays 
•re  almost  choked  with   herrings,  and  the 


rivers  with  salmon.  Flocks  of  grouse,  wild 
geese,  and  ducks,  often  darken  the  air.  The 
country  abotmds  in  bears,  which  are  fat,  and 
greatly  esteemed  by  the  inhabitants. 

Thus  these  people  are  supplied  with  an 
almost  perpetual  feast ;  and  they  conse- 
quently have  sunk  into  a  state  of  lazy, 
drunken  sensuality.  They  are  a  short,  cop- 
per-colored race,  greatly  resembling  the  Es- 
quimaux. Like  them,  they  have  dogs, 
which  they  use  in  sledges.  Their  winter 
houses  are  half  sunk  in  the  earth,  while 
those  for  summer  are  elevated  on  poles 
above  it.  They  have  wild  dances,  in  which 
each  man  imitates  a  bear. 


"V** 


■^^\i%i 


The  Comet  of  1*44. 


COMETS. 


Comets  are  light,  vapory  bodies,  which 
move  round  the  sun  in  orbits  much  less  cir- 
cular than  those  of  the  planets.  Their  orbits, 
in  other  words,  are  very  long  ellipses  or  ovals, 
having  the  sun  near  one  of  the  ends.  Com- 
ets usually  have  two  parts,  a  body  or  nucle- 
us, and  a  tail ;  but  some  have  a  body  only. 
The  body  appears  as  a  thin,  vaporj^,  lumi- 
nous mass,  of  globular  form;  it  is  so  thin 
that,  in  some  cases,  the  stars  have  been 
seen  through  it.  The  tail  is  a  lighter  or 
thinner  luminous  vapor,  surrounding  the 
body,  and  streaming  far  out  from  it,  in  one 
direction.  A  vacant  space  has  been  ob- 
served between  the  bod)'  and  the  envelop- 
ing matter  of  the  tail ;  and  it  is  equally 
remarkable  that  the  tail  has  in  some  in- 
stances appeared  less  bright  alone:  the  mid- 
dle, immediately  behind  the  nucleus,  as  if 
it  were  a  stream  which  that  nucleus  had  in 
some  measure  parted  into  two. 

In  ignorant  ages,  the  sudden  appearance 
of  a  comet  in  the  sky  never  failed  to  occa- 
sion great  alarm,  both  on  account  of  its 
threatening  appearance,  and  because  it  was 
considered  as  a  sign  that  war,  pestilence, 
or  famine,  was  about  to  afflict  mankind. 
Knowledge  has  dispelled  all  such  fancies  ; 
but  yet  we  are  not  well  acquainted  with  the 
nature  of  comets. 

Out  of  the  great  multitude  —  certamly 
not  less    than   one   thousand  —  which  are 


supposed  to  exist,  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  have  been  made  the  subject  of  scientific 
observation.  Instead  of  revolving,  like  the 
planets,  nearly  on  the  plane  of  the  sun  s 
equator,  it  is  found  that  they  approach  his 
body  from  all  parts  of  surrounding  space. 
At  first,  they  are  seen  slowly  advancing, 
with  a  comparatively  faint  appearance.  As 
they  approach  the  sun,  the  motion  becomes 
quicker,  and  at  length  they  pass  round  him 
with  very  great  rapidity,  and  at  a  compara- 
tively small  distance  from  liis  body.  The 
comet  of  1680  approached  ^\ithin  one  sixth 
of  his  diameter.  After  passing,  they  are 
seen  to  emerge  from  his  rays,  with  an  im- 
mense increase  to  their  former  brilliancy 
and  to  the  length  of  their  tails.  Their  mo- 
tion then  becomes  gradually  slower,  and 
their  brilliancy  diminishes,  and  at  length 
they  are  lost  in  distance.  It  has  been  ascer- 
tained that  their  movement  round  the  sun 
is  in  accordance  with  the  same  law  which 
regulates  the  planetary  movements,  being 
always  the  quicker  the  nearer  to  his  body, 
and  the  slower  the  more  distant.  In  the 
remote  parts  of  space  their  motions  must  be 
extremely  slow. 

Three  comets  have  been  observed  to  re- 
turn, and  their  periods  of  revolution  have 
been  calculated.  The  most  remarkable  of 
these  is  one  usually  denominated  Halley's 
comet,  from  the  astronomer  who  first  calcu- 


COMETS. 


451 


lated  Its  period.  It  revolves  round  the  sun  'of  Berlin,  has  been  found  to  revolve  once  in 
in  about  seventy-five  years,  its  last  appear- 1 1207  days,  or  three  and  one  third  years  ; 
ance  being  at  the  close  of  1835.  Another,  |  but,  in  this  case,  the  revolvinc^  body  is  found, 
called  Enke's  comet,  from  Professor  Enke,  at  each  successive  approach  to  the  sun  to 


View  of  Enkc'3  Comet. 


be  a  little  earlier  than  on  the  previous  occa- 
sion, showing-  that  its  orbit  is  gradually 
lessening,  so  that  it  may  be  expected  ulti- 
mately to  fall  into  tiie  sun.  This  fact  has 
suggested  that  some  part  of  that  spare 
through  which  the  comet  passes,  must  be 
occupied  by  a  matter  presenting  some  resis- 
tance to  the  movement  of  any  denser  body  ; 
and  it  is  supposed  that  this  matter  may 
prove  to  be  tiie  same  which  has  been  de- 
scribed as  constituting  the  zodiacal  liglit. 
It  is  called  a  rcsisti?it^  incdhim  ;  and  futurG 
observations  upon  it  are  expected  to  be  at- 
tended with  results  of  a  most  important  na- 
ture, seeing  that,  if  there  be  sucli  a  matter 
extending  beyond  the  orbit  of  the  earth,  that 
planet,  in  whose  welfare  we  are  so  much 
interested,  will  ho  exposed  to  the  same  ulti- 
mate fate  with  Enke's  comet. 

The  third,  named  Bella's  comet,  from  M. 
Bella  of  Josephsladt,  revolves  round  the  sun 
in  six  and  three  quarters  years.  It  is  very 
small,  and  has  no  tail.  In  1832,  this  comet 
passed  tlirough  the  earth's  path  about  a 
month  before  the  arrival  of  our  planet  at  tlie 
same  point.  If  the  earth  had  been  a  month 
earlier  nt  that  point,  or  the  comet  a  month 
later  in  crossing  it,  the  two  bodies  would 
have  been  brought  together,  and  the  earth, 
\n  all  probability,  would  have  instantly  be- 
come unfit  for  the  existence  of  the  human 
family.  Comets  are  often  afTected  in  their 
motions  by  the  attraction  of  the  planets. 


Jupiter,  in  particular,  has  been  described  by 
an  astronomer  as  a  perpetual  stumbling- 
block  in  their  way.  In  1770,  a  comet  got 
entangled  amidst  tlio  satellites  of  that  planet, 
and  was  thereby  thrown  out  of  its  usual 
course,  while  the  motions  of  the  satellites 
were  not  in  the  least  afl'ected. 

Comets  often  pass  unobserved,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  part  of  the  heavens  in  which 
they  move  being  then  under  daylight.  Dur- 
ing a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun,  which  hap- 
pened sixty  years  before  Christ,  a  large 
comet,  not  formerly  seen,  became  visible, 
near  the  body  of  the  obscured  luminary. 
On  many  occasions,  their  smallnessand  dis- 
tance render  them  visible  only  by  the  aid 
of  the  telescope.  On  other  occasions,  they 
are  of  vast  size.  The  comet  now  called 
Halley's,  at  its  appearance  in  1456,  covered 
a  sixth  part  of  the  visible  extent  of  the 
heavens,  and  was  likened  to  a  Turkish 
scimitar.  The  comet  of  16S0,  which  was 
observed  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  had  a  tail  cal- 
culated to  be  123,000,000  of  miles  in  length, 
a  space  greater  than  the  distance  of  the 
earth  from  the  sun.  There  was  a  comet  in 
1744  which  had  six  tails,  spread  out  like  a 
fan  across  a  large  space  in  the  heavens. 
The  tails  of  comets  usually  stretch  in  the 
direction  opposite  to  the  sun,  both  in  ad- 
vancing and  retiring,  and  with  a  slight  wave 
at  the  outer  extremity,  as  if  that  part  expe- 
rienced some  resistance. 


-^* 


i 


RAILWAYS. 


When  we  considerthat  it  is  not  yet  twenty 
years  since  the  first  public  railroad  was 
built,  we  cannot  but  be  amazed  to  see  to  what 
extent  these  works  are  carried,  not  only  in 
this  country,  but  in  various  parts  of  Europe. 
In  England,  especially,  they  are  very  nu- 
merous, covering  the  country  like  network. 
These  works  are  executed  much  more  per- 
fectly than  similar  ones  in  this  country. 
Labor  is  cheaper  there  than  here ;  and  for 
this  reason  they  bestow  upon  them  more 
care,  and  finish  them  more  thoroughly. 
Many  of  the  stations  are  fitted  up  in  a  truly 
splendid  style,  the  architecture  being  gen- 
erally in  excellent  taste.  The  tracks  are 
almost  always  double ;  the  roads  are  fenced 
in ;  the  banks  are  neatly  turfed,  and,  in 
many  places,  they  are  embellished  with 
patches  of  beautiful  flowers.  Above  is 
given  a  view  of  the  termitms  of  the  railroad 
from  London  to  Blackwall,  a  distance  of 
five  miles  from  St.  Paul's.  It  stands  out 
into  the  Thames,  and  will  give  an  idea  of 
the  good  taste  usually  displayed  in  these 
works. 

The  labor,  in  some  of  the  English  railways, 
is  immense.  Two  tunnels  are  cut  through 
the  rock  in   Shakspeare's   ClifT,  at  Dover. 


No  obstacle  is  too  formidable  for  the  enter- 
prise now  exerted  in  the  execution  of  rail- 
ways. Hills  give  way,  valleys  are  filled  up, 
rivers  are  crossed,  forests  fall  prostrate,  rocks 
are  perforated,  houses  are  removed  ; — every- 
thing seems  to  yield  before  the  railway  spirit 
in  England. 

It  might  seem  that  there  was  enough  of 
this  sort  of  enterprise  in  our  country  ;  but 
it  is  nothing,  compared  to  the  vmnia  which 
has  lately  been  raging  in  Great  Britain.  Not 
only  were  the  works  themselves  immense, 
but  the  spirit  of  speculation  even  outstripped 
the  enterprises  actually  undertaken.  Every 
body  seemed  to  be  bitten  by  this  mad  dog, 
and  a  person  who  was  cool  and  sound,  was 
deemed  out  of  his  senses  by  the  mass  of  the 
people.  The  fever  was  not  confined  to  bro- 
kers and  capitalists,  but  lawyers  and  doctors, 
clergy  and  laity,  farmers,  mechanics,  trades- 
men, and  even  women,  were  all  carried 
away  by  the  epidemic. 

That  witty  paper,  called  ''■Punch"  made 
not  a  little  sport  out  of  the  general  rage  for 
speculation  in  railway  shares.  In  one  num- 
ber, there  was  a  picture,  which  we  copy  on 
the  next  page,  representing  a  locomotive 
hurrying  along  with  terrific  speed,  and  a 


RAILWAYS. 


453 


Tunnel  in  :SluksiiiMrc's  (_  hiT 


mc'cintcd  fox-hunter  flj'ing:  before  it,  striviiirr 
to  "scape  from  the  forinidalile  monster.  Tlie 
ciitrine  has  wings;  and  the  word  Thiic,  in- 
scribed upon  the  boiler,  seems  to  intimate 


the  changes  and  innovations  whicli  the  prog- 
ress of  years  is  making  in  the  established 
manners,  customs,  and  opinions,  of  society. 
Beneath  the  engraving  was  an  account  o(  a 


March  of  Ini 

meeting  of  fox-hunters,  supposed  to  have 
been  held  to  devise  measures  to  prevent  the 
hunting-grounds  from  being  destroyed  by 
railroads,  thus  putting  an  end  to  the  good 
old  gentlemanly  sport  of  fox-hunting  ! 

Though  the  above  is  a  joke,  yet  there  is 
much  general  truth  at  the  bottom  of  it.  In 
fact,  one  improvement  is  succeeding  another 
with  such  rapidity,  that,  a  half  century 
hence,  the  world  will  present  a  very  difTcr- 
ent  aspect  from  what  it  now  does.  There 
is  every  probability  that,  by  that  time,  rail- 
roads will  be  spread  over  the  four  quarters 
of  the  earth ;  magnetic  telegraphs  will  en- 
circle the  globe,  and  the  whole  human  fam- 


provcmenl  I 

ily  be  brought  into  a  degree  of  companion- 
ship and  sympathy  almost  inconceivable  at 
the  present  moment. 

In  one  of  his  papers.  Punch  gives  us  the 
following  amusing  paragraph,  being  an  imi- 
tation of  the  commercial  reports  common  in 
the  newspapers  :  — 

"  The  demand  for  iron  for  the  railroads 
is  being  sensibly  felt  in  the  feverish  state  of 
saucepans,  which  have  risen  to  an  alarm- 
ing height  within  the  last  few  weeks.  A 
good  tea-kettle,  which  was  qu'jted,  in  itle 
'  New  Cut,'  as  low  as  ninepence,  a  montli 
ago,  has  rushed  up  to  a  shilling,  without 
the  coupon;  that  is  to  say  with  no  lid  to  it. 


^■■w^.^.^'^^^^i^'Xf^'Vx'v^.^'^^^^j'V'^^^'^'^^^^^^  j| 


454 


KUINS    OF    CENTRAL   AMERICA. 


The  buoyancy  in  gridirons  has  been  quite 
frightful ;  for  their  resemblance  to  railway 
lines  has  made  them  the  object  of  competi- 
tion among  various  companies.  Pokers 
were  dreadfully  firm,  without  the  smallest 
probability  of  their  yielding;  and,  there 
being  no  chance  of  their  giving  way,  there 
was  a  goad  deal  of  activity.  With  the  ex- 
ception, however,  of  pokers,  there  was  very 


little  stirring ;  for  irons  were  flat,  and  peo 
pie  seemed  afraid  of  burning  their  fingers 
In  the  United  States,  railroads  are  increas- 
ing, and  the  new  Depot  of  the  Fitchburg 
railroad  in  Boston,  with  other  examples, 
show  that  there  is  a  rising  taste  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  public  buildings  connected 
with  these  works. 


RUINS   OF   CEN 

Ruins  have  been  long  known  to  exist  at 
Utatlan,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Indian 
kingdom  in  Oaxaca,  destroyed  by  Alvarado, 
the  companion  of  Cortez.  Here  are  still  to 
be  seen  the  ruins  of  a  splendid  palace,  con- 
taining apartments  for  the  king,  for  the  vari- 
ous branches  of  the  royal  family,  and  for  a 
numerous  body  of  attendants  and  guards. 
These  are  supposed  to  be  relics  of  the  civil- 
ization of  the  Tultecs,  who  were  driven  from 


TRAL   AMERICA. 

Mexico,  south,  in  the  beginning  of  the  I2th 
century,  by  the  ruder  Aztecs- 

It  was  only,  however,  in  the  middle  of 
the  last  century,  that  an  astonishing  collec- 
tion of  ruins  was,  for  the  first  time,  revealed 
to  Christendom,  as  existing  near  Palenque, 
in  the  centre  of  a  vast  desert  of  woods,  at 
some  two  hundred  and  fifteen  miles  north- 
west of  Guatemala.  These  stupendous 
ruins  belonged  to  the  labors  of  a  race,  and 


KUINS    OF    lENTRAL    AMERICA. 


455 


went  back  to  an  origin,  of  which  no  tradition 
is  lel't.  They  are  scattered  for  twenty  miles 
along  an  elevated  ridge,  and  consist  of  aque- 
ducts, bridges,  palaces,  and  temples,  of  im- 
mense grandeur,  and  exquisite  workman- 
ship, all  of  stone,  and  they  go  by  the  name 
of  "  the  stone  houses,"  among  the  people  of 
the  country. 

Here  are  numerous  figures  of  men  and 
animals,  cut  in  relief  upon  the  stones,  some 
of  them  of  colossal  size,  together  with  paint- 
ings and  characters  supposed  to  represent 
the  sounds  of  a  phonetic  alphabet.  Here 
are  hieroglyphics,  representing  the  myste- 
ries of  sun  worship,  the  most  ancient  cor- 
ruption of  the  true  religion,  with  the  cross 
and  other  Egyptian  and  Hindoo  symbols. 

This  city  of  Culhuacan  (improperly  called 
Palenque)  appears  to  have  been  si.\teen  or 
twenty  miles  in  circumference ;  its  ruins 
still  show  temples,  fortifications,  tombs,  pyr- 


amids, bridges,  aqueducts,  houses ;  and  there 
have  been  found  vases,  idols,  medals,  instru- 
ments of  music,  colossal  statues,  and,  what 
is  very  remarkable,  has  reliefs,  quite  well 
executed,  and  ornamented  with  characters 
which  appear  to  be  veritable  liieroglyphics- 

Everything  anno'inces  that  this  was  oner 
the  residence  of  a  people  very  advanced 
in  architecture,  sculpture,  and  even  paint- 
ing; a  people,  whose  tall  and  slender  forms, 
and  beautiful  proportions,  and  traits  of 
countenances,  have  nothing  Asiatic,  African, 
or  Malay. 

The  great  temple,  of  a  square  form,  and 
surrounded  by  a  colonnade,  is  about  325 
feet  long  and  thirty-two  high  ;  its  walls 
are  four  leet  thick.  The  interior  is  divided 
into  several  masses  of  building,  separated 
by  courts.  From  the  midst  of  the  struc- 
ture, rises  a  tower  about  seventy-five  feet 
high,  which  probably  senxd  as  a  belvidore,    ; 


Ruina  in  Yucatan. 


;    or  nbscrvator)- ;  four  stories  high  of  it  still 
'    remain.     The  staircase  which  leads  to  the 


windows   pierced   in    each    side,   at    each 
tory ;  the  architecture  is  simple  and  ele- 


mit  is  at  the  centre.     It  is  lighted  by   gant.     Beneath  the  temple  are  vast  subter- 


456 


LOUIS    PHILIPPE. 


ranean  structures,  into  which  you  descend  personages   are   eight   or   nine   feet  high. 


by  steps.  The  walls  are  adorned  with  has 
reliefs  sculptured  upon  stone,  and  covered 
with  a  very  fine  stucco  or  plaster.     The 


Similar  ruins  are  found  in  Yucatan.    "At    ' 
one  place,  the  building  is  a  square  of  six 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  each  front. 


LOUIS   PHILIPPE. 


History  affords  few  parallels  to  the  event- 
ful career  of  the  individual  whose  name  we 
have  written  above.  Fortune  has  mingled 
in  his  lot  her  most  showy,  if  not  most  sub- 
stantial gifts,  with  her  bitterest  disappoint- 
ments and  reverses.  His  life  has  been 
throughout,  a  romantic  drama,  resembling 
more  the  creations  of  fiction,  than  the  actuai 
e.vcperience  of  a  man  of  the  world.  But  the 
last  act  is  doubtless  over,  for  the  ex-king 
evinces  no  desire  but  to  spend  the  remain- 
der of  his  days  in  peaceful  retirement, 

"The  world  forgeUing,  by  the  world  forgot," 

though,  perhaps,  the  latter  part  of  the  quo- 
tation cannot  soon  be  applied  to  him. 

Louis  Philippe,  the  present  head  of  the 
Orleans  branch  of  the  Bourbon  family,  was 
born  in  Paris,  Oct.  6,  1773,  and  is  now, 
consequently,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of 
his  age.  He  was  the  oldest  son  of  Louis 
Philippe  Joseph,  Duke  of  Orleans,  and 
Marie,  only  daughter  and  heiress  of  the 
wealthy  Duke  of  Penthievre.  His  father 
was  considered  the  richest  man  in  Europe, 
but  was  effeminate  and  voluptuous,  though 
a  kind   parent.     Desirous  of  imparting  to  | 


his  family  a  sound  education,  he  entrusted 
his  five  children  to  the  care  of  Madame  de 
Sillery,  better  known  as  Countess  de  Genlis, 
who  was  eminently  qualified  for  the  task. 
Under  her  wise  supervision,  the  minds  of 
her  j'outhful  charge  were  not  only  stored 
with  knowledge,  but  principles  of  religion 
and  patriotism  were  carefully  instilled  into 
them.  Nor  was  their  physical  education 
neglected.  The  boys  were  trained  to  en- 
dure all  kinds  of  bodily  fatigue,  and  were 
instructed  in  medicine,  gardening,  basket- 
making,  weaving,  and  carpentry.  Young 
Louis  Philippe  took  great  delight  in  these 
pursuits,  and  especially  excelled  in  cabinet- 
making.  Countess  de  Genlis,  speaking  of 
him  at  the  time,  says,  "  He  has  no  passion 
for  money ;  he  is  disinterested ;  despises 
glare ;  and  is  consequently  truly  noble. 
Finally,  he  has  an  excellent  heart,  which  is 
common  to  his  brothers  and  sister,  and 
which,  joined  to  reflection,  is  capable  of 
producing  all  other  good  qualities." 

In  June,  1791,  Louis  Philippe  assumed 
the  office  of  colonel  of  the  14th  regiment  of 
dragoons.  The  war  with  Austria  breaking 
out  the  year  following,  he  was  called  into 


45S 


J,OriS    PHILIPPE. 


active  service,  in  which  he  distinguished 
himself.  But  while  thus  engagfed  in  repel- 
ling a  foreigri  enemy,  the  revolution  at  home 
was  hastening  to  a  terrible  crisis.  The 
monarchy  having  fallen,  a  decree  of  banish- 
ment was  hastily  passed  against  all  mem- 
bers of  the  Bourbon-Caput  race.  Though 
this  act  of  proscription,  which  was  aimed  at 
the  Orleans  family,  by  its  enemies,  was 
soon  repealed,  the  circumstance  was  of  too 
alarming  a  character  to  be  disregard«d,  and 
Louis  Philippe  entreated  his  father  to  with- 
draw with  his  family  to  America.  His 
advice  was  disregarded,  and  the  unfortunate 
Duke  of  Orleans  followed  Louis  XVI.  to 
the  scaffold,  Nov.  6,  179.3.  His  wife  was 
at  the  same  time  thrown  into  prison.  Their 
son  was  cited  to  appear  before  the  Commit- 
tee of  Public  Safety,  but  he  escaped  the 
fate  of  his  father  by  flight,  and  became  a 
wanderer  and  an  exile  from  1793  to  1814, 
in  various  parts  of  Europe  and  in  the  United 
States.  His  patrimonial  estates  were  all 
confiscated  to  enrich  the  persecutors  of  his 
family.  In  his  wanderings,  he  visited 
Switzerland,  Norway,  Denmark,  Lapland, 
and  the  North  Cape,  beyond  the  Arctic 
Circle,  concealing  his  rank,  and  travelling 
under  a  feigned  name ;  sometimes  alone 
and  on  foot,  and  at  others  employing  him- 
self as  a  schoolmaster  for  subsistence.  After 
these  wanderings  in  Europe,  he  arrived  in 
Philadelphia,  in  October,  1796,  visited  most 
of  the  States  from  Virginia  northward, 
descended  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans, 
in  the  winter  of  1798,  and  in  February, 
1500,  arrived  in  London  from  New  York. 
From  that  period,  he  resided  principally  at 
Twickenham,  in  England,  until  the  resto- 
ration of  the  Bourbons.  At  their  restoration, 
he  returned  to  France,  and  obtained  his 
patrimonial  estates.  Not  adopting  fully 
the  arbitrary  principles  of  the  ekler  branch 
of  the  dynast}',  he  lived  most  of  the  time, 
from  1814  to  1830,  in  retirement,  at  his 
country  seat  at  Neuilly. 

In  the  revolution  of  July,  1830,  eighty- 
nine  persons  who  had  been  chosen  to  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies,  and  whose  election 
Charles  Tenth  had  annulled,  assembled  at 
Paris,  and  appointed  Louis  Philippe  lieuten- 
ant-general of  the  kingdom.  On  the  3d  of 
August,  he  opened  the  session  of  Chambers, 
in  that  capacity,  the  Chamber  of  Deputies 
then  consisting  of  the  eighty-nine  persons 
who  had  made  him  lieutenant-general,  and 
a  number  of  their  associates,  and  the  House 
of  Peers  consisting  of  those  who  had  been 
created  by  the  Bourbons. 

In  his  address,  Louis  Philippe  commu- 


nicated to  the  members  of  Parliament  the 
abdication  of  Charles  and  of  his  son,  and 
lecommended  them  to  fill  the  vacancy, 
which  was  accordingly  done  by  the  choice 
of  Louis  Philippe,  under  what  was,  at  that 
time,  considered  a  liberal  charter.  On  the 
9th,  he  accepted  and  took  the  coronation 
oath.  Lafayette,  believing  that  a  limited, 
constitutional  monarchy  was  the  govern- 
ment best  suited  to  the  condition  of  France, 
and  that  Louis  Philippe  would  administer 
the  government  on  correc  t  principles,  assisted 
in  his  elevation. 

But  so  intoxicating  is  power,  that  in  the 
course  of  five  years  next  succeeding  the 
elevation  of  this  king,  he  had  become 
to  resemble  his  despotic  predecessors,  and 
entirely  disappointed  the  liberals  who  had 
raised  him  to  power.'  On  the  28th  of 
July,  1835,  the  fifth  anniversarj'  of  the 
revolution,  as  the  king  in  great  pomp  was 
passing  opposite  the  Boulevards  of  the 
Temple,  an  explosion  took  place  which 
killed  and  wounded  thirty-five  of  the  train, 
sixteen  of  whom  died  instantly.  A  ball 
gTazed  the  king's  arm,  and  a  second't  delay 
iti  the  discharge  saved  the  king's  life.  This 
instnnnent  of  destruction  was  made  in  a 
small  room,  about  seven  feet  square,  and 
was  built  of  wood,  braced  with  iron.  Twen- 
ty-five gun  barrels,  fully  charged,  and  con- 
nected by  a  train  of  powder,  were  fixed  on 
this  machine,  with  the  fronts  slightly  de- 
pressed, so  that  the  balls  might  reach  any 
one  passing  in  the  street  on  horseback. 
The  guns,  were  so  heavily  charged,  that 
five  of  them  burst,  severely  wounding  the 
assassins.  But  this  dreadful  warning  did 
not  deter  the  king  from  his  course,  and  his 
government  gradually  became  more  corrupt, 
and  illiberal,  till  the  memorable  outbreak 
of  February,  1848.  His  prime  minister  at 
this  time  was  M.  Guizot,  a  man  of  eminent 
talents,  which  were  unhappily  prostituted 
to  the  promotion  of  the  selfish  policy  of  the 
king. 

The  events  of  the  revolution  of  February 
are  fresh  in  the  memories  of  all.  Amid  the 
terrible  excitement  of  the  24th,  the  king 
hastily  abdicated  the  throne  in  favor  of  his 
grandson,  and  finding  this  step  ineffectual, 
the  same  day  he  sought  safety  in  flight. 
After  wandering  about  for  some  days,  he 
succeeded  in  reacliing  the  coast,  with  the 
queen  and  several  members  of  the  house- 
hold, they  having  disguised  themselves  as 
far  as  possible.  Owing  to  the  boisterous 
state  of  the  weather,  it  was  nearlv  a  week 
before  they  embarked  for  England.  They 
arrived  at  Newhaven  harbor,  by  the  steamer 


LOUIS    PHILIPPE. 


4'>9 


Express,  on  Friday  morning-,  March  3d,  the 
iiing  partly  in  sailor's  dress,  and  the  queen 
in  a  sad  plight.  They  wore  kindly  received  ; 
and  a  few  days  after,  they  were  joined  by 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Nemours,  and  it 
was  decided  that  they  should  proceed  direct 
to  Clarcmont,  where  they  have  mainly  since 
remained.  The  residence  is  shown  in  the 
engraving  upon  the  opposite  page. 

A  French  lady,  admitted  to  an  interview 
with  the  ex-royal  family,  since  their  sojourn 
at  Claremont,  gives  the  following  account  of 
her  visit :  — "I  was  ushered  into  a  drawing- 
room  on  the  ground  floor,  w-herein  were 
seated  the  queen  and  the  Duchess  de  Ne- 
mours. Her  majesty  was  occupied  in  writ- 
ing, while  the  fair  young  duchess  was 
engaged  upon  some  kind  of  needlework, 
which,  from  its  bulk  and  homely  appearance, 
certainly  did  not  look  like  a  lady's  fancy 
work.  Up  and  down  upon  the  gravel  path 
before  the  long  windows  of  the  apartment, 
;!  strolled,  or  rather  shufiled,  an  aged  man, 
leaning  upon  a  huge  knotted  stick.  He 
was   followed   by   a    large    liver-and-white 


spaniel,  who  seemed  to  subdue  his  pace  to 
that  of  his  master  ;  and  altogether  the  pic- 
ture thus  presented  was  one  of  the  most 
forlorn  and  melancholy  description.  I  can- 
not tell  you  how  greatly  I  was  shocked, 
when  this  age.d  man  entered,  through  a  glass 
door,  shivering  and  complaining  of  the  cold, 
—  and  I  recognized  the  features  of  our  king, 
Louis  Philippe.  His  face  is  much  bloated, 
and  he  is  older  by  ten  years,  than  when  I 
saw  him  in  January  last.  He  knew  me, 
however,  on  the  instant,  and  endeavored  to 
join  in  the  conversation,  but  soon  sank  into 
afmitietd  by  the  fire,  and  seemed,  presently, 
to  be  absorbed  in  deep  thought.  The  queen 
was  cheerful  enough  —  almost  gay.  Her 
excessive  devotion  has  created  a  degree 
of  fatalism  in  her  mind,  like  that  of  the 
orientals." 

The  family  of  the  ex-king  consists  at 
present  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  two 
of  his  children  having  deceased.  The  eldest 
is  Louis,  Duke  de  Nemours,  who  was  born 
in  1814,  and  married  Victoria  Augusta,  a 
cousin  of  Prince  Albert.     Francis,  Prince 


Prince  do  Jolnville  and  Duko  d'.\uniile. 


do  Joinvillo,  is  the  most  popular  of  the  sons 
of  Louis  Philippe.  He  was  bom  in  1S18, 
and  married  Francisca,  a  sister  of  the 
Emperor  of  Brazil,  and  of  the  Queen  of 
Portugal. 

The  other  members  of  the  family  are 
Henry,  Duke  d'Aumale,  late  governor  of 
Algiers ;  Anthony,  Duke  of  Montpcnsier, 
who  married  a  sister  of  the  Queen  of  Spain, 


and  Louisa,  Queen  of  Belgium.  The  eldest 
son,  Ferdinand,  Duke  of  Orleans,  was  killed 
in  jumping  from  his  carriage,  13th  Jwly, 
1S42.  He  was  a  favorite  of  the  French,  and 
there  is  a  beautiful  chapel  to  his  memory, 
near  the  spot  where  he  was  killed,  on  the 
road  beyond  the  Arch  de  Triumph.  He 
left  two  sons,  upon  the  eldest  of  whom,  the 
Count  of  Paris,  Louis  Philippe  attempted  to 


460 


THE    HOTEL   DE   VILLE. 


Chapel  of  St.  Ferdinand,  in  memory  of  the  Duke  d'Orlcans. 


bestow  the  crown,  when  he  could  no  longer 
retain  it  himself.  But  a  voice  cried,  when 
he   was   presented    to    the    Chambers   by 


0.  Barrot, — "  It  is  too  late,"  and  the  sceptre 
departed  from  the  Orleans  branch  of  the 
Bourbons,  probably  forever. 


THE   HOTEL   DE   VILLE   OF    PAEIS. 


This  celebrated  building-  is  the  City  Hall 
]'  of  Paris,  and  may  be  called  the  Faneuil  Hall 
of  the  French  metropolis.  It  is  not  only 
one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  ancient  archi- 
tecture in  Europe,  but  is  highly  interesting 
from  its  historical  associations. 

This  edifice  was  begun  in  1533,  on  the 
site  of  the  Maison  aux  Piliers,  which  was 
purchased  by  the  municipality  in  1357,  for 
the  same  purposes  as  the  houses  which  had 
successively  served  for  their  previous  meet- 
ings, ever  since  their  incorporation  as  a  city 
I  government.     Near  this  site,  on  the  adja- 
5  cent  banks  of  the  Seine,  the  founders  of 
J   Paris,  a  wandering  tribe  of  fishermen,  erect- 
S  ed  their  huts,  —  the  earliest  growth  of  a  wil- 
I   derness  of  buildings.    The  first  stone  of  the 
5  Hotel  was  laid  July  15,  1533,  but  various 
<  interruptions  prevented  the  structure  from 
\  being  completed  before  1628.    In  1801,  the 
Hotel,  which  had  been  much  damaged  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  Fronde,  and  still  more 
during  the  revolution,  was  repaired,  and 
preserved  from  further  dilapidation,  by  being 
converted  into  the  seat  of  the  prefecture. 
In  1841,  very  extensive  additions  and  alter- 
ations were  completed,  by  which  the  origi- 
nal facade  has  been  elongated,  and  the  entire 


building  nearly  quadrupled  in  extent — so  as 
to  form  an  immense  quadrangle  of  the  same 
style  of  architecture  as  the  original,  with 
four  splendid  fa(;ades,  completely  isolated 
from  the  surrounding  houses.  It  is  the 
residence  of  the  prefect  of  the  Seine,  and 
the  centre  of  the  municipal  jurisdiction  of 
the  departments.  Besides  the  public  offices, 
occupying  191  rooms,  it  contains  several 
halls,  in  which  the  meetings  of  various 
societies  are  held,  and  a  suite  of  magnificent 
state  apartments.  At  present,  the  original 
front,  displaying  the  architecture  which 
prevailed  in  Italy,  during  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, is  increased  by  two  main  bodies  more, 
flanked  with  pavilions,  in  keeping  with  the 
old  portion,  the  whole  being  adorned  with 
engaged  Corinthian  columns,  and  niches 
filled  by  twenty-eight  statues.  The  orna- 
ments are  exquisitely  sculptured,  and  its 
effect, as  a  monument  of  the  epoch,  is  ^ery 
grand. 

The  Hotel  de  Ville  was  the  theatre  of 
many  of  the  principal  events  of  the  Revo- 
lution of  1789.  Fortunately,  it  took  only 
an  honorable  share  in  that  part  of  French 
history.  It  became,  says  BriflTault,  the  pal- 
ace, as  it  were,  of  the  revolution.     There 


462 


THE    HOTEL   DE    VILLE. 


sat  the  Common  Council  of  Paris,  and  the 
Committee  of  Public  Safety;  there  the 
drama  of  the  ninth  Thcrmidor  reached  its 
catastrophe ;  there  fell  Robespierre,  that 
frightful  personification  of  the  era  of  ter- 
ror. The  Place  de  I'Hotel  de  Ville  was 
the  head-quarters  of  the  revolutionary  force  ; 
the  citizens  hurried  thither  to  form  civic 
bands  in  support  of  the  law.  Turbulence, 
disorder,  pillage,  and  murder,  prepared  else- 
where their  means  of  destruction ;  else- 
where gathered  those  mobs  whose  successes 
have  sullied  that  epoch.  The  Place  de 
I'Hotel  de  Ville  remained  pure  from  crimes, 
and  ever  resounded  only  with  the  generous 
accents  of  a  people  reclaiming  their  rights. 

Under  the  empire,  it  hailed  with  enthu- 
siasm the  military  glory  of  France.  It 
repeated  with  transport  the  echoes  of  vic- 
tory; it  welcomed  with  almost  frantic  fond- 
ness those  festivals  which  celebrated  the 
triumphs  of  the  army.  Napoleon  would 
have  felt  that  something  was  wanting  to  his 
renown,  had  it  not  awakened  rejoicing 
shouts  around  the  Hotel  de  Ville  of  Paris. 
The  emperor  knew  how  to  strengthen  the 
ties  between  the  throne  and  the  city,  by 
manifesting  the  pleasure  which  the  annual 
banquet  and  ball,  given  in  his  honor 
at  the  Hotel,  afforded  to  him.  This  ball 
usually  took  place  on  the  anniversary  of  his 
marriage,  when  the  festal  display  at  the 
Tuileries  was  rivalled  by  another  at  the 
Hotel  de  Ville,  where  Napoleon  took  pride 
in  presentmg  the  empress,  not  only  to 
a  chosen  company  of  the  burgesses,  but 
also  at  the  windows,  to  the  admiring  popu- 
lace. No  illuminations  could  outshine  those 
with  which,  on  such  occasions,  the  Place  de 
Greve  was  resplendent.  The  fire-works 
were  usually  so  arranged  as  to  illustrate 
some  brilliant  page  of  recent  warfare.  It 
was  history  WTitten  in  characters  of  fire. 

Under  the  Restoration,  the  Hotel  de  Ville 
played  a  less  conspicuous  part.  But  the  peo- 
ple were  accustomed  still  (o  meet  where  they 
could  hear  all  news  of  national  importance, 
and  which,  according  to  immemorial  usage, 
was  brought  to  the  hotel  by  special  messen- 
gers. The  births  and  marria<jes  of  the 
princes  usually  held  the  highest  rank  among 
those  despatches.  It  was  here  that,  at  the 
time  of  Mallet's  conspiracy,  a  rumor  of  the 


downfall  of  Napoleon  was  accredited  not 
only  by  the  people,  but  even  by  M.  Fron- 
chet,  the  prefect,  whose  first  care  was  to 
prepare  one  of  the  halls  for  the  use  of  the 
provisional  government.  The  emperor  could 
not  pardon  this  excess  of  premature  zeal, 
and  deprived  him  of  his  office.  No  one 
knew  better  than  Napoleon,  what  tremen- 
dous weight  attaches  to  the  decisions  formed 
at  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  "  He  was  little  dis- 
quieted," says  Alison,  "  by  the  failure  of 
the  Russian  campaign,  till  intelligence  of 
the  conspiracy  of  Jlallet  reached  his  ears; 
and  that  firmness  which  the  loss  of  four  hun- 
dred thousand  men  could  not  shake,  was 
overturned  by  the  news  that  the  rebels  in 
Paris  had  imprisoned  the  minister  of  police, 
and  were  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  making 
themselves  masters  of  the  telegraph."  The 
same  historian  declares  that  "  if  the  insur- 
gents of  Paris  can  mtlke  themselves  masters 
of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  France  is  more  than 
half  conquered."  And  M.  de  Chabrol,  a 
witness  in  the  trial  of  the  last  ministers  of 
Charles  X.,  did  not  hesitate  to  say  that  he 
regarded  the  possession  of  the  Hotel  de 
Ville  as  the  assured  sign  of  success  for  those 
who  held  it,  or  for  those  who  could  seize  it. 

The  people  of  the  "  three  glorious  days  " 
of  July,  in  1830,  were  well  aware  of  this. 
The  Place  de  Greve  became  the  scene  of 
their  terrible  combats ;  and  victory  was  cer- 
tain only  when  the  tri-colored  flag  floated 
over  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  The  Tuileries  and 
the  Louvre  were  then  mere  outposts ;  the 
Hotel  de  Ville  was  the  citadel  of  national 
sovereignty. 

The  central  western  window  of  the  Hotel 
de  Ville  looks  out  from  the  principal  room. 
It  was  from  this  window  that  Louis  XVI. 
spoke  to  the  populace  with  the  cap  of  liberty 
on  his  head.  It  was  at  the  same  window 
that  General  Lafayette  embraced  Louis 
Philippe,  and  presented  him  to  the  people 
in  1830,  saying,  —  "  Here  is  the  friend  in 
need  —  this  is   the   best   of  republics  I" 

It  was  in  this  room  that  the  late  provisional 
government  of  France  held  their  court  — 
and  from  this  same  window  Lamartine 
addressed  80,000  Parisians,  demanding  the 
blood  red  flag  of  the  revolution  —  soothing-, 
by  the  magic  of  consummate  elorjuencf, 
this  vast  agitated  populace. 


FRENCH  REVOLUTION  OF  FEBRUARY,  1848. 


Ims  event,  which  was  the  beginning  of 
the  recent  convulsions  of  Eurojic,  was  wit- 
nessed by  the  editor  of  these  pages,  and  tlic 
following  letter  descriptive  of  the  scenes 
which  attcndeil  it  in  Paris  was  written  tu 
a  friend  in  Boston,  and  published  in  the 
papers  of  the  da)'. 

PurU,  March  till,  1513. 

As  it  has  been  mv  fortune  to  be  in  Paris, 
and  an  observer  of  many  of  the  most  stirring 
and  striking  occiirrences  during  the  late 
revolution,  I  propose  to  give  you  a  brief 
consecutive  narrative  of  what  I  saw  ami 
heard,  embracing  a  sketch  of  other  leading 
events.  My  purpose  will  be  to  take  you 
rv'ilh  me,  and  make  you  a  participator,  as 
far  as  possible,  in  the  scenes  witnessed  and 
emotions  e.'cperienccd  b)'  one  who  was  on 
the  spot. 

Before  I  begin,  it  ma}'  be  well  to  state  a 
few  particulars  as  to  the  political  condition 
of  France  at  the  moment  of  the  revolt.  It 
is  well  known  that  Louis  Philippe  accepted 
the  crown  at  the  hands  of  Lafayette,  after 
the  struggle  of  July,  1S30,  the  latter  saying, 
as  he  presented  the  king  and  charter  to  the 
people,  "Wc  give  you  (he  best  of  monarchies 
—  the  Lest  of  republics."  The  circumstances, 
all  considered,  pledged  Louis  Philippe  to  a 
liberal  government,  in  which  the  good  of 
the  people  should  be  the  supreme  object, 
and  the  popular  will  the  predominating  ele- 
ment 

He  commenced  his  career  under  fair 
auspices,  and  for  a  time  everj'thing  prom- 
ised a  happy  fulfilment  of  what  seemed  his 
iluty  and  his  destiny.  I  chanced  to  be  in 
Paris  in  1S3"2,  and  witnessed  a  celebration 
of  the  "  Three  glorious  days."  The  king 
then  reviewed  80,000  troops,  chiefly  Na- 
tional Guarils.  He  was  all  day  on  horse- 
back, and  of  course  before  the  people.  I 
saw  hundreds  of  all  classes  step  up  to  him 
and  shake  iiim  by  the  hand.  He  was 
enthi'ciastically  cheered  everywhere,  and 
seemed,  indeed,  the  idol  of  the  people.  On 
visiting  Paris  in  IS  17,  after  a  lapse  of  fifteen  ' 
years,  I  was  amazed  at  the  change.  Shut 
up  in  his  palace,  like  the  veiled  prophet  of 
Khorassan.and  intrenched  in  military  power, 
with  a  haughty  ministry,  pursuing  an  un- 
bending coarse  of  policy,  he  seemed  rather 
a  despot  of  the  old  school  —  a  Bourbon  of 
the  last  century  —  than  a  citizen  king 
crowned  at  the  barricades.  A  great  change 
had  indeed  come  over  the  monarch ;  the 
[lossession  of  power  had  seduced  his  heart, 
and    turned   his   head ;  and   forgetting  his 


pledges,  and  blind  to  his  true  interest,  he 
was  busy  in  bjilding  up  a  dynasty  that 
should  hand  down  his  name  and  fame  to 
])osterity. 

It  seemed,  at  a  siiperficial  glance,  that  he 
might  realize  his  dream.  He  had  acquired 
the  reputation  of  boinij  the  most  sagacious 
monarch  of  his  time.  He  had  improved 
and  embellished  the  capital;  on  all  sides 
his  "  image  and  superscription"  were  seen 
in  connection  with  statues,  fountains,  edi- 
fices, and  works  of  beauty  and  utility. 
France  was  happier  than  the  adjacent  coun- 
tries. The  famnie  and  the  pestilence,  that 
had  recently  desolated  neighboring  states, 
had  trod  more  liijhtJv  licre.  The  king  was 
blessed  with  a  large  family.  These  had  all 
reached  maturity,  and  were  allied  to  kings 
and  (pieens,  princes  and  princesses.  The 
upholders  of  the  crown  in  tl'.e  parliament 
were  men  whose  names,  alone,  were  a  tower 
of  strength.  Peace  reigned  at  home,  and 
the  army  abroad  had  just  succeeded  in 
achieving  a  triumph  over  an  enemy  that 
had  bafHed  them  for  seventeen  years. 

Such  was  the  outward  seeming  of  affairs  ; 
Lut  there  were  threatening  fires  within,  which 
might  at  any  moment  produce  an  earth- 
quake. The  thinking  people  were  pro- 
foundly disgusted  with  the  retrograde  ten- 
dency of  the  government,  with  the  corruption 
of  its  officers,  the  gradual  subsidizing  of  the 
legislature  by  the  crown,  and  the  concen- 
tration of  all  the  powers  of  the  state  in  the 
hands  of  O.n'E  Man,  who  was  now  using 
them  Tor  family  aggrandizement.  Although 
the  march  of  despotism  had  been  cautious 
and  stealthy,  the  plainest  mind  could  see, 
and,  indeed,  the  people  generally  began  to 
feel,  manyg;illing  evidences  of  the  tyranny  to 
whicli  they  had  become  actually  subjected. 

Among  these  grievances,  were  the  con- 
stant increase  of  the  national  debt,  and 
consequent  .increase  of  taxation,  with  the 
restraints  put  upon  the  liberty  of  the  press 
and  of  speech.  By  a  law  of  some  years' 
standing,  the  people  were  prohibited  from 
holding  stated  meetings  of  more  than  twenty 
persons,  without  license  ;  and  reform  ban- 
(p/ets,  or  meetings  for  the  discussion  of 
public  aflairs,  of  which  about  seventy  had 
been  held,  in  difTorent  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
within  the  last  year,  were  now  pronounced 
illegal  by  the  ministry,  and  a  determination 
to  siqipress  one,  about  to  be  held  in  the 
twelfth  arro7tdissetncnt  of  Paris,  was  solemnly 
announced  by  them  in  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies. 


PRESENTATION   OF   FLAGS   TO   THB   NATIOSAL   OrARDS. 


THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION    OF    1S43. 


465 


It  is  material  to  bear  in  mind,  that  there  | 
are  always  in  this  metropolis  at  least 
100,000  workmen,  who  live  from  day  to 
day  upon  the  r  labor,  and  who,  upon  the 
slightest  check  to  trade,  are  plunged  into 
poverty,  if  not  starvation.  At  the  moment 
of  whi.c.i.  ;^3  are  speaking,  this  immense 
hoij  y:  men,  with  their  fainilies,  were  suf- 
f  :.'ing  sorely  from  the  stagnation  of  business 
in  the  capital.  Tl  -re  were  not  less  than 
200,000  persons,  who,  for  the  space  of  three 
months,  had  hardly  been  able  to  obtain  suf- 
ficient food  to  appease  the  cravings  of  hun- 
ger. How  easy  to  stir  up  these  people  to 
rebellion  !  —  how  natural  for  them  to  turn 
their  indignation  against  (he  king  and  his 
government !  The  opposition  members 
seized  the  occasion  now  afforded  them,  to 
e.vcite  these  discontented  masses  against 
the  ministry ;  and  it  may  be  added,  that 
the  latter,  by  their  rashness,  did  more  than 
their  enemies  to  prepare  tlie  mine,  and  set 
the  match  to  the  train. 

The  crisis  was  now  at  hand.  The  oppo- 
sition deputies  declared  their  intention  to 
attend  the  proposed  meeting;  and  in  spite 
of  the  threats  of  the  ministry,  the  prepar.a- 
tioiis  for  the  banquet  went  vigorously  on. 
A  place  was  selected  in  the  Champs  Ely- 
sees,  and  a  buildiiig  was  in  progress  of 
erection  for  the  celebration.  The  pro- 
grannne  of  the  same  was  announced,  the 
toast  for  the  occasion  was  published,  the 
orator  (O.  Barrot)  selected.  The  day  was 
fi.xed  —  an  ominous  day  for  tyranny  —  an 
auspicious  one  for  iiuman  freedom.  It  was 
the  22d  of  February,  tiie  birth-day  of  Wash- 
ington !  Whether  it  has  received  a  new 
title  to  its  place  in  the  calendar  of  liberty, 
must  be  left  for  the  decision  of  time. 

The  evening  of  the  21st  came,  and  then 
proclamations  were  issued  by  the  joint  action 
of  the  ministry  and  the  police,  prohibiting 
the  banquet.  This  act,  though  it  had  been 
threatened,  still  fell  like  a  thunderbolt  upon 
the  people.  It  was  knou'n  tliat  an  immense 
military  force  had  been  quietly  assembled 
in  Paris  and  the  vicinity,  (S0,000  troops, 
with  artillery  and  ample  munitions,)  and 
that  the  garrisons  around  the  Tnilerics  had 
been  victualled  as  if  for  a  siege.  But  it 
had  not  been  believed  that  an  attempt  to 
stifl*"  the  voice  of  the  people,  so  bold  as  this, 
would  ically  be  made.  Yet  such  was  the 
fact.  The  leaders  of  the  opposition  receded 
from  their  ground,  and  it  was  announced,  in 
the  morning  papers  of  the  22d,  that  the 
banquet,  being  forbidden  by  the  government, 
would  not  take  place  ! 

The  morning  of  the  22d  was  dark  and 


drizzly.  I  had  anticipated  some  manifesta- 
tion of  uneasiness,  and  at  half-past  nine 
o'clock  went  forth.  Groups  of  people  were 
reading  the  proclamations  posted  up  at  the 
corners  of  the  streets,  but  all  was  tranquil. 
I  walked  along  the  Boulevards  for  a  mile, 
yet  saw  no  symptoms  of  the  coming  storm. 

The  place  of  meeting  for  the  banquet  had 
been  fixed  in  the  square  of  the  IMadelcine. 
This  is  at  the  western  extremity  of  the 
Boulevards,  and  near  the  great  central 
square,  called  the  riace  dc  Ja  Concorde, — 
a  point  comnnmicating  directly  with  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies,  the  Champs  Elysees, 
the  g-ardens  of  the  Tuileries,  (Sec.  At  eleven 
o'clock,  A.  BI.,  a  dark  mass  was  seen  mov- 
ing along  the  Boulevards  towards  the  pro- 
posed place  of  meeting.  This  consisted  of 
thousands  of  workmen  from  the  fauboiirgs. 
In  a  few  moments,  the  entire  square  of  the 
Madeleine  was  filled  with  these  persons, 
dressed  almost  exclusively  in  tlieir  charac- 
teristic costuine,  which  consists  of  a  blue 
tunic,  called  blouse  —  a  garment  which  is 
maile  veiy  much  in  the  fashion  of  our 
farmers'  frocks. 

The  opening  scene  of  the  drama  had 
now  begun.  The  mass  rushed  and  eddied 
around  the  Madeleine,  which,  by  the  way, 
is  the  finest  church  and  finest  edifice  in 
Paris.  Such  was  the  threatening  aspect 
of  the  scene,  that  the  shops  were  all  sud- 
denly shut,  and  the  people  around  began  to 
siqiply  themselves  with  bread  and  other 
food,  for  three  days.  In  a  few  moments, 
the  avalanche  took  its  course  down  the  Rue 
Royalc,  swept  across  the  Place  de  la  Con- 
corde, traversed  the  bridge  over  the  Seine, 
and  collected  in  swelling  and  heaving  masses 
in  the  Place,  or  square,  before  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies.  This  building  is  defended  in 
front  by  a  high  iron  railing.  The  gate  of 
this  was  soon  forced,  and  some  hundreds 
of  the  people  rushed  up  the  long  flight  of 
steps,  and  pausing  beneath  the  portico, 
struck  up  the  song  of  the  Marseillaise,  —  a 
song,  by  the  way,  interdicted  by  law  on 
account  of  its  e.vciting  character.  The 
crowd  continually  increased  ;  shouts,  songs, 
cries,  filled  the  air.  East  and  west,  along 
the  qi/ais,  and  through  the  streets  behind 
the  Chambers,  came  long  lines  of  students 
from  the  various  schools.  Standing  upon 
one  of  the  pillars  of  the  bridge,  I  commanded 
a  view  of  the  whole  scene.  It  was  one  to 
fill  the  heart  with  the  liveliest  emotions. 
A  hundred  thousand  people  were  now  col- 
lected, seeming  like  an  agitated  sea,  and 
sending  forth  a  murmur  like  the  voice  of 
many    waters.      From    the    southern    gate 


59 


i  466 


THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION    OF    1843. 


Cliurch  of  Itie  IMaJdeiae 


ol'  the  Tuilenes  now  issued  two  bodies  of 
troops  —  one,  on  horseback,  came  along  the 
northern  qicai.  These  were  the  Mimicipal 
Guard,  a  magnificent  corps,  richly  capari- 
soned, and  nobly  mounted.  Being  picked 
men,  and  well  paid,  they  were  the  chief 
reliance  of  the  government,  and  for  that 
very  reason  were  hated  by  the  people. 
The  other  body  of  troops  were  infantry  of 
the  line,  and  crossing  the  Pont  Royale, 
came  along  the  southern  bank  of  the  river. 
Both  detachments  approached  the  multi- 
tude, and  crowding  upon  them,  succeeded, 
at  last,  in  clearing  the  space  before  the 
Chambers. 

The  greater  part  of  the  throng  recrossed 
the  bridge,  and  spread  themselves  over  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde.  This  square,  per- 
haps the  most  beautiful  in  the  world,  is 
about  tive  acres  in  extent.  In  the  centre  is 
the  famed  obelisk  of  Luxor;  on  either  side 
of  this  is  a  splendid  fountain,  which  was  in 
full  action  during  the  scenes  we  describe. 
To  the  east  is  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries; 
to  the  west  are  the  Champs  Elysces.  This 
vast  area,  so  associated  with  art,  and  luxurj', 
and  beauty,  was  now  crowded  with  an 
excited  populace,  mainly  of  the  working 
classes.  Their  number  constantly  increased, 
and  bodies  of  troops,  foot  and  horse,  a,rrived 
from  various  quarters,  till  the  square  was 


literally   covered.       The    number    of   per- 
sons here  collected  in  one  mass  was   over 

ioo,noo. 

At  the  commencement,  the  mob  amu'^fid 
themselves  with  songs,  shouts,  and  pasqui- 
nades ;  but  in  clearing  the  space  before  the 
deputies,  and  driving  the  people  across  the 
bridge,  the  guards  had  displayed  great  rude- 
ness. They  pressed  upon  the  masses,  and 
one  woman  was  crushed  to  death  beneath 
the  hoofs  of  the  horses.  Pebbles  now  began 
to  be  hurled  at  the  troops  from  the  square. 
Dashing  in  among  the  people  sword  in  hand, 
the  cavalry  drove  them  away;  but  as  they 
cleared  one  space,  another  was  immediately 
filled.  The  eflect  of  this  was  to  chafe  and 
irritate  the  mob,  who  now  began  to  seize 
sticks  and  stones,  and  hurl  them  in  good 
earnest  at  their  assailants. 

While  this  petty  war  was  going  on,  some 
thousands  of  the  rioters  dispersed  themselves 
through  the  Champs  Elystes,  and  began  to 
build  barricades  across  the  main  avenue, 
The  chairs,  amounting  to  many  hundred', 
were  immediately  disposed  in  three  lines 
across  the  street.  Benches,  trellises,  boxes 
fences  —  every  movable  thing  within  reach 
—  were  soon  added  to  these  barricades.  An 
omnibus  passing  by  was  capitured,  detached 
from  the  horses,  and  tumbled  into  one  of 
the  lines.     The  flag  was  taken   from  the 


THE    I'KENCII    REVOLUTION    OF    lj4J. 


J07 


Fouiiuiu  in  ihc  Place  ite  la  Concunlc  ,  OU-lisk  til"  l.iivfir,  Jcc'. 


Panorama  near  by,  and  a  vast  procession 
parailod  tlirougjli  the  grounds,  singing  the 
Marseillaise,  the  Parisienne,  and  other  pa- 
triotic airs. 

Meanwhile,  a  small  detachment  of  foot 
guards  advanced  to  the  scene  of  action ; 
but  they  were  pelted  with  stones,  and  took 
shelter  in  their  guard-house.  This  was 
assailed  with  a  shower  of  missiles,  which 
rattled  like  hail  upon  its  roof.  The  win- 
dows were  dashed  in,  and  a  heap  of  brush 
near  by  was  laid  to  the  wall  and  set  on  fire. 
A  body  of  horse  guards  soon  arrived  and 
dir^pcrsed  the  rioters ;  but  the  latter  crossed 
to  the  northern  side  of  the  Champs  Elysecs, 
attacked  another  guard-house,  and  set  it  on 
fire.  A  company  of  the  line  came  to  the 
spot :  but  the  mob  cheered  them,  and  they 
remamed  inactive.  The  revel  proceeded, 
and,  in  face  of  the  soldiers,  tlie  people  fed 
the  lire  with  fuel  from  the  surrounding  trees 
and  fences,  sung  their  songs,  cracked  their 
jokes,  and  cried,  '^  Down  with  Guizot !"  — 
"Vice  la  reforme!"  &c.  In  these  scenes, 
the  bovs  took  the  lead,  —  performing  the 
most  desperate  feats,  and  inspiring  the  rest 
by  their  intrepidity.  A  remarkable  air  of 
fun  and  frolic  characterized  the  mob,  —  wit 
flew  as  freely  on  all  sides  as  stones  and 


sticks;  every  ntissile  seemed  winged  wnii 
a  joke. 

Such  was  the  course  of  events  the  first 
day,  so  far  as  tliey  fell  under  my  own  obser- 
vation.    It  appears   from   the   papers    that 
similar  proceedings,  though  in  some  cases 
of  a  more  serious  character,  took  place  else- 
where.    Great  masses  of  people  gathered 
at  various  points.     They  made  hostile  dem- 
onstrations   before    the    olfice    of    Foreign 
Affairs,  crying  out,  "  Down  with  Guizot ! " 
Some  person  called  for  the  minister.     "He 
is  not  liere,"  said   one  ;  "  he   is   with   the 
Countess   Lieveii," — a  remark  which   the  j 
habituls  of  Paris  will  understand  as  convey-   \ 
ing  a  keen  satire.     At  other  points,  a  spirit   \ 
of  insubordination  was  nianifestcd.    Bakers'   j 
shops  were  broken  open,  armories    forced,   \ 
and    barricades    begun.      ICverywhcre    the  | 
liymn    of    the    Mar.-^eillaise,    and    Dumas'  \ 
touching  death  song  of  the  Girondins,  were   i 
sung  —  often  by  hundreds   of  voices,  and   5 
with  thrilling  cfiect.     The  rappcl,  for  call- 
ing out  the  national  guard,  was  beaten  in 
several  arrondisscmcnts.    As  night  closed  in, 
heavy  masses  of  soldiery, horse  and  foot,  with 
trains  of  artillery,  were  seen  at  various  points. 
The  Place  du  Carrousel  was  full  of  troops, 
and  at  evening  they  were  there  reviewed 


468 


THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION    OF    1848. 


5  bj'  the  king,  and  the  Dukes  of  Nemours  and 

>  Montpensier.     Six  tiiousand  soldiers  were 

5  disposed   along   the   Boulevards,   from   the 

<  Madeleine  to  the  Porte  St.  Martin.    Patrols 

5  were  seen  in  diflerent  quarters  during  the 

i  whole    night.      About   twelve,   tranquillity 

i  reigned  over  the  citj',  disturbed  only  in  a 

5  few  remote  and  obscure  places,  by  the  build- 

i  ing  of  barri'.ades,  the  arrest  of  rioters,  and 

I  one  or  two  combats,  in  which  several  per- 

}  sons  were  killed.     Such  was  the  first  day's 

i  work — the  prelude  to   the  mighty  drama 

I  about  to  follow.       

/  Wednesday,  the  23d,  was  fair,  with  dashes 
I  of  rain  at  intervals,  as  in  our  April.  I  was 
5  early  abroad,  and  soon  noticed  that  com- 
;  panies  of  National  Guards  were  on  duty. 
5  Only  regular  troops  had  been  called  out  the 
;  day  before  —  a  foct  which  showed  the  dis- 
/  trust  entertained  by  the  king  of  the  National 
I  Guards.  This  was  remarked  by  the  latter, 
t  and  was  doubtless  one  of  the  causes  which 
;  hastened  the  destruction  of  the  government. 
J  At  nine  o'clock,  I  passed  up  the  Boulevards. 
;  Most  of  the  shops  were  shut,  and  an  air  of 
f  uneasiness  prevailed  among  the  people.  At 
i  the  Porte  St.  Denis,  there  was  a  great  throng, 
J  and  a  considerable  mass  of  troops.  Barri- 
l  cades  were  soon  after  erected  in  the  streets 
of  St.  Denis,  Clery,  Rue  Saint  Eustache, 
Cadran,  &c.  Several  fusilades  took  place 
betweei'  the  people  and  soldiers,  and  a  num- 
ber of  persons  were  killed. 

Some  contests  occurred  in  other  quarters 
during  the  morning.  At  two  o'clock,  the 
Boulevards,  Rue  St.  Denis,  Rue  St.  IMartin, 
Montmartre,  Saint  Honore  —  in  short,  all 
the  great  thoroughfares,  —  were  literally 
crammed  with  people.  Bodies  of  horse  and 
foot,  either  stationary  or  patrolling,  were 
everywhere  to  be  seen. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  some  officers 
of  the  National  Guards  ordered  their  men 
to  fire,  but  they  refused.  In  one  instance, 
400  National  Guards  were  seen  marching, 
in  uniform,  but  without  arms.  It  became 
evident  that  the  soldiers  generally  were 
taking  part  with  the  people.  This  news 
was  carried  to  the  Palace,  and  Count  Mole 
was  called  in  to  form  a  new  ministry.  He 
undertook  the  task,  and  orders  were  imme- 
diatel}'  given  to  spread  the  intelligence  of 
this  through  the  city. 

Meanwhile  the  riot  and  revel  went  on  in 
various  quarters.  The  police  were  active, 
and  hundreds  of  persons  were  arrested  and 
lodged  in  prison.  Skirmishes  took  place 
between  the  soldiers  and  the  people ;  long 
processions  were  seen,  attended  by  persons 


who  sang  choruses,  and  shouted,  "  Down 
with  Guizot !"  —  "  Long  ]iv('  reform  !  " 

About  four  o'clock,  the  news  of  the  down- 
fall of  the  Guizot  ministry  was  spread  along 
the  Boulevards.  The  jovful  intelligence 
ran  over  the  city  with  the  speed  of  light. 
It  was  everywhere  received  with  acclama- 
tions. The  people  and  the  troops,  a  short 
time  before  looking  at  each  other  in  deadly 
hostility,  were  seen  shaking  hands,  and 
expressing  congratulations.  An  immense 
population, —  men,  woinen,  and  children,  — 
poured  into  the  Boulevards,  to  share  in  the 
jubilation.  Large  parties  of  the  National 
Guard  paraded  the  streets,  the  officers  and 
men  shouting,  "Vive  la  reforme!"  and  the 
crowd  cheering  loudly.  Bands  of  500  to 
1500  men  and  boys  went  about  making 
noisy  demonstrations  of  jo}'.  On  being  met 
by  the  troops,  they  divided  to  let  them  pass, 
and  immediately  resumed  their  cries  and 
their  songs. 

Towards  half-past  six  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, an  illumination  was  spoken  of,  and 
many  persons  lighted  up  spontaneously. 
The  illumination  soon  became  more  gen- 
eral, and  the  populace,  in  large  numbers, 
went  through  the  streets,  calling,  "Light 
up  ! "  Numerous  bands,  alone  or  following 
detachments  of  the  National  Guards,  went 
about  shouting,  "  Vive  le  roi ! "  —  "  Vive  la 
reforme!"  and  singing  the  Marseillaise. 
At  many  points,  where  barricades  had  been 
erected,  and  the  people  were  resisting  the 
troops,  they  ceased  when  they  heard  the 
news  of  the  resignations,  and  the  troops 
retired.  "  It  is  all  over  ! "  \\-as  the  general 
cry,  and  a  feeling  of  relief  seemed  to  per- 
vade every  bosom. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  but  for  a 
fatal  occurrence  which  soon  after  took  place, 
the  further  progress  of  the  revolt  would  have 
been  stayed.  Many  wise  people  now  say, 
that  the  revolution  was  all  planned  before- 
hand ;  they  had  foreseen  and  predicted  it; 
and  front  the  beginning  of  the  outbreak, 
everything  tended  to  this  point.  The  fact 
is  unquestionably  otherwise.  The  "  oppo- 
sition," with  their  various  clubs  and  societies 
distributed  through  all  classes  in  Paris,  and 
holding  constant  communication  with  the 
oiivriers  or  hloiisemeii,  no  doubt  stood  ready 
to  take  advantage  of  any  violence  on  the 
part  of  the  government  which  might  justify 
resistance ;  but  they  had  not  anticipated 
such  a  contitigencjf  on  the  present  occasion. 
It  is  not  probable  that  the  Mole  miniiitry, 
had  it  been  consummated,  would  have  satis- 
fied the  people  ;  but  the  king  had  yielded ; 
Guizot,  the  special   object  of  hatred,  had 


N^'N^^'V^^X'^iV^^i^r^^^'^^ 


THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION    OF    1343. 


469 


fallen,  and  it  was  supposed  that  further  con- 
cessions would  be  made,  as  concession  had 
been  begun.  But  accident,  which  often 
rules  the  fate  of  empires  and  dynasties,  now 
stepped  in  to  govern  the  course  of  events, 
and  give  them  a  character  which  should 
astonish  the  world. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  a  large  mass 
of  people  had  collected  in  the  Boulevard,  in 
the  region  of  Guizot's  office  —  the  Hutcl  dcs 
Affaires  El  ran  ^i  res.  The  troops  here  had 
vnifirtuiiately  threatened  the  people,  by  rush- 
ing at  them  with  fixed  bayonets,  after  the 
announcement  of  the  resignation  of  the 
ministry,  and  when  a  good  feeling  prevailed 
among  all  clas.ses.  This  irritated  tlie  mob, 
and  was  partly,  no  doubt,  the  occasion  of 
the  large  gathering  in  this  quarter.  For 
some  reason,  not  well  explained,  a  great 
many  troops  had  also  assembled  here,  and 
in  the  vicinity.  At  ten  o'clock,  tlie  street 
from  the  Madeleine  to  the  I'ue  de  la  Paix, 
was  thronged  with  soldiers  and  people. 
There  was,  however,  no  riot,  and  no  symp- 
tom of  disorder. 

At  this  moment,  a  collection  of  young 
men,  about  sixty  in  number,  came  along 
the  Boulevard,  on  the  side  opposite  to  the 
soldiers  and  the  Foreign  Olfice.  It  is  saiil 
that  the  colonel  anticipated  some  attack, 
though  nothing  of  the  kind  was  threatened. 
It  appears  that  the  soldiers  stood  ready  to 
fire,  when  one  of  their  guns  wont  ofl",*  and 
wound-ul  the  commander's  hiu"se  in  the  leg. 
He  mistook  this  for  a  shot  frojii  the  crowd, 
and  gave  instant  orders  to  fire.  A  fusilade 
immediately  followed.  Twenty  persons  fell 
dead,  and  forty  were  wounded.  The  scene 
which  ensued  balTles  description.  The  im- 
mense masses  dispersed  in  terror,  and  car- 
ried panic  in  all  directions.  The  groans  of 
the  dying  and  the  screams  of  the  wounded 
filled  the  air.  Shops  and  houses  around 
were  turned  into  hospitals.  "We  are  be- 
trayed! we  are  betrayed!"  —  "  Revenge  I 
revenge  !"  was  the  cry  of  the  masses. 

From  this  moment  the  doom  of  the  mon- 
archy was  sealed.  The  4caders  of  the  clubs, 
no  doubt,  took  their  measures  for  revolution. 
An  immense  wagon  was  .soon  brought  to 
the  scene  of  the  massacre  ;  the  dead  bodies 
were  laid  on  it,  and  flaring  torches  were 
lighted  over  it.  The  ghastly  spectacle  was 
))araded  through  the  streets,  and  the  mute 
lips  of  the  corpses  doubtless  spoke  more 
effectively  than  those  of  the  living.  Large 
masses  of  people,  pale  with  excitement,  and 

*  It  has  since  licen  saiit.  and  is  geiirrally  lH'liove<i, 
llial  a  revoi' ilioni>t  Ity  me  name  itl'  L'lirrttrtsrc  fired 
this  sliot  witit  »  pistol,  liavini:  planned  and  designed 
the  events  which  innnedialely  Adlnwed. 


Uttering  execrations  upon  the  murderers, 
followed  in  the  train  of  the  wagon,  as  it 
passed  through  the  more  populous  streets 
of  the  city,  and  especially  in  those  quarters 
inhabited  by  the  lower  classes.  The  cITect 
was  such  as  might  have  been  anticipated. 
At  midnight,  the  barricades  were  begun, 
and  at  sunrise,  the  streets  of  Paris  displayed 
a  net-work  of  fortifications  from  the  place 
St.  George,  to  the  church  of  Notre  Dame, 
which  set  the  troops  at  defiance.  Wore 
than  two  thousand  barricades,  some  of  them 
ten  feet  in  height,  were  thrown  up  during 
that  memorable  night ;  yet  such  were  the 
suildenness  and  silence  of  the  operations, 
that  most  of  the  iidiabitants  of  the  city  slept 
in  security,  fondly  dreaming  that  the  tem- 
pest had  passed,  and  that  the  morning  would 
-greet  them  in  peace. 


On  Thursday,  the  decisive  day,  the 
weather  was  still  mild  and  without  rain, 
though  the  sky  was  dinnned  with  clouds. 
At  eleven  in  the  morning,  I  sallied  forth.  1 
cannot  express  my  astonishment  at  the 
scene.  The  whole  Boulevard  was  a  spec- 
tacle of  desolation.  From  the  Kue  de  la 
Paix  to  the  Kue  Montmartre  —  the  finest 
part  of  Paris,  the  glory  of  the  city  —  every 
tree  was  cut  down,  all  the  public  monuments 
reduced  to  heaps  of  ruins,  the  pavements 
torn  up,  and  the  entire  wreck  tmnbled  into 
a  succession  of  barricades.  Every  street 
leading  into  this  portion  of  the  Boulevard 
was  slroni^ly  barricaded.  Such  giant  oper- 
ations seemed  like  the  work  of  enchant- 
.iient. 

But  my  wonder  had  onlv  begun.  At  the 
point  where  the  Kue  jMontmartre  crosses 
the  Boulevard,  the  whole  jiavement  was 
torn  up,  and  something  like  a  square  breast- 
work was  formed,  in  which  a  cannon  was 
planted.  The  whole  space  around  was 
crowded  witli  the  populace.  As  I  stood  for 
a  moment,  surveyintr  the  scene,  a  young 
man  about  twenty  |)assed  through  the  crowd, 
and,  stepping  upon  tlie  carriage  of  the  can- 
non, cried  out,  "tt>ir«  irit/i  Louis  rhilijrpc  !  " 
The  energv  with  which  this  was  spoken 
sent  a  thrill  through  every  bosom;  and  the 
remarkable  apjiearance  of  the  youth  gave 
additional  cflect  to  his  words.  He  seemed 
the  very  demon  of  revolution.  He  was 
short,  broad-shouldered,  and  full-chesti:d. 
His  face  was  pale,  his  check  spotted  with 
blood,  and  his  head,  without  hat  or  cap, 
was  bound  with  a  handkerchief.  His  feat- 
ures were  keen,  and  his  deep-set  eye  was 
lit  with  a  spark  that  seemed  borrowed  from 
the  tiger.     As  he  left  the  throng,  he  came 


THE    FKEiNXH    REVOLUTION    OF     184S. 


471 


near  me,  and   I  said,  inquiringly,  "  Dowm 

witli  Louis  Philippe?"  "Yes!"  was  his 
reph'.  "And  what  then?"  said  I.  "A 
republic  !"  was  his  answer;  and  he  passed 
on,  giving  the  watchword  of  "  Down  witii 
Louis  Philippe  !"  to  the  masses  he  encoun- 
tered. This  was  the  first  instance  in  which 
I  heard  the  overthrow  of  the  king,  and  the 
adoption  of  a  republic,  proposed. 

In  pursuing  my  wallc,  I  noticed  that  the 
population  were  now  abundantly  supplied 
with  weapons.  On  the  two  first  days  they 
were  unarmed  ;  but  after  the  slaughter  at 
the  Foreign  Office,  they  went  to  all  the 
houses  and  demanded  weapons.  These 
were  given,  for  refusal  wairld  have  been 
vain.  An  evidence  of  the  consideration  of 
tiie  mob,  even  in  their  hour  of  wrath,  is 
furnished  b\''  tlie  fact,  that  in  all  cases  where 
the  arms  had  been  surrendered,  they  wrote 
on  the  doors  in  chalk,  "-Armes  donitecx," 
(arms  given  up)  so  as  to  prevent  the  annoy- 
ance of  a  second  call. 

It  might  seem  a  fearful  thing  to  behold  a 
mob,  such  as  that  of  Paris,  brandishing  guns, 
fowling-pieces,  swords,  cutlasses,  halchets, 
and  axes  ;  but  I  must  say  that  I  felt  not  the 
slightest  fear  in  passing  among  their  tliick- 
est  masses.  Some  of  them,  who  had  doubt- 
less never  handled  arms  before,  seemed  a 
little  jaunty  and  jubilant.  The  Gamins,  a 
peculiar  race  of  enterprising,  daring,  despe- 
rate boj'S  —  the  loaders  in  riots,  rows,  and 
rebellions  —  were  swarming  on  all  sides, 
and  seemed  to  feel  a  head  taller  in  the  pos- 
session of  their  weapons.  I  saw  several  of 
these  imwashed  imps  strutting  about  with 
red  sashes  around  the  waist,  supporting 
pistols,  dirks,  cutlasses,  &c.  Yet  I  must 
slate,  that  over  the  wiiole  scene  there  was 
an  air  of  good  breeding,  which  seeiried  a 
guaranty  against  insult  or  violence.  I  may 
as  well  say  here,  that  during  the  whole 
three  days,  I  did  not  observe  a  scullle  ^ir 
wrangle  among  the  people  ;  I  did  not  hear 
an  insulting  word,  nor  did  I  see  a  menace 
odered  —  save  in  confiicts  between  tlie  sol- 
diers and  the  populace.  I  may  add,  that  I 
did  not  sec  a  drunken  person  during  the 
whole  period,  with  the  single  exception 
which  I  shall  hereafter. mention. 

I  took  a  wide  circuit  in  the  region  of  the 
Rue  Montmartre,  the  Bourse,  the  Rue 
Vivienne,  St.  Honorr,  and  the  Palais  Royal. 
Everywhere  there  were  enormous  barri- 
cades and  crowds  of  armed  people.  Soon 
after  I  passed,  that  is,  about  twelve  o'clock, 
the  southern  quadrangle  of  the  Palais  Royal, 
which  had  lately  been  the  residence  of  the 
brother  of  the  King  of  Naples,  was  attacked 


and  taken  by  the  populace.  The  beauti- 
ful suite  of  rooms  were  richly  furnished, 
and  decorated  with  costly  pictures,  statues, 
bronzes,  and  other  specimens  of  art.  These 
were  unsparingly  tumbled  into  the  s(iuare 
and  the  street,  and  consigned  to  the  (lames.''= 
At  the  distance  of  150  feet  from  the  front 
of  the  Palais  Royal,  is  the  Chateau  d'Ean, 
a  massive  stone  building,  occupied  at  the 
time  as  a  barrack,  and  at  this  moment  gar- 
risoned by  180  municipal  guards.  In  most 
parts  of  the  city,  seeing  that  the  troops 
fraternized  with  the  people,  the  government 
had  given  them  orders  not  to  fire.  These 
guards,  however,  attacked  the  insurgents  in 
and  about  the  Palais  Royal.  Their  fire  was 
returned,  and  a  desperate  conflict  ensued. 
The  battle  lasted  for  more  than  an  hour, 
the  people  rushing  in  the  very  face  of  the 
muskets  of  the  sfuard,  as  they  blazed  froin 
the  grated  windows.  At  last  the  barrack 
was  set  on  fire\  and  the  guard  vielded, 
though  not  till  many  of  their  nundier  had 
fallen,  and  tb.e  rest  were  nearly  dead  with 
suflocation.  Tlie  Ciulteau  d'Eau  is  now  a 
mere  ruin,  its  mottled  walls  giving  evidence 
of  the  sho\ver  of  bullets  that  had  been  poured 
upon  it. 

No  sooner  had  the  Chateau  d'Eau  surren- 
dered, than  the  flushed  victors  took  their 
course  toward  theTtiileries,  which  wa«  near 
at  hand  ;  shouting,  singing,  roaring,  they 
came  like  a  surge,  bearing  all  before  them. 
The  Place  du  Carrousel  was  filled  with 
troops,  but  not  a  sword  was  unsheathed  — 
not  a  bayonet  pointed  —  not  a  musket  or  a 
cannon  fifed.  There  stood,  idle  and  mo- 
tionless, the  mighty  armament  which  the 
king  had  apyiointed  for  his  defence.  How 
vain  had  liis  calculations  proved!  for,  alas! 
they  were  fiui.ided  in  a  radical  error !  The 
soldiers  would  not  massacre  their  brethren, 
to  sustain  a  worthless  thing —  though  it  bore 
the  title  of  a  crown  !  How  pregnant  is  this 
fad,  as  to  tiie  future  fate  of  monarchies  ! 

But  we  must  now  enter  the  Tuileries. 
For  several  days  previous  to  the  events  we 
have  described,  some  anxiety  had  been 
entertained  by  persons  in  and  about  the 
palace.  The  king,  however,  had  no  fears. 
He  appeared  in  unusual  spirits,  and  if  any 
intimation  of  danger  was  given,  he  turned 

*  j\I:iny  oc-ctuTcncc^,  dnring  the  rcvoltitintj,  served  to 
display,  on  ilic  jnniif  llic  )ii'()])li',  commnnly,  liUt  inju- 
riously, tiilK'd  the  mob,  seiiiinicnts  not  inferior  in 
lienulv  and  elevation  to  tliose  handed  down  for  eentu- 
ries  la  the  histories  of  aneienl  Greece  and  Rome. 
During  the  saeliini;  of  the  Palais  Uo\al,  the  insur- 
ijenls  iVuind  an  iv(iry  erneifix.  Ill  the  very  heat  of 
their  fnrv  aijainst  tyranny,  they  rcverenily  jiaused.  and, 
lakini;  the  sacred  eniMein  of  their  faith,  here  it  to  the 
old  t.;hureh  of  St.  Roeit,  where  it  was  safely  deposited. 


472 


THE    FKENCH    KEVOLUTIO.N    OF    1843. 


it  aside  with  a  sneer  or  a  joke,  l^^veii  so 
late  as  Wednesday,  after  he  had  called  upon 
Count  Mole  to  form  a  new  ministry,  he 
remarked,  that  he  was  so  firmly  seated  in 
the  saddle,  that  7iothi?ig  could  throw  him  off. 

Mole  soon  found  it  impossible,  with  the 
materials  at  hand,  to  construct  a  ministry. 
Thiers  was  then  called  in,  and  after  a  long 
course  of  higgling  and  chaflering  on  the 
part  of  the  king,  it  was  agreed  that  he  and 
Barrot  should  undertake  to  carry  on  the 
government.  This  was  announced  by  them 
in  person,  as  they  rode  through  the  streets 
on  Thursday  morning.  These  concessions, 
however,  came  too  late.  The  cry  for  a 
republic  was  bursting  from  the  lips  of  the 
million.  The  abdication  of  the  king  was 
decreed,  and  a  raging  multitude  were  de- 
manding this  at  the  very  gates  of  the  palace. 
Overborne  by  the  crisis,  the  king  agreed  to 
abdicate  in  favor  of  the  Duke  de  Nemours. 
Some  better  tidings  were  brought  him, 
and  he  retracted  what  he  had  just  done. 
A  moment  after,  it  became  certain  that 
the  insurgents  would  shortly  burst  into 
the  palace.  In  great  trepidation,  the  king 
asrreed  to  resign  the  crown  in  favor  of  his 
grandson,  the  young  Count  de  Paris  —  yet, 
still  clinging  to  hope,  he  shuffled  and  hesi- 
tated before  he  would  put  his  name  to  the 
a^t  of  abdication.  This,  however,  was  at 
last  done,  and  the  king  and  queen,  escorted 
by  a  small  body  of  horse,  walked  down  the 
central  avenue  cf  the  Tuileries,  passed 
througli  the  western  gate,  and,  entering  a 
small  one-horse  vehicle,  began  their  flight. 

Meanwhile,  the  mob  had  seized  the  royal 
carriages,  fourteen  in  number,  and  made  a 
bonfire  of  them,  near  the  celebrated  arch  in 
the  Place  du  Carrousel.  Soon  after,  they 
forced  the  railing  at  several  points,  and 
came  rushing  across  the  square  toward  the 
palace.  Scarcely  had  the  various  members 
of  the  royal  family  time  to  escape  on  one 
side  of  the  building,  when  the  mob  broke  in 
at  the  other. 

I  have  not  time  to  follow  the  adventures 
of  these  several  individuals.  We  cannot 
but  sympathize  with  them  in  their  misfor- 
tunes ;  but  we  may  remark,  that  the  fall  of 
the  Orleans  dynasty  was  not  broken  by  a 
single  act  of  courage  or  dignity  on  the  part 
of  any  one  of  the  family.  Their  flight 
seemed  a  vulgar  scramble  for  mere  life. 
Even  the  king  was  reduced  to  the  most 
common-place  disguises  —  the  shaving  of 
his  whiskers,  the  change  of  his  dress,  the 
adopting  an  "alias!"  I  may  add  here, 
that  they  have  all  escaped  ;  and  while  every- 
body seems  glad  of  this,  there  is  no  one 


behind  who  mourns  their  loss.  None  are 
more  loud  in  denouncing  the  besotted  con- 
fidence of  the  king,  than  his  225  purchased 
deputies,  who  were  so  loyal  in  the  days  of 
prosnerity. 

We  must  now  turn  our  attention  towards 
anotlier  scene  —  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 
This  body  met  at  the  usual  hour  on  Tuesday, 
at  twelve  o'clock.  While  the  riotous  scenes 
we  have  described  were  taking  place  during 
that  day,  in  full  view  of  the  place  where 
they  had  assembled,  the  deputies,  as  if  in 
mockery  of  the  agitation  without,  were 
occupied  in  a  languid  discussion  upon  the 
affairs  of  a  broken  country  bank.  Toward 
the  close  of  the  sitting,  Odillon  Barrot  read 
from  the  tribune  a  solemn  act  of  impeach- 
ment of  the  ministers.  The  next  day 
(Wednesday)  the  Chamber  again  met,  and 
Guizot  in  the  afternoon  announced  that 
Count  Mole  was  attempting  to  form  a  new 
ministry.  It  does  not  appear  that  Guizot 
or  his  colleagues  were  after^vards  seen  in 
the  Chamber.  It  is  said  that  they  met  at 
the  house  of  Duchatel  on  Thursday  morn- 
ing, and  after  consultation,  adopted  the  sig- 
nificant motto  of  Napoleon  after  the  battle 
of  Waterloo, —  "Sauve  qui  pent ! "  —  (Save 
himself  who  can.)  I  am  happy  to  add  that 
the  fugitives  seem  to  have  made  good  their 
escape.  It  is  said  that  Soult,  disdaining  to 
fly,  remains  at  his  house.  I  need  not  say 
that  he  will  not  be  molested,  for  there  is  no 
sanguinary  feeling  toward  any  one,  and 
Napoleon's  old  favorite,  the  victor  in  so 
many  battles,  would  more  readily  find  a 
Parisian  populace  to  protect  than  injure 
him. 

The  moment  after  the  king  and  queen 
had  passed  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  I 
chanced  to  be  there.  In  a  few  moments 
Odillon  Barrot  appeared  from  the  gate  of 
the  Tuileries,  and,  followed  by  a  long  train 
of  persons,  proceeded  to  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies.  It  was  now  understood  that  the 
king  had  abdicated,  and  that  Thiers  and 
Barrot  were  to  propose  the  Count  de  Paris 
as  king,  under  the  regency  of  his  mother, 
the  Duchess  of  Orleans.  The  most  pro- 
found emotion  seemed  to  occupy  the  im- 
mense multitude.  AU  were  hushed  into 
silence  by  the  rapid  succession  of  astonish- 
ing events.  After  a  short  space,  the  Duchess 
of  Orleans,  with  her  two  sons,  the  Count 
de  Paris  and  the  Due  de  Chartres  were 
seen  on  foot  coming  toward  the  Ch.imber, 
encircled  by  a  strong  escort.  She  was 
dressed  in  deep  mourning,  her  face  bent  to 
the  ground.  She  moved  across  the  bridge, 
and  passing  to  the  rear  of  the  building, 


THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION    OF   1848. 


473 


I 


entered  it  through  the  gardens.  Shortly 
after  this,  the  Due  de  Nemours,  attended 
by  several  gentlemen  on  horseback,  rode  up, 
and  also  entered  the  building. 

The  scene  that  ensued  within,  is  said  to 
have  presented  an  extraordinary  mi.xture 
of  the  solemn  and  the  ludicrous.  The 
duchess  being  present,  O.  Barrot  proceeded 
to  state  the  abdication  of  the  King,  and  to 
propose  the  regency.  It  was  then  that 
Lamartine  seemed  to  shake  ofl'  the  poet  and 
philosopher,  and  suddenly  to  become  a  man 
of  action.  Seizing  the  critical  moment,  he 
declared  his  conviction  that  the  days  of 
monarchy  were  numbered,  that  the  proposed 
regency  was  not  suited  to  the  crisis,  and 
that  a  republic  alone  would  meet  the  emer- 
gency and  the  wishes  of  France.  These 
opinions,  happily  expressed  and  strenuously 
enforced,  became  decisive  in  tl;eir  cfiect. 

Several  other  speeches  were  made,  and 
a  scene  of  great  confusion  followed.  A 
considerable  number  of  the  mob  Iiad  broken 
into  the  room,  and  occupied  the  galleries 
and  the  floor.  One  of  them  brought  his 
firelock  to  his  shoulder,  and  took  aim  at 
M.  Sauzet,  the  president.  Entirely  losing 
his  self-possession,  he  abdicated  with  great 
speed,  and  disappeared.  In  the  midst  of 
the  hubbub,  a  provisional  government  was 
announced,  and  the  leading  members  named. 
Some  of  the  more  obnoxious  deputies  were 
aimed  at  by  the  mob,  and  skulking  inglori- 
ously  behind  benches  and  pillars,  oozed  out 
at  back-doors  and  windows.  A  blouseman 
came  up  to  the  Duke  of  Nemours,  who 
drew  his  sword.  The  omrier  took  it  from 
him,  broke  it  over  his  knee,  and  counselled 
his  highness  to  depart.  This  he  did  forth- 
with, having  borrowed  a  coat  and  hat  for 
the  purpose  of  disguise.  A  call  was  made 
for  the  members  of  the  provisional  govern- 
ment to  proceed  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville. 
The  assembly  broke  up.  The  last  sitting 
of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  was  closed  ! 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, that  I  retraced  my  steps  towards  the 
Tuilerifts.  The  Place  de  la  Concorde  was 
crowded  with  soldiers,  and  fifty  cannon 
were  ranged  in  front  of  the  gardens.  Yet 
this  mighty  force  seemed  struck  with  paral- 
ysis. Long  lines  of  infantry  stood  mute 
and  motionless,  and  heavy  masses  of  cavalry 
seemed  converted  into  so  many  statues. 
Immediately  before  the  eyes  of  these  sol- 
diers was  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries  in  full 
possession  of  the  mob,  but  not  a  muscle 
moved  for  their  expulsion. 

Passing  into  the  gardens,  I  perceived  that 
thousands  of  persons  were  spread  over  their 


surface,  and  a  rattling  discharge  of  fire-arms 
was  heard  on  all  sides.  Looking  about  for 
the  cause  of  this,  I  perceived  that  hundreds 
of  men  and  boys  were  amusing  themselves 
with  shooting  sparrows  and  pigeons,  which 
had  hitherto  found  a  secure  resting-place  in 
this  favorite  resort  of  leisure  and  luxur)'. 
Others  were  discharging  their  muskets  for 
the  mere  fun  of  making  a  noise.  Proceed- 
ing through  the  gardens,  I  came  at  last  to 
the  palace.  It  had  now  been,  for  more  than 
an  hour,  in  full  possession  of  the  insurgents. 
All  description  fails  to  depict  a  scene  like 
this.  The  whole  front  of  the  Tuileries,  one 
eighth  of  a  mile  in  length,  seemed  gushing 
at  doors,  windows,  balconies,  and  calleries, 
with  living  multitudes  —  a  mighty  bee-hive 
of  men,  in  the  very  act  of  swarming.  A 
confused  hubbub  filled  the  air,  and  bewil- 
dered the  senses  with  its  chaotic  sounds. 

At  the  moment  I  arrivetl,  the  throne  of 
the  king  was  borne  away  by  a  jubilant  band 
of  revellers ;  and  after  being  jiaraded  through 
the  streets,  was  burned  at  the  Vlace  de  la 
Bastille  —  a  significant  episode  in  this  tale 
of  wonders.  The  colossal  statue  of  Spar- 
tacus,  which  faces  the  main  door  of  the 
palace,  toward  the  gardens,  was  now  deco- 
rated with  a  piece  of  gilt  cloth,  torn  from 
the  throne,  and  wreathed  like  a  turban 
around  his  head.  In  his  hand  was  a  gor- 
geous bouquetof  artificial  flowers.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  frowning  gladiator  had  suddenly 
caught  the  spirit  of  the  revel,  and  was  about 
to  descend  from  his  pedestal  and  mingle  in 
the  masquerade. 

I  entered  the  palace,  and  passed  through 
the  long  suits  of  apartments  devoted  to  occa- 
sions of  ceremony.  A  vear  before,  I  had 
seen  these  gorgeous  halls  filled  with  the 
great  and  the  fair,  the  favored  and  the  noble, 
gathered  to  this  focal  point  of  luxury,  refine- 
ment, and  taste,  from  every  quarter  of  the 
world.  How  little  did  Louis  Philippe,  at 
that  moment,  dream  of  "coming  events!" 
How  little  did  the  stately  queen  —  a  proud 
obelisk  of  silk,  and  lace,  and  diamonds  — 
foresee  the  change  that  was  at  hand  !  I 
recollected  well  the  effect  of  this  scene  upon 
my  own  mind,  and  felt  the  full  force  of  the 
contrast  which  the  present  moment  pre- 
sented. Ill  the  very  room,  where  I  had 
seen  the  pensive  and  pensile  Princess  de 
Joinville  and  the  Duchess  of  Montpensier, 

—  then  fresh  from  the  hymeneal  altar  — 
her  raven  hair  studded  with  diamonds  like 
evening  stars  —  whirling  in  the  mazy  dance 

—  I  now  beheld  a  band  of  creatures  like 
Calibans,  gambolling  to  the  song  of  the 
Marseillaise ! 


60 


474 


THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION    OF    184S. 


On  every  side  my  eye  fell  upon  scenes 
of  destruction.  Passing  to  the  other  end 
of  the  palace,  I  beheld  a  mob  in  the  cham- 
bers of  the  princesses.  Some  rolled  them- 
selves in  the  luscious  beds,  —  others  anointed 
their  heads  with  choice  pomade  —  exclaim- 
insT,  "  Uieu  —  how  sweet  it  smells  !"  One 
of  the  Gamhis,  grimmed  with  gunpowder, 
blood,  and  dirt,  seized  a  tooth-brush,  and 
placing  himself  before  a  mirror,  seemed  de- 
lighted at  the  manifest  improvement  which 
he  produced  upon  his  ivory. 

In  leaving  the  palace,  I  saw  numbers  of 
the  men  drinking  wine  from  bottles  found 
in  the  cellars.  None  of  them  were  posi- 
tively drunk.  To  use  the  words  of  Tam 
O'Shantev,  ''They  were  ruifou,  hit  just  had 
plenty" — perhaps  a  little  more.  They 
flourished  their  guns  and  pistols,  brandished 
their  swords,  and  performed  various  antics, 

—  but  they  ofl"ered  no  insult  to  any  one. 
They  seemed  in  excellent  humor,  and  made 
more  than  an  ordinary  display  of  French 
politesse.  They  complimented  the  women, 
of  whom  there  was  no  lack  —  and  one  of 
them,  seeming  like  a  figure  of  Pan,  seized 
a  maiden  by  the  waist,  and  both  rigadooned 
merrily  over  the  floor. 

Leaving  this  scene  of  waste,  confusion, 
and  uproar,  I  proceeded  toward  the  gate  of 
the  gardens  leading  into  the  Rue  Rivoli. 
I  was  surprised  to  find  here  a  couple  of 
ruthless-looking  blousemen,  armed  with  pis- 
tols, keeping  guard.  On  inquiry,  I  found 
that  the  mob  themselves  had  instituted  a 
sort  of  government.  One  fellow,  in  the 
midst  of  the  devastation  in  the  palace,  see- 
ing a  man  put  something  into  his  pocket, 
wrote  on  the  wall,  "Death  to  the  thief.  "  The 
Draconian  code  was  immediately  adopted 
by  the  people,  and  became  the  law  of  Paris. 
Five  persons,  taken  in  acts  of  robbery,  were 
shot  down  by  the  people,  and  their  bodies 
exposed  in  the  streets,  with  the  label  of 
'•Thieves"  on  their  breast.  Thus  order  and 
law  seemed  to  spring  up  from  the  instincts 
of  society,  in  the  midst  of  uproar  and  con- 
fusion, as  crystals  are  seen  shooting  from 
the  chaos  of  the  elements. 

Three  days  had  now  passed,  and  the  rev- 
olution was  accomplished.  The  people  soon 
returned  to  their  wonted  habit* — the  pro- 
visional government  proceeded  in  its  duties 

—  the  barricades  disappeared,  and  in  a 
single  week  tlie  more  obtrusive  traces  of 
the  storm  that  had  passed,  had  vanished 
from  the  streets  and  squares  of  Paris.  A 
mighty  shock  has,  however,  been  given  to 
society,  which  still  swells  and  undulates 
like,  the  sea  after  a  storm.     The  adjacent 


j  countries  seem  to  feel  the  movement,  and  ? 
all  Europe  is  in  a  stale  of  igilation.    What  i 
must   be   the    final   result   cannot  now   be   i 
foreseen  —  but  I  fear  that,  ere  the  sky  be  j 
cleared,  still  further  tempests  must   sweep 
over  France,  as  well  as  other  nations.    The 
day  for  reckoning  for  long  years  of  tyranny 
and  corruption  has  come,  and  the  sun  of 
liberty  can  hardly  be  expected  to  shine  full 
on  the  scene,  till  a  night  of  fear,  and  agi- 
tation, and  tears  has  been  endured. 


The  events  which  have  followed,  have 
been  of  the  most  astonishing  character. 
For  several  weeks  and  months,  Paris  was  a 
scene  of  extraordinary  excitement.  The 
Provisional  Govermnent  had  announced  that 
they  would  provide  the  people  with  labor. 
Consequently,  deputations  of  tailors,  hatters, 
wood  engravers,  musicians,  paviors,  cabinet 
makers,  seamstresses,  and  a  multitude  of 
other  trades  and  vocations,  flocked  in  long 
lines  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  to  solicit  the  favor 
of  the  government.  Vast  crowds  of  people 
haunted  this  place,  and,  in  one  instance, 
thousands  came  thundering  at  the  doors, 
demanding  that  the  blood-red  flag  of  the 
former  revolution  should  be  the  banner  of 
the  new  republic.  The  members  of  the 
government  were  so  besieged,  and  pressed 
by  business,  that  for  several  weeks  they 
slept  in  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  They  proceeded 
with  a  bold  hand  to  announce  and  establish 
the  republic.  In  order  to  make  a  favor- 
able impression  upon  the  people,  they  had 
a  gorgeous  celebration  at  the  foot  of  the 
column  of  July,  (Sunday,  Feb.  27,)  by 
which  they  solemnly  inaugurated  the  new 
Kepub  ic.  All  the  members  of  the  Pro- 
visional Government  were  present  on  horse- 
back ;  there  were  C0,000  troops  and  200,000 
people  to  witness  the  ceremony ! 

Another  still  more  imposing  spectacle  took 
place  March  4.  This  was  called  the  Funeral 
of  the  Victims.  After  funeral  ceremonies  at 
the  Madeleine,  the  government,  a  long  train 
of  public  officers,  and  an  immense  cortege 
of  military,  proceeded  to  the  July  column, 
conducting  a  funeral  car,  drawn  by  eight 
cream-colored  horses.  This  car  was  superb, 
and  contained  many  of  the  bodies  of  those 
slain  in  the  revolution,  —  about  250.  These 
were  deposited  in  the  vault  of  the  column, 
with  the  victims  of  the  revolution  of  .S30. 

Nothing  can  correctly  portray  this  spec- 
tacle. A  tricolored  flag  was  stretched  on 
each  side  of  the  Boulevard,  from  the  Made- 
leine to  the  July  column  —  a  distance  of 
three  miles.  As  this  consisted  of  three 
strips  of  cloth,  the  whole  length  of  them  was 


THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION    OF    IS-IS. 


475 


ei^liteen  miles.  The  solemn  movement  of 
the  funeral  procession,  the  dirg-e-like  mu- 
sic, the  march  of  nearly  a  hundred  thousand 
soliliers,  and  the  sympathizing  presence 
of  three  hundred  thousand  souls,  rendered 
it  a  scene,  never  surpassed  and  rarely 
equalled,  either  by  tlie  magnificence  of  the 
panorama,  or  the  solemn  and  touching  sen- 
timei.ts  excited. 

Still  other  spectacles  succeeded,  and  in 
the  summer,  400,000  people  assembled  in 
the  Champs  Elysees,  to  witness  the  Prc- 
scntation  of  Fla^s  to  the  assemlilcd  national 
guards  —  80,000  being  present.  Such 
scenes  can  only  be  wiincssed  in  Paris. 

Events  proceeded  with  strange  rapiditj'. 
An  assembly  was  called  by  the  provisional 
government,  to  form  a  constilution.  The 
members  were  elected  by  ballot,  the  suf- 
frage being  universal  —  that  is,  open  to  all 
Frenchmen  over  twenty-onn.  The  election 
took  place  in  April,  and  on  the  4lh  of  May, 
the  lirst  session  took  place,  being  ceremoni- 
ally announced  to  thousands  ol  the  people 
from  the  steps  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 
On  the  15th  Maj',  a  conspiracy  was  dis- 
clised,  the  leaders  of  which  were  Raspail, 
Barbes,  Sobrier,  Caussidiere,*  Blanqui, 
Flotte,  Albert,  Louis  IJlanc  —  the  two  last 
having  been  members  of  the  provisional 
government.  Caussidiere  was  prefect  of 
police. 

The  Assembly  proceeded  in  the  work  of 
framing  a  constitution,  meantime  admin- 
istering the  government.  On  the  ij  1th  June, 
a  terrific  insurrection  broke  out,  promoted 
by  the  leaders  of  various  factions,  all  desir- 
ing the  overthrow  of  the  rejiulilic.  Cavaig- 
nac,  who  was  minister  of  war,  was  ap- 
pointed dictator,  and  Paris  was  declared 
in  a  state  of  siege.  The  insurgents  con- 
fined their  operations  chiefiy  to  the  fau- 
bourgs St.  Jac(pies  and  St.  Antoine.  They 
got  possession  of  these,  and  formed  skilful 
and  alile  plans  of  operation,  which  had  for 
ultimate  object  the  surrounding  of  the  city 
and  getting  possession  of  certain  important 
parts,  including  the  Chamber  —  thus  secur- 
ing the  government. 

Cavaignac  proceeded  to  attack  the  bar- 
ricades, thus  clearing  the  streets  one  by 
one.  The  fighting  was  terrible.  For  four 
days  the  battle  continued,  thcsomul  of  can- 
non frequently  filling  the  cars  of  the  people 
all  over  the  city.     Night  and  day  the  in- 

*  Tiu'se  men  were  Socialists,  nnd  aimed  at  a  de- 
s-trnrtidii  of '^nveruMieiU,  so  liial  lliey  inisjhl  lirini^  into 
etfect  llieir  peeiiliar  schemes.  Tliey  have  I. eeii  lately 
tried  at  Hoiirqes,  and  sciiteiiccil  lo  lung  imprisonmcnl 
or  lianisliinent.  Louis  lilanc  and  Caussidiere  es- 
caped to  tlni:land. 


habitants  were  shut  up  in  their  houses  — 
ignorant  of  all,  save  that  the  conflict  was 
raging.  The  women  foimd  employment  m 
scraping  lint  for  the  wounded.  All  Paris 
was  a  cainp.  The  windows  were  closed  ; 
the  soldiers  and  sentinels  passed  their  watch- 
words ;  litters,  carrying  the  dead  and 
wounded,  were  seen  along  the  streets;  the 
tramp  of  inarching  colutnn  and  the  thunder 
of  rushing  cavalry  broke  upon  the  ear  ! 

At  last  (he  conflict  was  over:  the  insur- 
gents were  beaten  ;  Cavaignac  triumphed. 
But  the  victory  was  purchased  witli  blood. 
Between  two  and  three  thousand  persons 
were  killed  —  and  among  them,  no  less  than 
.seven  general  oflicers  fell.  The  insurgents 
fotight  like  tigers.  Alany  women  were  in 
the  ranks,  using  the  musket,  carrying  the 
banners,  rearing  barricades,  and  cheering 
the  fight.  Boys  and  girls  mingled  in  the 
conflict.  The  national  guards  liad  equal 
cotirarre,  and  superior  discipline.  One  of 
the  Ciarde  Bloliile — Hyac'nithe  Martin  —  a 
youth  of  fourteen,  took  four  standards  from 
the  fops  of  the  barricades.  His  gallantry 
excited  great  interest,  and  Cavaignac  dec- 
orated him  with  the  cross  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor.  He  became  a  hero  of  the  day,  and, 
sad  to  relate,  being  invited  to  fites,  ban- 
quets, and  repa-ts,  his  head  was  turned  and 
he  was  soon  a  ruined  profligate. 

The  leaders  in  this  terrific  insurrection 
have  never  been  detected.  It  is  certain 
that  the  movement  was  headed  by  able  men, 
and  directed  by  skilful  engineers.  The 
masses  who  fought  were  roused  to  fury  by 
|)Overly  and  distress,  by  disa|ipoint!nent  at 
finding  the  national  workshops  discoiitiiuied, 
and  by  the  proceedings  of  the  socialist  clubs 
and  newspapers.  It  is  computed  that  40,000 
insurgents  were  in  arms,  and  80,000  govern- 
ment soldiers  were  brought  against  them. 
It  may  be  considered  that  this  struggle  was 
tlie  remote  but  inevitable  result  of  the  meas- 
ure of  the  provisional  government  in  adopt- 
ing the  doctrine  of  obligation,  on  the  part  of 
the  state,  to  supply  work  and  wages,  and  in 
establishing  national  workshops  in  pursu- 
ance of  this  idea.  Still,  it  may  be  said, 
that  nothing  but  such  a  step  cotdd  have 
enabled  the  provisional  government  to  main- 
tain itself,  durin;r  three  months,  and  give 
being  to  an  organized  assembly  from  which 
a  legitimate  government  could  proceed. 

The  constitution  was  finished  in  the  au- 
tumn, and  proinidgatcd  the  19th  of  Nov., 
1S4S.  On  the  10th  of  Dec.  following,  the 
election  of  president  took  place,  and  it  ap- 
peared that  Louis  Napoleon  had  about  five 
million  out  of  seven  million  votes.     He  was 


476 


THE    FKENCH    REVOLUTION    OF    1S4S. 


duly  inaugurated,  very  quietly,  in  about  a  I  the  first  legislative  assembly,  under  the  con- 
week  after  the  election.     He  has  since  per-   stitution,  took  place  13th  May,  and  passed 
formed  the  duties  of  his  office,  and   is  now  otT  quietly. 
(June,  1849)  very  popular.    The  election  for  1      In  connection  with  the  recent  revolution 


Hyac'mthe  Martin,  meeling  his  fAiher,  and  receiving  the  congratulations  of  the  people. 


in  France,  it  is  curious  to  read  the  follow- 
ing passage,  published  many  years  ago. 

"  Before  fifty  years,"  said  Napoleon  to 
Las  Casas,  one  day,  at  St.  Helena,  "  Europe 
will  be  Republican  or  Cossack. 

"Then,  if  my  son  is  alive,  he  will  be 
called  to  the  French  throne,  amidst  the  ac- 
clamations of  the  people.  If  he  is  dead, 
France  will  become  a  republic  again  ;  for 
no  hand  would  dare  to  grasp  a  sceptre  which 
it  could  not  wield. 

"  The  branch  of  Orleans,  though  agreea- 
ble, is  too  weak;  it  clings  too  much  to  the 
other  Bourbons,  and  it  will  have  the  same 
fate,  if  it  does  not  prefer  living  as  simple 
citizens,  whatever  changes  arrive. 

"  Once  again  France  will  be  a  republic, 
and  other  countries  will  follow  her  e.'cample. 
Germans,  Prussians,  Poles,  Italians,  Danes, 
Swedes,  and  Russians,  will  join  her  in  a 
crusade  in  favor  of  liberty.     They  will  arm 


against  their  sovereigns,  who  will  hasten  to 
make  them  concessions,  in  order  to  retain  a 
part  of  their  ancient  authority;  they  win 
call  themselves  constitutional  kings,  possess- 
ing limited  powers.  Thus  the  feudal  sys- 
tem will  receive  its  death-blow :  like  the 
ocean  mist,  it  will  vanish  before  the  first  ray 
of  the  sun  of  liberty. 

"  But  things  will  not  rest  there.  The 
wheel  of  revolution  will  not  stop  at  that 
point  —  its  impetuosity  will  increase  five 
ibid,  and  its  rapidity  in  proportion.  When 
a  nation  recovers  part  of  its  rights,  it  be- 
comes enthusiastic  from  victory,  and,  hav- 
ing tasted  the  sweets  of  liberty,  becomes 
more  enterprising  in  order  to  obtain  more. 
The  states  of  Europe  will  be,  perhaps,  for 
some  years,  in  a  continual  state  of  agitation, 
like  the  ground  the  moment  before  an  earth- 
quake; but  at  last  the  lava  breaks  forth, 
and  an  explosion  ends  all. 


THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION    OF    184S. 


477 


•'  The  bankr-jptcy  of  England  will  be  the 
lava  which  will  shake  the  world,  devour 
kir;gs  and  aristocracies,  but  cement  by  its 
oulbreak  the  interests  of  democracy.  Be- 
lieve me,  LasCasas,  as  the  vines  planted  in 
the  ashes  which  cover  the  feet  of  Etna  and 
Vesuvius  produce  the  most  delicious  wines, 
so  the  tree  of  liberty  will  become  immova- 


ble when  it  has  its  roots  in  the  revolutionary 
lava  which  will  overflow  all  the  monarchies. 
May  it  flourish  forever  !  These  sentiments 
may  perhaps  appear  strange  to  you,  but  they 
are  mine. 

"  I  was  born  a  republican;   but  destiny    '. 
and  the  opposition  of  Europe  made  me  an 
emperor." 


The  Archbishop  of  Pan*  idirussin;;  the  people,  bcf  re  he  wis  killc 


Ir  tn<'  revolution  of  February,  and  during 
tlie  insurrection  of  June,  which  wo  have 
just  described,  many  touching  incidents 
occurred.  But  one  of  the  most  melancholy 
events  of  the  insurrection,  was  the  death 
of  the  Archbishop  of  Paris.  He  was  shot 
from  a  window,  as  he  had  mounted  a 
barricade  to  address  the  insurgents  and 
attempt  to  allay  their  fury.  This  occurred 
at  the  corner  of  the  Place  de  la  Bastille. 


The  eflects  of  the  agitations  in  France 
were  of  course  extended  to  other  parts  of 
Europe;  what  will  be  the  final  issue,  time 
alone  can  determine.  But  it  is  clear  that 
monarchical  government  has  failed  to  satisfy  ; 
the  wishes  and  expectations  of  n:ankind,  and 
they  are  not  likely  to  rest  till  it  has  given 
place  to  some  other  system. 


M, ^ 


i 


THE  PEKSIDENT  OF  THE  FRENCH  REPUBLIC. 


Charles  Louis  Napoleon,  son  of  Louis, 
Ex-King  of  Holland,  was  born  in  Paris  on 
till)  20th  of  April,  180S.  His  g-oJ-parents 
were  the  Emperor  and  Maria  Louisa,  and 
during  his  childhood  he  was  an  especial 
favorite  of  the  former.  On  the  return  of 
Napoleon  from  Elba,  he  stood  beside  him  on 
the  Cliampde  Mars,  and  when  embraced  by 
him  for  the  last  time,  at  Malmaison,  the 
young  Louis,  then  a  boy  of  seven  years, 
wished  to  follow  him  at  all  hazards.  When 
the  family  was  banished  from  France,  his 
mother  removed  to  Augsburg,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  good  German  education.  He  was 
afterwards  taken  to  Switzerland,  where  he 
obtained  the  right  of  citizenship,  and  com- 
menced a  course  of  military  studies.  After 
the  July  revolution,  by  which  he  was  a 
secoi  d  time  proscribed  from  France,  he  vis- 
ited Italy  in  company  with  his  brother,  and 
in  1S31  took  part  in  a  popular  insurrection 


against  the  pope.  This  movement  failed, 
but  he  succeeded  in  making  his  escape,  and, 
his  brother  dying  at  Forli  the  same  j'ear,  he 
visited  England  and  afterwards  returned  to 
Switzerland,  where,  for  two  or  three  years, 
he  contented  liimself  with  writing  political 
and  military  works,  which  do  not,  appear  to 
have  been  extensively  read.  The  death  of 
the  Dukoof  Reichstadt  in  1S32,  gave  a  new 
impulse  to  his  ambitious  hopes.  His  first 
revolutionary  attempt,  at  Strasbourg,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1836,  completely  failed,  but  after  a 
short  imprisonment  in  Paris,  he  was  sent  to 
this  country.  The  illness  of  his  mother 
occasioned  his  return  the  following  year, 
and  after  a  visit  to  Switzerland  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  England  until  his  second  i 
attempt  at  Boulogne,  in  1840.  | 

In  this  affair  several  of  his  followers  were  ] 
killed,  and  he  was  himself  taken  and  sen-  j 
tenced  to  imprisonment  for  life  in  the  Castle  J 


^^* 


THE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  FRENCH  REFUBLIC. 


479 


of  Ham.  The  particulars  of  his  escape  in 
May,  1S46,  after  an  incarceration  of  six 
years,  are  well  known.  From  tiiat  time 
until  the  end  of  September,  1S4S,  when  he 
was  returned  as  a  deputy  to  the  National 
Assembly  from  the  department  of  the  Seine, 
he  resided  in  England. 

The  lart;e  majority  by  which  he  was 
elected  a  repre.sentative  astonished  every 
one,  and  gave  his  followers  the  first  encour- 
afjcment  to  brings  forth  his  name  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  presidency.  To  defeat  the 
acknowledged  republican  part)',  he  received 
also  the  support  of  the  legitimists  and  the 
Orleanists,  and  those  combined  influences 
have  elected  him  by  an  innncnse  majority. 

Thousands  voted  for  him  also,  believing 
that  the  only  chance  otTered  for  a  stable  gov- 
ermnent,  would  arise  from  electing  some- 
body by  the  people,  and  by  a  decisive  ma- 
jority. It  was  rationally  feared  that  if  no 
candidate  had  two  million'votes  —  in  which 
case  the  Assembly  would  elect  a  president  — 
that  Cavaignac  would  be  chosen  ;  and  not 
sujiported  by  the  popular  voice,  the  govern- 
ment could  not  stand.  Besides  all  this, 
millions  of  the  people  were  poor,  and  they 
hoped  better  times  from  a  Bonaparte.  The 
feelings  of  a  largo  body  of  the  people  may 
be  inforred  from  the  fact,  that  in  less  than  a 
month  after  his  election,  the  new  president 
had  50,000  begging  letters  ;  of  these,  5000 
contained  scrip  of  the  government  Pawning 
Establishment — the  3Iont  de  ricU  —  .show- 
ing pledges  of  beds,  blankets,  and  other  ar- 
ticles of  first-rate  necessity,  and  begging 
Napoleon  to  redeem  them.  Hope,  spring- 
ing from  the  bosom  of  poverty,  wretched- 
ness, and  despair,  was  a  large  element 
that  entered  into  the  election.  In  France, 
as  has  often  happened  in  the  U.  States,  the 
election  was  attended  with  amusing  inci- 
dents. "  The  peasantry  of  the  interior,"  we 
are  told  by  a  certain  writer,  "  marched  to  the 
polls  with  their  Napoleon  ticket  at  the  end 
of  cleft  sticks,  and  drums  beating ;  in  many 
districts,  when  asked  about  their  choice, 
they  answered,  '  We  do  not  mean  to  vote 
for  a  republican  ;  we  have  had  enough  of 
the  republic'  '  Well,  then,'  tliey  were  told, 
'  if  you  do  not  want  the  republic,  vote  for 
Bonaparte.'  Yesterday,  I  asked  the  worthy 
tailor  whom  I  have  employed  for  many  years, 
and  who  is  an  officer  in  the  National  Guards, 
how  he  voted.  '  For  Napoleon,  to  be  sure.' 
When  he  perceived  that  I  was  not  edified, 
he  added,  — '  Possibly  it  was  stupid  on  my 
part ;  but,  in  truth,  I  could  no  longer  bear 
with  this  cursed  republic'  Such  was  the 
feeling  of  the  bourgeois  in  general!" 


L'Elysee  National,  formerly  L'Elysee 
Bourbon,  which  the  National  Assembly  has 
appropriated  and  fitted  u]i  for  the  residence 
of  the  President  of  the  French  Rejiublic,  was 
known,  at  the  beginning  of  the  last  century, 
under  the  name  of  Chatea\i  d'Evreux.  ll 
was  built  in  I71S  by  Count  d'Evreux,  Lie\i- 
tenant-General,  governor  of  the  Royal  Cha- 
teau of  llonceaux.  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour, the  mistress  of  Louis  XV.,  bought  it 
from  the  family  d'Evreux,  ami  kept  it  to  her 
death,  in  17G4.  After  her  death,  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Beanjon.  a  capitalist, 
who  sold  it,  in  1*81.  to  King  Louis  X\'I. 
Having  become  national  property  after  the 
revolution,  it  remained  uninhaliited  under 
the  republic  Under  the  empire,  Murat, King 
of  Naples,  purchased  it;  and  at  the  lime  of 
the  second  restoration,  the  state  took  posses- 
sion of  it,  without  any  regard  for  the  rights 
of  the  heirs  of  Murat.  In  1S30,  a  decree 
appropriated  the  Elysee  to  Queen  Amelie. 
in  case  she  should  survive  the  ex-King  Louis 
Philippe.  The  Elysc'e  is  the  last  palace 
which  Napoleon  inhabited  before  his  depart- 
ure for  exile,  in  1S15.  He  stopped  at  the 
Elysi'e  on  the  21st  of  June,  after  the  defeat 
of  Waterloo;  and  abdicated  there,  in  favor  of 
the  Kingof  Rome,  and  resigned  the  supreme 
power  toavoid  foreign  invasion  and  civil  war. 

Up  to  the  present  moment  the  palace  has 
been  one  of  the  "  lions  of  Paris,"  and  a  sort 
of  show-place  to  strangers.  It  is  entered 
from  the  Rue  du  Faubourg  St.  Honorc  hy  a 
spacious  quadrangular  court-yard.  Alter 
ascending  a  loftv  flight  of  steps  the  visitor 
is  conducted  to  the  suite  of  apartments  on 
the  first  story.  They  include  the  bed-cham- 
ber occupied  by  Napoleon  during  the  hun- 
dred days,  and  the  council-room  in  which 
the  Emperor  Alexander  transacted  business 
during  the  occupation  of  Paris  by  the  allied 
armies  in  the  spring  of  ISl  1.  These  rooms 
are  furnished  with  some  splendor,  and  are 
adorned  with  several  fine  paintings.  The 
garden,  at  the  rear  of  the  palace,  extends  as 
far  as  the  Champs  Elysi'es. 

Louis  Napoleon  is  below  the  middle  size, 
and  in  stature  nearly  the  same  as  the  em- 
peror. His  features  bear  no  resemblance  to 
the  imperial  model,  being  more  regular  and 
more  handsome,  if  not  more  expressive.  His 
figure  is  youthful,  but  his  visage  is  admira- 
bly lined,  and  marked  somewhat  with  years. 
In  short,  his  face  bears  a  greater,  and  his 
figure  a  less  age  than  that  given  by  the 
almanac  His  manners  are  extremcl)  en- 
gaging, and  marked  with  much  dignity  and 
grace,  without  the  slightest  approach  to 
assumption. 


SNOW   CRYSTALS 


Snow,  examined  with  the  aid  of  a  micro- 
scope,exhibits  structures  of  exquisite  beauty, 
regularity,  and  endless  variety,  thoui^h  it 
sometimes  presents  no  peculiarity  of  form, 
but  falls  in  very  minute  globular  particles. 
Commonly  a  snow-flake  consists  of  a  series  of 
crystals  formed  independently  in  the  upper 
regions  of  the  air.  These  are  united  in 
groups  while  descending  through  the  atmos- 
phere, by  its  agitations  striking  them  against 
each  other.  The  flickerinsjand  {rradual  de- 
scent  of  the  flakes  is  owing  to  their  great 
extent  of  surface  in  comparison  with  their 
volume. 

A  number  of  brilliant  icy  spiculce,  or 
points  diverging  from  a  common  centre,  re- 
sembling stars  having  so  many  rays,  appa- 
rently wrought  with  the  nicest  art,  is  the 
usual  form  of  the  crystals,  which  are  for  the 
most  part  hexagonal,  presenting  a  nucleus 
of  six  divergences.  This  stelliform  shape 
is  the  ordinary  appearance  of  snow,  but  the 
detail  varies,  as  in  the  adjoining  illustration. 
Dr.  E.  J.  Clarke,  speaking  of  the  breaking 
up  of  the  winter  season  at  St.  Petersburg, 
remarks  :  —  "  Snow,  in  the  most  regular 
and  beautiful  crystals,  fell  gently  on  our 
clothes,  and  on  the  sledge,  as  we  were  driv- 
ing through  the  streets  ;  all  of  them  pos- 
sessed exactly  the  same  figure,  and  the  same 


dimensions.  Every  particle  consisted  of  a 
wheel  or  star,  with  six  equal  rays,  bounded 
by  circumferences  of  equal  diameters  ;  they 
had  all  of  them  the  same  number  of  rays 
branching  from  a  common  centre.  The 
size  of  each  of  these  little  stars  was  equal  to 
the  circle  presented  by  dividing  a  pea  into 
two  equal  parts.  This  appearance  continued 
during  three  hours,  in  which  time  no  other 
snow  fell,  and  there  was  sufficient  leisure  to 
examine  them  with  the  strictest  attention." 
A  microscope  applied  to  a  flake  of  snow, 
will  unfold  its  mode  of  structure  as  well  as 
their  variations  in  our  climate  ;  but  it  is  in 
the  polar  regions  that  snow  assumes  its  most 
beautiful  and  varied  forms.  Scoresby  has 
figured  ninety-six  varieties,  distributed  into 
classes  of  lamellar,  spicular,  and  pyramidal 
crystals,  from  which  the  annexed  represen- 
tation is  taken.  Upon  examining  some  snow 
which  fell  at  Yverdun,  in  Switzerland,  in 
1829  and  1830,  Mr.  Thuber  Burnaud  found 
its  crystals  to  consist  of  stellar  plates  with  six 
rays,  along  each  of  which  filaments  were  dis- 
posed after  the  form  of  feathers,  and  these  also 
had  finer  filaments  similarly  arranged.  He 
observed  that  in  the  former  yearalmost  every 
day  the  crystals  presented  a  new  variety  of 
shape,  sometimes  resembling  parallel  fillets, 
cones,  and  spines,  with  a  rosette  termination. 


KNOWLEDGE   OF   THE   INFERIOR   ANIMALS. 


The  knowledge  of  the  arts  and  scienres, 
which  is  possessed  by  the  diftcrent  members 
of  the  animal  creation,  has  not  iinrrcqiiently 
been  a  subject  of  wonder  to  the  naturalist. 
We  may  examine  the  subject  with  profit  to 
ourselves. 

The  Mole  is  a  meteorolorjist,  for  he  keeps 
a  careful  account  of  the  weather. 

Bees  are  geometricians.  Their  cells  are 
so  constructed,  as,  with  the  least  quantity 
of  material,  to  have  (he  largest  sized  spaces 
and  least  possible  loss  of  interstice. 

So  also  is  the  Ant-Lion.  His  funnel- 
shaped  trap  is  exactly  correct  in  its  confor- 


mation, as  if  it  had  been  lormed  by  the 
most  skilful  artist  of  our  species,  with  the 
aid  of  the  best  instruments. 

The  bird  called  the  Kine-Killer  is  an 
arithinctician  ;  so  also  arc  Crows,  the  ^^  ild 
Turkey,  and  some  other  bird.s. 

The  Torpedo,  the  Kay,  and  the  Electric 
Eel.  are  electricians. 

Tile  Nautilus  is  a  navigator.  He  raises 
and  lowers  his  sail,  and  casts  and  weighs 
anchor,  and  performs  other  nautical  evolu- 
tions. 

The  Beaver  is  an  architect,  builder,  and 
wood-cutter. 


The  Manrot  is  a  civil  engineer.     He  not !      The  East  India  Ants  are  horticulturists; 
only  builds  houses,  but  constructs  aqueducts  ,  they  grow   mushrooms,   upon   which    they    : 
and  drains  to  keep  them  dry.  i  feed  tlieir  young. 

The  White  Ants  maintain  a  regulararmy  I      Wasps  are  paper  manufacturers 
of  soldiers.  I       Caterpillars  are  silk  spinners. 

til 


4S2 


MOUNTAINS. 


The  bird   Ploceus   Textor  is  a  weaver,  i  chip  or  a  piece  of  b<irk  for  a  boat,  and   his 


He  weaves  a  web  to  build  his  nest 

Th"  Priinia   is  a   tailor.     He   sevv's   the 

leaves  together  to  make  his  nest. 

The   Squirrel  is  a  ferryman.     With  a 


tail  for  a  sail,  he  crosses  the  stream. 

Dogs,  Wolves,  Jackals,  and  many  otl:c:», 
are  hunters. 


Mount  Sinai. 


MOUNTAINS. 


Mountains,  in  their  exterior  form,  ex- 
hibit some  varieties  which  strike  the  most 
inattentive  observer.  The  highest  moun- 
tains most  frequently  present  a  surface  of 
naked  rock.  In  some  places  they  shoot  up 
in  the  form  of  enormous  crystals  with  sharp 
angles.  Sometimes  there  appears  an  im- 
mense steep  and  abrupt  surface,  which 
seems  to  lay  open  to  view  the  bowels  of  the 
mountain  itself.  There  are  other  moun- 
tains, the  tops  of  which  present  circular 
outlines,  which  give  them  an  air  of  tran- 
quillity. The  mountains  of  New  England 
and  the  Apalachiaii  chain,  are  generally  of 
this  character.  Some  mountains  rise  in 
regular  and  majestic  gradations,  like  a  vast 
amphitheatre  ;  others  present  a  large  mass 
cut  perpendicularly  in  the  form  of  an  altar, 
like  the  Table  Mountain  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  There  are  mountains  in  China 
which  resemble  the  heads  of  tigers,  dragons 
and  bears.  In  other  places  there  are  lab- 
yrinths of  rocks,  which  rise  in  the  form  of 
pillars.  In  France  there  is  a  large  moun- 
tain in  a  single  mass,  in  the  form  of  a  large 
nine-pin  ;  then  there  are  others,  which  are 
described  as  resembling  the  old-fashioned 
frizzled  wigs.  In  short,  the  varieties  in  the 
form  of  mountains,  as  described  by  travel- 
lers, seem  to  be  almost  infinite. 


The  utility  of  mountains  is  very  gfreat. 
They  attract  the  clouds  and  vapors,  which 
become  condensed   by  cold,  and  fall  in  the 
shape  of  snow  and  rain,  thus   giving  birth 
to  innumerable  streams,  which  descend  and 
spread  fertility  and  beauty  over  the  face  of 
the  earth.     Some  of  them  are  highly  pic- 
turesque and  beautiful,  and  fill  the  mind  of 
the  beholder  only  with  pleasing  emotions. 
Others  are  lofty,  rugged   and   sublime,  and 
awaken  feelings  of  awe  and  astonishment,   i 
The  loftiest  range  of  mountains  in  the  world   < 
is  the  American  range,  which  reaches  11,-   > 
000  miles.     Tl^e  Ural  range,  the  largest  in  < 
Europe,  extends  only  1.500  miles.  / 

Volcanoes    are    those    mountains   which   { 
vomit  forth  flames  and  smoke  and  melted   | 
matter.     The  chimney,  through  which  the  '. 
smoke  and  lava  issue,  tenninates  in  a  vast  > 
cavity  called  the  crater.    The  number  of  vol-   j 
canoes  that  have  been  discovered  amounts  to   < 
several  hundred ;  son\e  of  them  are  now  ex- 
tinguished, others  are  only  periodically  in- 
flamed, while   others  still   are   in   constant 
activity.     The  most  celebrated  in  the  world 
are  Mts.  Etna,  Hecla,  Cotopaxi,  and  Vesu- 
vius.    Earthquakes  are  supposed  to  be  in- 
timately connected  with  volcanoes,  and  usu- 
ally take  place  in  volcanic  countries. 


HEIDELBERG. 

HF.mF.i.nF.r.G  is  a  city  of  southern  Ger- 
many, in  tiie  dnchy  of  IJadcn,  about  twelve 
miles  from  the  Rhine.  It  is  picturesq\ie]y 
situated,  and  overlooked  by  well-wooded 
hills,  while  the  rising  cjround  in  front  is 
covered  with  rich  vineyards.  The  streets 
are  narrow  and  gloomy,  and  the  public 
buildings  have  no  pretensions  to  grandeur. 
The  town  has  no  trade  of  any  importance, 
but  some  expectations  are  entertained  of  its 
prosperity  in  this  respect  being  improved, 
in  consequence  of  the  railway  just  opened 
between  it  and  Manheim.  It  is  a  cheap 
pmce  of  residence,  in  consequence  of  the 
low  price  of  provisions  and  the  moderate 
house-rent   charajes.      The   climate   is   not 


healthy,  especially  during  the  winter  ;  con- 
suinpllon  and  scrofula  are  prevalent  diseases. 

The  principal  object  of  attraction  in 
Heidelberg  is  its  university,  which,  with 
the  excejition  of  that  of  Prague,  is  the  oldest 
n  Germany.  If  was  founded  by  the  elcctol 
Rupert,  in  13S6.  In  1S02,  the  city  was 
ceded  to  the  duchy  of  Baden,  when  the 
grand  duke  accepted  the  office  of  rector  to 
the  university.  Through  his  munificence 
its  funds  were  much  increased,  and  a 
great  spur  was  given  to  the  e.xertions  of 
its  professors.  Its  present  income  from 
the  government  is  forty  thousand  florins, 
($-20,000,)  which,  together  with  the  fees, 
&c.,  is  applied  to  the  payment  of  the  pro- 
fessors' salaries  and  the  enlargement  of  the 
ibrary.  There  are  four  faoilties,  divinity, 
law,  medicine,  and  philosophy  ;  to  these  are 
attached  forty  professors  and  twenty-one 
private  tutors.  In  1S40,  the  number  of 
students  was  six  hundred  and  twenty-two. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  usefulness 
of  this  university  has  been  much  lessened 
by  the  impetuosity  of  the  students  in 
mingling  in  the  disturbances  in  Frankfort, 
in  1S33  ;  the  number  of  students  has  fallen 
ofT  nearly  one  half,  in  consequence  of  sev- 
eral German  princes  having  forbidden  their 
subjects  to  resort  thither.  The  riotous  con- 
duct of  the  Heidelberg  students  is  chiefly 
owing  to  the  system  of  students'  clubs, 
which  excite  here  greater  animosity  and  ; 
more  frequent  disturbances  than  at  any 
other  Gorman   university. 

The  well  known  Schloss,  or  electoral  pal- 
ace, stands  on  the  south  side  of  the  town, 
and  its  ruins  present  a  most  imposing  aspect. 
This  castle  was  partly  burnt  by  the  French 
in   1693,  and  was  struck  by  lightning  in 


4S4 


JOHN    HAMPDEN. 


i  1764,  since  which  time  it  has  been  wholly 
5  uninhabited.  'It  is  now  worthless,  and  pre- 
^  sents  a  mass  of  red  sandstone  walls,  perfo- 
i  rated  with  windows.  In  one  of  the  cellars 
>  of  this  palace  is  the  famous  Heidelberg  tun, 
i  now  empt)',  but  which  is  said  to  be  capable 

i   of  holding  eight  hundred  hogsheads. 
The  date  of  the  foundation  of  Heidelberg 
is  not  known,  but  it  ranked  only  as  a  small 
,  town  in  1225!     The  latter  part  of  the  four- 
<   teenth  century  seems  to  have  been  its  era 
of  prosperity ;    for  it  then  displayed,  in  its 


handsome  buildings,  all  the  splendor  arising 
from  a  flourishing  trade,  and  the  residence 
of  the  court  of  the  elector's  palatme  of  the 
Rhine.  From  that  time  till  the  peace  of 
Amiens,  in  1S02,  the  city  suffered  a  variety 
of  reverses,  was  several  times  burned, 
sacked,  and  ravaged.  These  repeated  ca- 
lamities, and  the  removal  of  the  elector's 
residence  to  Manheim,  in  1719,  cootributed 
to  diminish  its  importance  among  the  towns 
of  Germa'ny  ;  and  it  has  never  since  recov- 
jered  either  its  trade  or  its  population. 


JOHN   HAMPDEN. 


? 


$ 


This  patriot  and  good  man  was  born  in 
London,  in  1594,  of  a  very  ancient  family. 
He  was  educated  at  Magdalen  College, 
O.xford,  after  which  he  studied  law  in  the 
Inner  Temple,  London.  He  married  at 
the  age  of  twenty-five,  and  was  soon  after 
elected  to  Parliament.  In  1636,  he  resisted 
public  abuses  with  firmness,  and  denied  the 
light  of  the  king  to  levy  ship-money  —  a 
right  which  had  been  annulled  by  Magna 
Charta.  He  was  prosecuted,  and  though 
he  lost  his  cause,  his  great  favor  and 
popularity  date  from  this  manifestation  of 
spirit  and  courage.  He  now  became  by 
common  consent  the  leader  of  the  popular 
party  in  the  House  of  Commons  against  the 
king.  In  1637,  he  embarked  on  board  a 
ship  in  the  Thames,  with  Oliver  Cromwell, 


John  Pym,  and  other  Puritans,  and  was 
on  the  point  of  sailing  for  America.  A  proc- 
lamation from  the  king  compelled  them, 
however,  to  abandon  their  designs. 

In  1642,  Hampden  was  formally  accused 
by  the  king  of  high  treason  ;  the  Commons, 
however,  refused  to  give  him  up,  and  the 
king,  apprehensive  of  an  outbreak-,  sought 
safety  in  flight.  The  year  following,  the 
civil  war  broke  out,  and  Hampden  took  up 
arms  in  defence  of  the  people.  He  showed 
himself  intrepid  and  courageous  in  the  field, 
but  his  career  was  soon  cut  short  by  a  fatal 
wound  he  received  on  Chalgrove  field.  He 
died  in  June,  1643,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine. 
A  monument  was  erected  to  his  memory, 
some  years  ago,  —  on  the  two  hundredth  an- 
niversary of  his  death,  1S43,  —  and  stands 


FANF.UIL    HALL. 


4S5 


^iJ&^" 


Hampilcn's  residence. 


upon  ihe  ?pnt  where  he  fell.     It  is  a  poor 
anil   paltry  atTair,  and   is  in  an  unfinished 
condition,  the   oriijinal   desiijn    not  having!  habited, 
been  carried  out,  for  want  of  funds.     Tlie 


manor-house  of  the  patriot,  in  Great  Hamp- 
den  parish, 'is   still  standing,  though  unin- 


FANEUIL   HALL. 


In  the  year  1740,  Peter  Faneuil,  Esq.,i 
made  an  ofler  to  the  town  of  Boston,  to 
build,  at  his  own  expense,  a  conijilete  edi- 
fice on  tlie  town's  land  in  Dock  S(|uare, — 
the  lower  part  to  lie  used  as  a  market-house., 
A  town-meeting  was  held  July  14,  and  a 
petition  presented  with  three  hundred  and 
forty  signatures,  praying  the  town  to  accept 
the  proposal ;  wlieii  the  question  was  put, 
whether  the  work  should  be  aiithorized  to 
go  on,  there  were  three  hundred  and  sixty 
nays  to  three  hundred  and  sixty-seven  yeas, 
—  a  ni.ajority  of  seven  in  favor  of  the  propo- 
sition. The  work  was  commenced  Sept. 
8,  of  the  same  year,  and  in  about  two  years 
after,  the  keys  of  the  completed  building 
were  delivered  to  tlie  selectmen.  A  very 
flattering  series  of  resolves  was  passed  by 
the  city  fathers,  and  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Cashing,  with  eleven  other  gentlemen,  were 


appointed  to  convey  them  to  Mr.  Faneuil. 
The  Iniililing  was  unanimously  named  Fan- 
euil Hall,  and  in  compliance  with  a  vote 
passed  on  the  occasion,  a  full  length  portrait 
of  the  donor  was  executed  and  placed  in  the 
hall. 

The  building  was  of  brick,  two  stories  in 
height,  and  measured-one  hundred  feet,  by 
forty ;  it  contained  one  thousand  persons, 
and  was  esteemed  a  great  ornament  to  the 
town.  In  1761,  a  fire  broke  out  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  building,  by  which  a  multi- 
tude of  wooden  structures  were  consumed  ; 
the  fire  was  coinmunicaled  to  the  woodwork 
of  Faneuil  Hall,  and  the  whole  interior  was 
destroyed  ;  nothing  was  left  but  the  bare 
walls.  It  was  repaired  by  order  of  the 
General  Court.  In  1S05,  the  building  w.is 
enlarged,  when  forty  feet  more  were  added 
to  its  width. 


THE    MUSK-OX. 


4S7 


In  the  interior  of  the  edifice  are  two 
.arg'c  halls,  extending  nearly  the  leng;th  and 
width  of  the  groimd  plan  ;  the  under  one 
is  devoted  to  public  meetings,  political  or 
otherwise,  while  the  upper  is  devoted  to 
the  exercise  of  the  difTerent  military  corps 
of  the  city,  with  a  number  of  apartments  on 
each  side,  occupied  as  armories.  The  west 
end  of  the  lower  hall,  (represented  in  the 
opposite  engraving,)  in  which  the  rostrnm 
is  placed,  is  decorated  by  a  portrait  of 
Washington,  by  Stuart,  and  bj'  'that  of 
Mr.  Faneuil,  the  donor  of  the  buikling. 
Surrounding  these  are  several  other  paint- 


ings of   the   fathers  and   patriots  of   New 

England.  From  the  centre  of  the  building 
is  suspended  an  elegant  chandelier,  lighted 
by  gas,  and  in  front  of  the  east  gallery  is  a 
large  clock,  surmounted  by  an  eagle.  This 
hall  is  seventy-six  feet  square,  and  twenty- 
eight  feet  high.  Galleries  run  round  three 
siiles  of  the  hall ;  these  rest  n|)on  Doric 
columns,  while  the  ceiling  is  supported  by 
two  ranges  of  Ionic  columns.  Platforms 
under  and  within  the  galleries  rise  am- 
phitheatrically,  to  accommodate  spectators. 
The  building  has  a  cupola,  from  which  a 
hue  view  of  the  harbor  may  be  obtained. 


THE   MUSK-OX. 


This  curious  beast  has  its  home  in  the 
cold,  polar  regions  of  North  America,  and 
there  only  it  is  to  be  found.  It  is  about  half 
the  size  of  the  western  bison,  and  of  our 
common  ox.  It  is  covered  with  long,  mat- 
ted, brown  hair,  curled  on  the  neck  and 
shoulders,  and  hanging  down  below  the 
middle  of  the  leg.  The  horns  are  large,  and 
curving  downwards,  turn  up  in  a  semicircle. 

It  frequents  the  barren  lands  near  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  where  the  country  is  rocky 
and  destitute  of  wood.  It  feeds  on  grass 
and  lichens,  and  goes  in  herds  of  twenty  or 
thirty.  It  runs  very  fast  when  pursued, 
and  climbs  lofty  clifTs  with  great  activity. 

Dr.  Richardson  thus  describes  the  hunt- 
ing of  the  musk-ox.  If  the  hunters  keep 
themselves  concealed  wlien  they  (ire  upon 
a  herd,  the  poor  animals  mistake  the  noise 
for  thunder,  and,  forming  themselves  into  a 
group,  crowd  nearer  and  nearer  together  as 


their  companions  fall  around  them  ;  but, 
should  they  discover  them  by  sight,  or  by 
their  sense  of  smell,  which  is  very  acute, 
the  whole  herd  seek  safety  by  instant  flight. 
The  bulls  are  very  irritable,  and,  when 
wounded,  will  often  attack  the  hmiter,  and  . 
emlanger  bis  life,  unless  he  possesses  activ-  < 
ity  ami  presence  of  mind.  The  Esquimaux, 
who  are  well  accustomed  to  the  pursuit  of 
this  animal,  sometimes  turn  its  irritable 
disposition  to  2:ood  account;  for,  having 
provoked  a  bull  to  attack  him,  an  expert 
Inmter  wheels  round  it  more  quickly  than 
it  can  turn,  and  by  repeated  stabs  in  the 
belly  puts  an  end  to  its  life. 

The  flesh  of  the  musk-ox,  as  its  name  im- 
ports, is  higidy  flavored,  and  smells  strong- 
ly of  musk  ;  but  when  the  animal  is  fat,  it 
is  said  to  be  well  tasted.  The  hair  is  very 
fine,  and  would  be  useful  in  the  arts,  if  a 
sufficient  quantity  could  be  procured. 


Eiitrance  to  Greenwcfod  Cemetery. 


GREENWOOD   CEMETERY. 


Tins  beaiUiruI  place  of  sepulture  is  situ- 
ated on  Long  Island,  withiii  the  precincts 
of  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  about  three  miles 
(  from  the  south  ferry,  New  York.  It^was 
/  incorporated  hy  the  legislature' in  1S33,  but 
{  active  operations  were  not  commenced  till 
'/  1842.  The  charter  directs  and  authorizes 
5  the  exclusive  adaptation  of  land  acquired 
J  to  the  purpose  of  sepulture,  e.xempts  such 
laud  from  taxation,  or  attachment  for  debt. 
It  directs  that  the  surplus  income  shall  be 
devoted  to  the  improvement  and  embellish- 
ment of  the  cemetery,  and  imposes  all  the 
obligations  necessary  for  securing  the  per- 
petuity of  the  cemetery.  The  original 
purchase  amounted  to  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  acres,  but  subsequent  additions 
have  swelled  the  area  to  more  than  three 
hundred. 

Tlie  land  embraces  every  variety  of  hill 
and  dale,  wood  and  water.  There  are, 
within  the  limits  of  the  cemetery,  woods, 
abounding  in  every  variety  of  foliage, 
sheets  of  water,  embosomed  in  the  hearts 
of  hills,  gentle  eminences  and  bold  heights. 
Through  these  picturesque  scenes  wind  in- 
numeraUe  paths,  laid  out  in  graceful  forms, 
and  kept  m  the  best  order  by  constant  labor. 
5  Vistas  have  been  opened  in  the  woods,  the 
)   riotous  luxuriance  of  nature  lias  been  pruned 

>  with  taste  and  caution,  and  her  most  attrac- 
s    tive  features  developed  to  the  utmost. 

J         The  first  object  which  strikes  the  eye  is 
i   the  rustic  gateway,  witli  its  adjacent  belfrv, 

>  whoso   mourniul   chime  accompanies   each 
5    new  cccuuant   to   nis   last   home.     On  the 


right,  is  the  spot  called  the  Poet's  Mound, 
situated  in  a  grove,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
sylvan  water.  Here  is  erected  a  monument 
to  the  memory  of  the  eccentric  McDonald 
Clarke.  At  some  distance  is  Bay-Grove 
Hill,  from  which  a  magnificent  prospect 
opens  on  the  eye  ;  the  lower  bay  of  New 
York,  Staten  Island,  the  Jersey  shore,  the 
sister  cities  of  Brooklyn  and  New  York, 
all  entering  the  field  of  vision.  From  the 
summit  of  Ocean  Hill  another  beautiful 
view  is  obtained.  The  surrounding  coun- 
try is  spread  out  before  the  eye  like  a  map, 
the  villages  of  Flatbush,  New  Utrecht,  and 
Carey  Island,  being  the  most  prominent  ob-  ; 
jects.     On  Ocean  Hill  there  is  a  picturesque   ' 


cottage,  inhabited  by  the  family  of  one  of 
the   persons    employed   upon   the   grounds. 
This  rustic  abode,  which  is  represented  in 
the  above  engraving,  is  embedded  in  trees,  j 
and   surrounded    by   shrubbery  and   every  ; 
adjunct  of  a  rural  dwelling. 

It  would  require  a  volume  to  name  the 
t'arious  monuments  of  this  cemeterj',  or 
even  to  describe  the  most  prominent  ones. 
Many  of  the  revolutionary  soldiers,  who 
fell  upon  the  spot  itself,  repose  on  Battle 
Hill.  Several,  also,  of  the  sons  of  New 
York,  whp  fell  in  Mexico,  have  here  been 
committed  to  their  mother  earth.  The  In- 
dian girl,  Do-hum-me,  is  buried  here,  and 
a  beautiful  monument  marks  her  last  rest- 
ing-place. A  very  fine  monument  of  white 
marble  marks  the  place  of  repose  of  Miss 
Conda,  a  young  lady  of  New  York,  who 
was  killed  by  being  thrown  from  a  carriage 


ADVENTURES    IN    INDIA. 


4S9 


on  her  return  from  a  ball.  The  monument 
is  in  the  form  of  a  Gothic  monument,  in 
the  interior  of  which  stands  a  full-sized 
figure,  representing  the  young  lady  in  her 
ball-costume.    Another  very  striking  monu- 


ment is  that  erected  by  the  New  York  pilots 
to  the  memory  of  Thomas  Freeborn,  one 
of  their  number,  who  perisiied  on  board 
the  Jolin  Miiiturn,  a  Liverpool  packet-ship, 
wrecked  on  the  Jersey  shore,  in  1846. 


ADVENTURES   IN   INDIA. 


It  is  said  that  truth  is  often  more  strange 
than  fiction  ;  and  so  it  seems  to  be.  We 
are  told  that  a  youno;  Englishman,  in  the 
service  of  the  East  India  Company,  was,  one 
day,  mounted  on  an  elephant,  hunting  for 
tigers.  This  seems  rather  formidable  sport, 
especially  to  our  young  Yankee  Nimrods, 
who  never  went  forth  on  an  expedition  more 
adventurous  tlian  to  shoot  chipping-birds 
and  bobolinks  with  a  bow  and  arrow. 

In  India,  wild  bees  are  verj'  common,  and 
for  a  dL'fence  the  natives  usually  carry  a 
large  cloth.  But  our  hero,  mounted  on  an 
clepliant,  in  pursuit  of  tigers,  tiiouglit  notli- 
ing  of  insects.  But  as  the  elephant  was 
plodding  along  in  the  forest,  he  came  to  an 
immense  tree,  hung  with  drooping  moss. 
As  the  creature  brushed  along  beneath  the 
boughs,  he  disturbed  a  bees'  nest ;  and  as 
these   creatures  are    very   quick-tempered 


'  and  spiteful  —  out  they  came,  and  attacked 
the  young  tiger-hunter  by  thousands.  He 
was  truly  in  a  sad  plight ;  and  down  he 
slipped  from  the  elephant,  and  ran  away  as 
fast  as  possible. 

But  he  was  only  running  from  one  danger 
to  encounter  another.  As  he  was  escaping 
from  the  bees,  a  tiger  sprang  out  from  the 
woods,  and  threatened  him  with  instant 
destruction.  He  had  just  tired  his  gun, 
and  had  no  means  of  defence.  Now,  there 
was  a  monkey  overhead,  on  the  tree ;  and 
the  noise  of  the  gun  set  him  to  chattering 
with  all  his  might.  This  directed  the 
attention  of  the  bees  to  the  monkey,  and 
they  instantly  attacked  him,  and  probably 
killed  him  outright.  At  the  sarne  time, 
another  elephant  of  the  hunting-party  came 
up,  and  the  youth  was  rescued  from  his 
perilous  situation. 


FRANKINCENSE. 


In  ancient  times,  and  especially  among 
the  Jews,  it  was  a  religious  custom  to  bum 
incense,  or  frankincense,  upon  the  ahar  of 
the  sanctuary.  This  was  the  peculiar  office 
of  the  priests.  The  article  used  was  an 
odorous  gum,  obtained  by  cutting  into  the 
bark  of  a  tree  called  ihurifera.  Its  leaves 
resemble  those  of  a  pe!ar-tree.     It  grows  in 


Arabia,  and  Mount  Lebanon.  The  gum 
was  obtained  in  the  dog-days,  as  then  only 
would  it  flow;  at  other  seasons  it  was  hard. 
The  ancient  custom  of  biirning  incense  is 
imitated  in  Catholic  churches,  where  youths 
are  employed  to  throw  the  censers,  contain- 
ing the  fire,  and  from  which  an  aromatic 
;  smoke  is  diflTused  among  the  audience. 


THE   COLOSSEUM,   AT   ROME. 


This  enormous  structure  was  commenced 
by  the  Roman  emperor  Vespasian,  and  fin- 
ished by  Titus,  (A.  D.  79.)  Though  it  cost 
as  much  as  would  have  sufficed  to  build  a 
city,  yet  it  occupied  only  three  years  in  its 
erection.  The  great  mass  of  wall  being 
still  entire,  we  have  the  means  of  ascertain- 
ing its  dimensions  and  its  accommodations. 
It  is  of  an  oval  form,  and  covers  the  space 
of  about  six  acres.  Its  greatest  length  is 
six  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  its  great- 


est breadth  five  hundred  and  thirteen  feet. 
The  entire  length  of  the  outer  wall  was 
therefore,  seventeen  hundred  feet,  or  one 
third  of  a  mile;  in  height  this  wall  is  one 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet  in  its  whole  ex- 
tent. The  cornice  of  the  upper  story  is  per- 
forated for  the  purpose  of  receiving  masts, 
to  sustain  an  awning  for  the  shelter  of 
the  spectators.  The  various  seats,  which 
were  separated,  in  order  that  the  several 
ranks  of  society  might  each  have  their  ap- 


KING    ALFRED  S    SEAL. 


491 


propriftte  place,  contained  accommodation 
for  eighty  thousand  spectators. 

The  trround  was  excavated  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  arena  in  ISI'3  ;  and  a  rrreat  num- 
ber of  substructures  were  then  discovered, 
which  by  some  antiquarians  are  supposed 
to  be  of  modern  date,  and  by  others  to  have 
formed  dens  for  the  various  beasts  that  were 
exhibited.  The  descriptions  which  have 
reached  us  from  iiistorians  and  other  writ- 
ers, of  the  variety  and  extent  of  tlie  shows, 
would  '  induce  the  belief  that  great  and 
ample  conveniences  were  required  beneath 
the  stage  to  accomplish  the  wonders  which 
were  doubtless  there  realized  in  the  pres- 
ence of  assembled  Rome. 

The  most  immense  sums  were  lavished 
upon  the  sports  of  this  circus,  —  wild  ani- 
mals were  brought  from  every  part  of  the 
world,  to  take  their  part  ia  the  games,  pro- 
cessions, and  battles  of  tiie  amphilhcalre. 
It  has  been  said,  however,  that  the  prodigal 
waste  of  the  public  riches  was  not  the 
weightiest  evil  of  the  sports  of  tlie  circus  ; 
the  public  morality  was  sacrificed  upon  the 
same  shrine  as  its  wealth.  The  destruc- 
tion of  beasts  became  a  fit  preparation  for 
the  destruction  of  man.  At  first,  men  who 
engaged  to  fight  with  the  animals  in  tiie 
arena  were  trained  to  that  exercise,  as  are, 
at  the  present  day,  the  matadores  in  the 
bullfights  of  Spain.  Their  duties  consisted 
ii:  exhausting  the  courage  and  strength  of 
the  beast  by  false  attacks  ;  to  spring  on  a 
sudden  past  him,  striking  him  ere  he  could 
recover  his  guard  ;  to  cast  a  cloak  over  bis 
eyes,  and  thus  easily  despatch  him.  The 
greater  part  of  the  persons  who  were  exposed 
to  these  combats  were  refractory  slaves  and 
condemned  malefactors.  In  time,  however, 
human  beings  fought  against  other  human 
beings,  as  in  the  case  of  the  gladiators, — 
later  still,  the  imperial  edicts  against  the 
early  Christians  furnished  more  stimulat- 
ing exhibitions  to  the  popular  appetite  for 
blood.  The  people  were  taught  to  believe 
that  they  were  assisting  at  a  solemn  act  of 
justice,  and  they  consequently  never  felt  a 
desire  to  take  the  part  of  the  helpless  and 
brave  in  their  fatal  conflicts  with  the  wild 
animals  of  the  arena. 

For  centuries  the  Colosseum  has  fur- 
nished from  its  walls  and  seals  the  material 
for  palaces  and  temples  ;  the  clamps  of  iron 
and  brass,  that  held  together  the  ])onderous 
stones  of  that  enormous  edifice,  have  been 
from  time  to  time  removed.  It  has  been 
resorted  to  as  a  quarry  by  generation  after 
generation,  but  the  enormous  skeleton  still 
remains  in  prodigious  majesty!     It  stands 


just  outside  of  the  walls  of  Rome,  and  is  a  fa- 
vorite resort  of  the  curious  and  of  strangers. 
Byron  gives  the  following  highly  wrought 
picture  of  a  gladiator  dying  in  the  arena  of 
the  Colosseum  :■_ — 

"  I  see  Itcforc  me  ihe  gladiator  lie  ; 
He  leans  upon  his  iiand  —  his  manly  lirow 
Consents  to  death,  hut  coiimiers  aijony, 
And  his  drooped  head  siniis  ijradiially  low  — 
And  through  his  side  the  last  drojis,  ehl.ing  slow 
Kroin  llie  red  [;ash,fall,  heavy,  one  liy  one, 
Like  the,  first  thunder  shower  ;  and  now 
The  arena  swims  around  him,  —  he  is  gone, 
t^re  eeased  the  inhuniau  shout  whieh  hailed  the  wre'.ch 

who  won. 
He  heard  it,  hut  he  heeded  not,  —  his  eyes 
Were  with  his  heart,  and  that  was  far  away  ; 
He  reekeii  not  of  the  life  he  lost,  nor  prize, 
Hut  where  his  hyt  hy  the  Damdie  lav,  — 
'llirrc  were  his  young  harhariaus  all  at  (day. 
There  was  their  Daeiau  mother  —  he,  their  sire, 
Hutehered  to  niake  a  Uiunau  holiday  — 
All  this  rusheil  with  his  hlood  ~  shall  he  empire, 
.Vnd  uurevenyed  .'    Arise, ye  Ooths,  and  glut  your  ire!*' 


KING   ALFRED'S   SEAL. 

King  Alfred  of  England  lived  about  a 
thousand  years  ago,  and  although  he  was 
somctiines  reduced  by  his  enemies,  the 
Danes,  to  such  extremity  that  he  hardly 
knew  where  to  find  lodging,  and,  in  one 
instance,  it  is  said,  watched  the  cakes  that 
were  baking  for  an  old  woman,  —  he  still 
appears  to  have  had  soitie  luxuries.  Anti- 
quarians have  preserved  a  copy  of  a  jewel, 
or  seal,  which  he  wore  suspended  from  his 
neck,  and  which,  it  would  appear,  was  a 
thine:  of  no  little  cost. 


«- 


THE   BALLOON. 


The  notion  of  flying  in  the  air,  either  by 
means  of  wings  or  by  supernatural  agency, 
seems  as  old  as  the  world  itself:  the  wings 
of  Dedalus  and  Icarus,  the  talarii  of  Mer- 
cury, and  the  mysterious  carpet  of  the 
four  Facardins  in  the  Arabian  Nights,  bear 
ample  testimony  to  the  antiquity  of  this 
idea.  The  first  notion  of  a  balloon,  how- 
ever, was  held  by  a  Jesuit  named  Francis 
Lana,  in  1670,  who  conceived  the  idea  of 
raising  metal  balls  in  the  atmosphere,  which 
had  previously  been  exhausted  of  air,  but 
which  should  be  at  the  same  time  so  thin, 
as  to  weigh  less  than  their  bulk  of  air.  The 
experiment,  however,  he  never  tried,  as,  in 
his  age,  it  was  not  believed  that  God  would 
allow  an  invention  to  succeed,  by  means  of 
which  civil  government  could  so  easily  be 
disturbed.  Later  experiments  have  proved 
that  strength  to  resist  the  external  air  is 
imcompatible  with  the  necessary  degree  of 


thinness  in  the  material.  From  this  period, 
one  hundred  years-elapsed,  before  the  idea 
of  raising  a  body  in  the  air,  by  means  of 
its  being  lighter  than  the  air  whose  space  it 
occupies,  was  pursued  any  further.  In 
1782,  an  attempt  was  made  }o  raise  bodies 
filled  with  hydrogen  gas,  a  substance,  which, 
as  is  well  known,  is  lighter  than  atmospheric 
air.  The  experimenter  succeeded,  however, 
in  raising  nothing  heavier  than  a  soap  bub- 
ble. In  the  same  year,  the  brothers  Mont- 
golfier,  paper-makers  at  Lyons,  attempted  to 
raise  a  paper  balloon  by  means  of  hydrogen 
gas.  Being  unsuccessful  in  this,  they  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  applying  fire  underneath 
a  large  balloon  of  paper  built  upon  a  frame- 
work of  wood,  and  containing  a  receptacle 
for  fire  in  the  place  where,  in  modern  bal- 
loons, the  car  is  suspended.  This  experi- 
ment was  entirely  successful.  The  balloon 
first  rose   about  one   mile  in  a  direct  line, 


I 


THE    BALLOON. 


493 


then  ilcscribed  a  horizontal  line  of  about 
seven  thousand  feet,  after  which  it  gradu- 
a  ly  sunk.  The  next  attempt  was  upon  a 
balloon  of  lute-string  dipped  in  a  solution 
of  India  rubber,  and  filled  with  hydrogen 
gas.  The  experiment  at  first  failed,  but  on 
llie  27th  of  August,  the  same  year,  at  Paris, 
the  balloon  rose  beautifully  to  a  great  height, 
and  fell  about  twelve  miles  ofT.  Soon  after, 
animals  were  sent  up  —  sheep,  cocks  and 
ducks  ;  and  on  the  15th  of  October,  the  first 
human  being  made  an  ascent  of  100  feet. 
The  balloon,  however,  was  held  by  a  rope, 
and  connection  with  the  earth  not  entirely 
severed.  A  month  later,  on  the  21st  of 
Nov.,  the  daring  feat  of  completely  leaving 
the  earth  was  performed  by  two'gentlemcn, 
one  of  whom  was  M.  Kosier,  and  the  other 
the  Marquis  d'Arlandes.  The  balloon  was 
a  Moiilgoljicr,  ox  one  in  which  the  elevating 
power  was  air  rarified  by  fire.  The  signa- 
ture of  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  at  that 
time  was  American  minister  to  Paris,  is 
upon  the  official  paper  which  describes  the 
balloon,  its  dimensions,  Arc.  It  was  seventy 
feet  high,  forty-six  in  diameter,  and  carried 
a  weight  of  from  16  to  1700  pounds;  it  rose 
to  the  height  of  five  miles  in  twenty-five 
minutes  When  the  aeronauts  wished  'to 
ascend  still  liigher,  they  shook  a  bundle  of 
straw  into  the  fiame  ;  when  they  wished  to 
sink,  they  let  tlie  fire  smoulder,  or  extin- 
guished it  with  a  wet  sponge.  The  attempt 
was  successful,  and  the  voyagers  alighted 
in  safety,  after  an  absence  of  a  little  less 
than  an  hour. 

The  first  trial  of  a  hydrogen  balloon  was 
made  a  week  later  from  the  garden  of  the 
Tuileries,  just  after  sunset.  It  ascended 
two  miles  with  perfect  ease  ;  its  occupants 
here  came  in  sight  of  the  sun,  which  seemed 
to  rise  again,  as  at  morning  in  the  east. 
Tiie  balloon  and  its  two  travellers  were  the 
only  illuminated  objects,  all  the  rest  of  na- 
ture being  plunged  in  shadow. 

During  the  next  two  years,  many  ascen- 
sions were  made  by  different  persons,  and 
successive  improvements  and  inventions 
were  added.  The  parachute  was  invented 
in  17S4,  and  the  first  attempt  at  steering  a 
balloon  was  made  in  this  year,  but  without 
success.  In  1S02,  M.  Garnerin  descended 
successfully  from  a  great  height  by  means 
of  a  parachute.  In  1S06,  two  aeronauts 
ascended  to  such  a  distance,  that  they  came 
into  an  atmosphere  so  rarified  as  to  burst 
the  balloon.  The  remnants,  however,  broke 
the  fall,  and  they  descended  in  safety. 
From  the  beginning  of  this  century  to  the 
present  day,  but   little   progress   has   been 


made  in  an  art  which  seems  destined  to  be 
of  little  service  to  mankind.  No  possible 
means  of  guiding  the  balloon  has  yet  been 
discovered,  or  rny  practicable  method  of 
giving  it  a  horizontal  motion,  so  as  to  with- 
draw it  from  the  influence  of  winds  and 
currents.  It  has  now  become  a  mere  toy, 
and  for  any  practical  or  scientific  purpose 
has  long  since  ceased  to  be  of  the  slightest 
account. 

One  of  the  largest  balloons  ever  con- 
structed is  that  of  Mr.  Green,  a  celebrated 
English  aeronaut,  which  is  called  "  Conti- 
?icnt"  and  has  made  many  ascensions  from 
London  and  Paris.  The  following  account 
T)f  an  ascent  from  the  Hippodrome  at  Paris, 
inlS4S,  we  take  from  a  recent  French  jour- 
nal. It  is  from  the  pen  of  Theophile  Gau- 
ticr,  an  eminent  Parisian  romancer  and 
feuilletonist. 

"  Last  Sunday,  about  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Green's  balloon  spnmg  from  the 
enclosure  of  the  Hippodrome  into  the  blue 
abyss  of  the  heavens. 

"The  ascension  of  a  balloon  is  certainly 
not  a  novelty  at  the  present  day;  but  an 
aerostat,  like  the  one  belonging  to  Green, 
is  not  of  the  ordinary  class :  its  colossal 
dimensions,  the  extraordinary  care  with 
which  it  is  constructed,  the  comfort  of  its 
installation  —  if  one  may  so  speak —  make 
it  the  wonder  of  aerian  navigation,  and  jilaco 
it  in  the  rank  of  a  vessel  of  a  lumdreil  guns. 
To  see  it  swelling  its  enormous  tafl'ela  case 
under  the  net-work  of  cords  which  holds  the 
car  lined  with  red  velvet,  —  one  feels  per- 
fectly at  ease  as  to  the  dangerous  chances  of 
a  voyage  through  the  air.  It  wo\ild  seem 
safer  than  an  excursion  in  a  diligence  or 
upon  a  rail-road. 

"Admitted  into  the  reserved  enclosure,  we 
of  course  saw  the  departure,  being  near  the 
spot.  Nothing  could  be  more  quiet  or  more 
senile.  Mr.  Green,  in  a  black  coat  and 
white  cravat,  like  a  gentleman  going  out  to 
dine,  stepped  into  his  carriage  — I  should 
say  his  balloon  —  with  confidence  and  self- 
possession.  A  charming  young  English 
girl,  accompanied  by  a  friend,  bad  already 
taken  her  place  in  the  boat  or  car.  She 
was  calm  and  smiling;  animation  tinged  her 
cheeks  slightly,  but  it  arose  rather  from  em-  I 
barrassment  at  seeing  so  many  eyes  fixed 
upon  her,  than  from  any  fear  whatever. 
Her  intelligent  face  breathed  that  confi- 
dence in  the  inventions  of  human  genius, 
which  characterizes  the  American  and 
English  races.  A  Parisian  lady  wouH 
have  screamed  loudly. 


494 


THE    BALLOON. 


"  The  balloon  held  by  cords,  trembled,  and 
balanced  itself  like  the  Roc,*  preparing  to 
take  flight.  The  comparison  is  poor,  but 
we  can  find  no  other.  And  what  is  really 
this  bird,  the  Roc  of  the  Arabian  tales,  which 
can  scarcely  lift  a  poor  prince  sewed  in  a 
sheep's  skin,  when  compared  with  this  bird 
of  silk,  swelled  by  gas,  which  carries  four 
persons  in  its  enclosure  of  net-work  I 

"A  strong  cord  still  held  it  to  the  earth, 
but  soon,  upon  a  signal  from  Mr.  Green,  the 
cable  was  cut,  and  the  aerian  vessel  arose 
steadily,  with  a  movement  at  once  easy, 
powerful,  and  of  infinite  majesty.  As  much 
as  the  locomotive  has  an  infernal  appear- 
ance, so  has  the  balloon  a  celestial  one  — 
without  any  play  upon  words.  The  one  bor- 
rows its  auxiliaries  from  iron,  coal,  fire  and 
boiling  water  —  the  other  employs  only  silk 
and  gas  —  a  thin  cloth  filled  with  a  light 
wind.  The  enarine,  with  its  frightful  shrieks, 
its  noisy  rattling,  and  its  black  pufls  of 
smoke,  runs  upon  inflexible  rails,  roars 
through  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  dives 
into  the  darkness  of  tunnels,  seeming  as 
if  seeking  the  devil  who  invented  it;  the 
balloon,  without  noise  and  without  eflbrt, 
leaves  the  earth,  where  the  laws  of  gravity 
hold  us,  and  mounts  tranquilly  towards 
God.  Unhappily,  the  balloon,  like  inspira- 
tion, goes  where  the  wind  guides  it,  —  this 
every  one  knows  ;  spiritus  fiat  uhi  vult;  and 
the  steam  engine,  like  prose,  goes  straight 
upon  its  road. 

"  Green  and  his  balloon  were  already 
overlooking  Paris  and  all  its  horizon  ;  long 
trails  of  sand  —  ballast  that  he  threw  over  to 
raise  himself  higher  —  streaked  the  heavens 
with  their  white  tracks,  proving, by  the  time 
it  took  them  to  descend  to  the  earth,  the 
height  to  which  the  intrepid  aeronaut  had 
mounted  in  a  few  minutes.  He  had  disap- 
peared, while  the  crowd  was  still  looking  for 
him  in  the  blue  depths  of  the  atmosphere. 
What  a  splendid  and  magnificent  spectacle 
the  Triumphal  Arch,  and  the  giant  city  with 
its  black  ants,  illuminated  by  the  setting 
sun,  must  have  aflbrded  him  !  What  great- 
ness, and  at  the  same  time  what  littleness  ! 
—  and  how  mean,  from  that  distance,  must 
seem  the  cares  and  ambitions  of  the  world  ! 
While  looking  with  therest  of  the  crowd, 
a  world  of  thoughts  came  whirling  through 
our  brain  ;  the  balloon,  which  it  was  endeav- 
ored to  make  perform  a  useful  part  in  the 
battle  of  Fleusus,  and  at  the  siege  of  Toulon, 

*  The  Roc  is  a  fabulous  bird,  often  mentioned  in  the 
Arabian  Nights'  tale  of  Siniiad  the  Sailor,  as  being  of 
great  strength,  and  flying  easily  with  hutnan  beings 
attached  to  his  legs. 


has  only  been  considered,  up  to  this  time, 
as  an  amtising  e.xptriment  of  natural  phi- 
losophy. It  is  made  to  figure  in  fetes 
and  in  public  solemnities  ;  for  the  crowd, 
who  has  more  feeling  for  great  things  than 
academies  and  wise  bodies,  feels  an  in- 
terest in  balloon  ascensions,  which  has  not 
diminished  since  the  first  attempts  of  Mont- 
golfier.  It  is  a  profoundly  human  instinct 
which  induces  us  to  follow  into  the  air, 
until  it  is  lost  to  the  sight,  this  globe  swelled 
with  smoke,  as  if  it  contained  the  destinies 
of  the  future. 

"Man,  the  king  of  creation  in  intelligence, 
is,  physically,  but  indiflerently  endowed. 
He  has  neither  the  swiftness  of  the  stag,  nor 
the  eye  of  the  eagle,  nor  the  scent  of  a  dog, 
which  is  nearly  a  soul ;  —  neither  has  he 
the  wing  of  the  bird,  nor  the  fin  of  the  fish, 
for  everything  in  man  is  sacrificed  to  the 
brain.  All  these  au.xiliaries  he  has  been 
forced  to  furnish  himself  by  the  skill  of  his 
hand  and  the  sweat  of  his  brow.  The  horse, 
the  carriage,  and  the  rail-car  m.ake  up  to 
him  for  his  want  of  speed  ;  the  telescope 
and  the  microscope  equal  the  eagle's  eve  ; 
the  compass  enables  him  to  follow  a  track  as 
unerringly  as  a  dog ;  the  ship,  the  steam- 
boat, and  the  diving-bell  open  to  him  the 
dominion  of  the  waters.  Nothing  now  re- 
mained but  the  air,  where  the  bird  escaped 
us,  followed  only  a  few  hundred  feet  by  the 
arrow  or  gun  —  ingenious  means  of  bringing 
distances  nearer  together.  It  really  seems 
as  if  God  should  have  sjiven  us  such  winsfs  as 
the  painters  lend  the  angels  ;  but  the  beauty 
and  grandeur  of  man  consist  in  his  not 
having  these  giant  appendages,  or  being 
embarrassed  by  fins.  With  the  power  of 
thought,  and  the  hand,  that  admirable  tool, 
he  must  seek  and  find,  out  of  himself,  all 
his  physical  powers. 

"  The  idea  of  mounting  into  the  air  is  not 
new;  it  is  not  to-day  that  Phaeton  asked  to 
get  into  Phcebus'  car,  and  that  Dedalus 
launched  into  the  air  his  son  Icarus.  Their 
descents  were  only  unaccomplished  ascents. 
The  Griffins,  the  HippogrifTs,  the  Pegasus, 
the  winged  shoes  of  Mercury,  the  arrow  of 
Abarys,  the  carpet  of  the  four  Facardins, 
testify  to  the  continuance  and  persistence 
of  this  idea.  At  night,  does  not  the  dream 
deliver  us  from  the  laws  of  weight  ?  Does  il 
not  give  us  the  faculty  of  going,  of  coming, 
and  of  flying  to  the  summit  of  things  before 
unattainable,  or  of  losing  ourselves  in  the  in- 
finite heights?  This  general  and  oft-repeated 
dream,  which  e.xpresses  the  secret  desire  of 
huiTianity,  has  it  not  something  prophetic  ? 
Perhaps  modern  scepticism  treats  too  lightly 


THE    BALLOON. 


495 


the  .neaning  of  these  flights  of  the  soul  — 
temporarily  freed  from  the  more  earthly 
control  of  reason  and  sense. 

"  With  the  astonishing  simplicity  of  the 
operations  of  nature, a  miracle  took  place  in 
the  fire-place,  without  attracting  attention, 
every  time  that  the  smoke  carried  out  of 
the  chimney  a  piece  of  burnt  paper.  It 
required  six  thousand  years  to  take  a  hint 
from  this  simple  fact.  The  balloon  floats  in 
the  air  as  oil  floats  upon  wine,  as  cork  upon 
water,  as  the  cannon-ball  upon  mercury,  by 
relations  of  weight  and  of  lightness  —  one 
single  law  everywhere. 

"  Unfortunately,  the  balloon  has  neither 
wings,  nor  tail,  nor  neck,  nor  feet  —  nothing 
which  can  guide  it;  it  is  n  vessel  without 
sail  or  helm,  a  fish  without  fins,  a  bird  with- 
out feathers;  it  floats,  that  is  all;  it  is  im- 
mense, and  it  is  nothing  ;  it  is  so  young  that 
it  does  not  know  its  way,  and  it  goes  in  as 
great  uncertainty  as  a  lost  child. 

"  We  cannot  understand  why  all  the  in- 
ventors, wise  mechanicians,  chemists,  poets, 
do  not  occupy  themselves  continually,  by 
endeavoring  to  solve  the  problem  of  the 
guiding  of  balloons,  and  that  people  pass 
their  time  in  making  revolutions  more  or 
less  opportune,  while  this  important  problem 
is  not  searched  out. 

"It  is  shameful  for  man  to  have  found  the 
hippogritf  which  transports  him  to  the  celes- 
tial regions,  and  not  to  know  how  to  guide 
it ;  and  yet  every  day  the  birds  go  and  come 
on  airy  wings,  as  if  to  instruct  and  defy  us. 
The  air,  although  a  fluid,  ofTers  points  of 
propulsion,  since  the  condor,  or  the  sparrow, 
mounts,  descends,  goes  to  the  right  and  left, 
quickly  or  slowly,  as  he  pleases.  The  other 
day  we  read  in  a  newspaper,  that  a  Span- 
iard of  Cadiz  intended  to  depart  from  his 
native  city,  in  a  balloon,  to  descend  at  Mad- 
rid, upon  the  queen's  balcony,  and  to  kiss 
the  hand  of  her  gracious  majesty.  Aiiother 
paper  alFirmed  that  he  had  executed  the 
programme.  It  was  a.pufl',  a  canard  ;  *  but 
one  day  this  canard  must  become  a  truth. 
This  canard,  this  anecdotical  panidox  is  only 
a  premature  fact.  It  relates  that  which 
will  be. 

"  The  government  should  promise  a  rec- 
ompense of  twenty-five  million  francs  to  him 
who  should  discover  the  means  of  directing 
balloons,  and  appoint  twenty  wise  men  to 
make  experiments  upon  this  subject.  This 
would  be  money  well  employed.  It  is  nec- 
essary to  hurry;  the  case  is  urgent.  There 
will  be  spent,  in  years  to  come,  one  or  two 

•  Ciimir</,  French  for  iliick  —  it  is  synonymous  with 
our  word  liosx  —  puff —  humbug. 


thousand  millions,  perhaps  more,  for  the 
completion  of  rail-roads;  it  is  an  unntces- 
sary  prodigality  ;  the  rail-road  in  compari- 
son with  the  aerostat,  is  a  gross  and  bar- 
barous invention,  and  besides,  contrary  to 
the  conformation  or  disposition  of  the  planet 
wc  inhabit.  The  proof  of  this  is  in  the  im- 
mense labor  required  for  the  shortest  dis- 
tance of  rail-road  ;  excavations,  filling  up 
of  ditches,  bridges,  viadvicts,  tunnels,  and 
all  this  to  make,  with  a  thousand  dangers, 
ten  miserable  leagues  an  hour.  The  rail- 
road evidently  violates  the  terrestrial  con- 
figuration; it  scratches  too  vinlently  the 
face  of  its  mother,  not  to  be  a  transitory  and 
subversive  conception  ;  not  that  we  would 
wish  to  depreciate  it  —  it  has  come  at  its  time, 
and  serves  to  render  man  patient,  in  satis- 
fying his  desires  for  speed.  To  go  in  a  rail- 
car,  is  to  fly  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  ; 
liut  it  is  time  to  quit  the  earth,  and  soar 
in  the  regions  of  the  empyrean  !  The  day 
that  the  net-work  of  iron  is  completed,  and 
when  the  last  rail-way  is  laid,  an  unknown, 
a  dreamer,  a  child,  a  fool,  will  come  with 
the  helm  and  the  wing  of  the  balloon,  and 
it  will  be  so  simple,  so  fniil,  so  easy,  so 
cheap,  that  every  one  will  exclaim,  '  But,  I 
should  have  discovered  that  myself !'  Then 
the  rail-roads  will  transport  only  heavy 
merchandise,  and  which  does  not  need  to 
go  quick  —  old  men  with  annuities,  dow- 
agers who  fear  for  their  dogs,  and  others  of 
timid  manners  and  obtuse  minds,  who  now 
go  to  Versailles  in  a  boat,  or  to  Rouen  in  a 
diligence. 

"  This  epoch  is  so  near  that  we  hope  to 
see  it.  Tliat  w^ll  be  a  great  day  !  IMan 
will  truly  become  master  of  his  planet,  and 
will  have  conquered  his  atmosphere  !  No 
more  seas,  no  more  rivers,  no  more  moun- 
tains, no  more  valleys  ;  that  will  be  the  true 
reign  of  liberty.  Merely  by  this  knowledge 
of  the  direction  of  balloons,  the  whole  lace 
of  the  world  will  change  immediately. 
Other  forms  of  government,  other  maimers, 
a  new  style  of  architecture,  a  difllrent  sys- 
tem of  fortification  will  be  needed  ;  but  then 
men  will  no  longer  make  war.  The  cus- 
tom-house and  its  ta.xes,  and  the  strong-hold, 
will  disappear.  Visit,  if  you  can,  with  your 
gauge  and  your  yardstick,  balloons  ten 
thousand  feet  in  the  air  ;  of  what  use  will 
be  moats,  ditches,  portcullis  and  bridges, 
against  an  aerian  army  ?  No  more  pass- 
ports ;  no  gendarme  will  be  able  to  ask  of 
Mr.  Green  this  certificate  of  morality  with 
which  robbers  only  are  provided.  Don 
Juan's  manner  of  proceeding  will  be  en- 
tirely  reversed ;    they    will    descend    from 


496 


PETER    THE    HERMIT. 


neaven  instead  of  coming  from  hell.  Pal- 
aces, instead  of  courts  of  honor,  will  have 
roofs  of  ceremony,  upon  which  balloons 
with  their  freight  of  foreign  diplomats  and 
statesmen  will  alone  be  allowed  to  descend. 

"  What  a  fine  spectacle  it  will  be  to  see 
crossing  one  another  in  the  air,  at  different 
heights,  these  swarms  of  balloons,  painted 
with  brilliant  colors,  guided  during  the  day 
by  the  light,  and  at  night  with  their  lan- 
terns, having  the  appearance  of  stars  trav- 
ersing the  firmament ! 

"  Then  the  ascension  of  the  highest  moun- 
tains will  be  but  child's  play.  We  shall 
penetrate  into  China,  and  go  to  Timbuctoo 
as  one  goes  to  St.  Cloud ;  the  deserts  of 
Africa,  of  Asia  and  of  America,  will  be 
forced  to  deliver  up  their  secrets.  We  shall 
go  even  to  the  border  of  the  atmosphere 
which  surrounds  us.  We  shall  visit  crea- 
tion m  every  nook,  and  recess. 

"  Tliere  will  be  servant  balloons  and  mas- 
ter balloons  ;  and  in  speaking  of  the  luxury 
or  extravagance  of  a  person,  it  will  be  said, 
'  He  is  rich  —  he  has  a  balloon  of  thirty-four 


PETER  THE    HERMIT. 


This  man,  who  commenced  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  movements  recorded  in  history, 
was  a  gentleman  of  Amiens,  in  Picardy, 
France,  who  quitted  the  military  profession 
to  become  a  hermit  and  a  pilgrim.  He  was 
actuated  by  the  sentiments  which  pervaded 
the  Christian  world  at  the  close  of  the  llth 
century;  and,  under  the  expectation  of  the 
immediate  dissolution  of  the  world,  he,  with 


thousand  cubic  feet  of  gas ;'  which  will  be 
equivalent  to  saying  that  he  has  a  coach 
and  four. 

"  When  this  dream  is  realized,  the  execu- 
tion of  another,  already  dreamed  by  the 
poets,  will  be  attempted.  Man,  arrived  at 
the  outward  limits  of  his  atmosphere,  will 
wish  to  leave  his  planet;  and  will  seriously 
attempt  the  moon  of  Astolfe  and  of  Cyrano  ; 
and  we  do  not  fear  to  say  it,  this  enterprise 
will  succeed  ! 

"  This  will  be  the  dream  and  occupation 
of  our  nephews.  It  is  a  conquest  above 
the  strength  of  the  humanity  existent  at 
the  present  day;  the  years  of  the  world  are 
each  a  thousand  years  as  man  with  his 
diminutive  arithmetic  counts  them.  Hu- 
manity, then,  at  the  present  moment,  is  only 
six  years  old.  One  cannot  expect  much  from 
a  child  so  young,  and  that  has  not  much  tal- 
ent. It  is  now  learning  to  eat,  to  walk,  to 
swim,  to  fly,  and  later  in  life,  will  think  and 
do  great  things,  but,  alas!  we  shall  be  no  |; 
lonjrer  here  to  see  them  ! " 


I  many  other  deluded   men,  hastened   to  the 
Holy  Land  in  1093,  that  he  might   termi- 
nate his  days  in  a  spot  that  had  given  birth 
!  to  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
I      On  his  return,  he  spoke   in  so  affecting  a 
I  manner  of  tiie   cruel   treatment  whicli  the 
'Christian  pilgrims  experienced  in  Palestine, 
I  that  Pope  Urban  II.  sent  him  over  all  Eu- 
rope to  preach  a  general  crusade  to  deliver 


SHlP-BUlLDlNG. 


497 


the  Holy  Land  from  the  oppression  of  the 
irifulels.     The  eloquence  of  Peter,  and  the  i 
spirit  of  the  times,  prevailed.     A  numerous  i 
concourse  of  people  flocked  together  for  the 
pious  labor,  and  tlie  holy  hermit  began  his 
march  at   the   head  of  dO.OOO  men,  all   an- 
imated witli   tlie  zeal  of  devotion  and  the  j 
hope   of  celestial    protection.     In    crossing 
Hungary,  this  ?'c//^/o!«arMiy  coimnilted  the 
rno.st   horrid  e.xcesses,  and  so  provcd^cd  the 
inhabitants  to  revenge,  that,  in  skirmishes 
with  them  and  with  the  Turks,  many  lost ' 
their  lives,  and  only  3000  reached  the  gates  J 


of  Constantinople.     In    advancing  thioufrb  > 

Asia,   the   siege   of  Aiitioch   dclavcd   tbi.'ir  < 

progress,  and  Peter  would  have  abandoned  * 

the  hopeless  enlerprise,   had  he  not    been  < 

bound  by  an  oath  to  Tancred,that  he  would  > 

sliare  the  dangers  of  the  crusade.  j 

At  the  conquest  of  the   Holy  Land,  and  i 

in  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  lUUl),  Peler  be-  '. 

haved  with  great  valor,  and  for  his  services  > 

was    appointed   vicar-general   of  Palestine,  i 

Ho  afterwards  returned  to  Europe,  and  died  > 

at  the  Abbey  of  Noirmoutier,  of  which  he  s 
was  the  founder. 


SII  IP-BUILDING. 


Wk  are  so  familiar  with  navigation,  as  to 
Itc  unaware  of  the  real  triumph  of  human 
art  in  the  building  of  shijis.  In  order  to 
comprehend  this  subject,  we  must  go  hack 
and  trace  the  prosfress  by  which  mankind 
have  attained  to  their  present  degree  of  per- 
fection in  this  art.  We  must  rememlwr 
} 


that  man  was  not  born  a  sailor;  and  that 
what  he  knows  of  navigation  is  the  result 
of  experience  and  education. 

There  is  an  old  legend  (hat  a  man,  ages 
ago,  saw  a  piece  of  a  reed  floating  upon  the 
water,  which  snirgested  the  first  idea  of 
navigation.     After   this,   probably,  savages 


■:  498 


SHIP-BUILDLNG. 


crossefl  rirers  on   logs,  but  no  doubt  they   forms  and  materials  —  some  of  wood,  some 
found   them    rather   ticklish   craft.      Then   of  skin,  and  some  of  bark, 
doubtless  came  rafts;  then  canoes  of  hoi-        The  earliest  navigators,  on  a  large  scale, 
lowed  logs ;  then  artificial  boats,  of  various  I  were  the  Phoenicians,  who  made  voyages  the 


The  Ee^iiiiiing  of  Naviiraiion. 


length  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  along  the 
northern  coasts  of  Europe  and  down  the  Red 
Sea  —  as  early  as  the  time  of  Solomon, 
1000  years  B.  C.  Their  vessels  were  of 
the  shape  now  in  use;  they  had  sails,  which 
ire  said  to  have  been  suirgested  by  the  little 
,  sea  animal  called  nautihis ;  they  had  no 
I  decks,  and  were  not  over  twenty  or  thirty 
tons'  burthen.  They  iiad  inasts  ayd  rudders 
—  the  prow  was  decorated  witli  paint  and 
gildingjand  represented  the  image  of  some 
god. 

The  ships  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  in 
after  times,  were  larger,  but  they  were  un- 
couth structures,  managed  with  dilTiculty, 
and  liable  to  numerous  accidents  and  hin- 
drances. The  war  ships  were  nothing  but 
large  row  boats.  These  were  very  long 
and  narrow,  like  canoes.  The  cable  and 
anchor  were  later  inventions.  The  latter 
at  first  was  a  large  stone.  In  the  days  of 
the  Roman  emperors  vessels  of  immense 
size  were  occasionally  built,  but  they  were 
of  little  use,  except  for  the  transport  of  heavy 
objects. 

In  the  middle  ages,  navigation  made  lit- 
tle progress  ;  but  about  the  close  of  the  fif- 
teenth century,  its  strides  were  prodigious. 
The  mariner's  compass  had  been  invented, 
and  the  sailor  had  now  a  guide  over  the 
niysteiious  ocean.  Hence  America  was 
discovered  in  1492,  though  the  three  ships 
of  Columbus  were  not  so  large  as  our  com- 
mon schooners,  and   had   no  proper  decks. 


From  this  period  there  has  been  a  steady 
advance  in  ship-building  ;  the  English,  for 
a  long  period,  took  the  lead,  but  it  is  now 
admitted  that  the  fastest  sailing  vessels  in 
the  world  are  tliose  of  the  U.  States. 

We  have  given  a  portrait  of  the  packet 
ship  Devonshire,  built  at  N.  York,  in  1S4S. 
She  is  of  1.500  tons'  burthen  —  her  main 
cabin  is  finished  with  mahogany,  and  gilded 
carvings.  On  her  arrival  in  London  che 
attracted  great  curiosity,  and  was  visued 
by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  and  other  cele- 
brated persons,  who  e.xpressed  the  greatest 
admiration  of  the  beauty  of  her  model,  and 
the  elegance  and  comfort  of  her  accommo- 
dations. 

Our  navy  is  not  so  large  as  that  of  Great 
Britain,  but  no  war  ships  surpass  ours.  The 
war  of  1812  attested  the  capabilities  of  our 
country  in  naval  warfare.  The  recent 
launch  of  the  noble  ship  Vermont  presents 
some  curious  facts.  Her  keel  was  laid  in 
1S17,  and  the  hulk  mainly  built  soon  after. 
It  was  then  sud'ered  to  lie  under  cover,  at 
the  Charlestown  navy  yard,  till  thirty  years 
after,  when  it  was  finished  and  launched. 
She  is  pierced  for  one  hundred  and  twenty 
guns,  but  her  rate  is  eighty-four.  Her 
length  is  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  feet  — 
breadth  of  beam,  fifty-four  feet,  depth  of 
hold  thirty -seven  feet  four  inches. 

If  we  now  look  back,  taking  a  view  of 
the  facts  mentioned,  we  shall  be  prepared 
to  estimate,  in   some  degree,  the   extent  of 


United  Sfntra  ship  of  war,  Verm.jnt. 


thnt  sliill  and  power,  which  have  enabled 
mankind  to  cnnstiiu't  such  amazing  works, 
and  gnide'tliem,  obedient  as  the  liorse  to 
tiie  bit,  over  all  the  oceans  of  the  world. 

^Ve  have  not  spoken  of  steam  navigation  ; 
that  is  still  another  triumph  of  human  art  — 
one  which  was  achieved  by  our  own  coun- 
tryman, Fulton,  and  within  tlie  memory  of 


many  persons  now  living,  that  is,  in  tlio  year 
1S()7.  And  what  wonders  d<>  we  now  be- 
hold I  Not  only  do  wo  see  floating  palaces 
gliding  along  the  coasts  niu\  up  the  rivers 
of  our  country,  hut  the  ocean  itself  is  trav- 
ersed hv  these  leviathans,  with  as  much 
regularity  as  by  stage-coaches  upon  tb.o 
hind. 


TIIE   MAMMOTH   CAVE,    KENTUCKY. 


Tins  wonderful  cavern,  which  is  a  world 
within  itself,  end)racing  in  its  submnndane 
regions,  seas,  mountains,  lakes,  and  rivers, 
is  situated  in  the  interior  of  Kentucky,  in  a 
wild,  broken  region,  but  highly  picturesque. 
It  IS  approached  through,  as  it  were,  a  natu- 
ral bower  of  trees,  growing  on  either  side 
of  a  beautiful  and  romantic  dell.  At  the 
termination  is  the  great  portal  tcf  this  nether 
world,  and  you  descend  into  it  by  some 
winding  stone  steps;  then,  if  you  choose, 
you  can  penetrate  miles  into  the  heart  of 
the  earth.  No  impure  air  e.\ists  in  any  part 
of  the  cave;  on  the  contrary,  the  air  is  de- 
lightful and  exhilarating,  and  highly  recom- 


mended for  disease  of.  the  lungs.  There 
are  a  inindter  of  small  houses  built  witliin, 
to  accomodate  consumptive  persons,  and 
numbers  have  resided  there  continually, 
finding  great  benefit.  Tlic  temperature  is 
uniformly  the  same,  —  winter  and  summer 
being  always  .")!)'  Fahrenheit.  Combustion 
is  perfect  in  all  parts,  and  decomposition  is 
I  unobservable.  Kcptiles  of  no  description 
have  ever  been  seen  within  tlie  cave.  The 
loudest  peal  of  thunder  cannot  be  heard  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  within,  and  the  only  sound 
heard  is  the  roar  of  waterlalls,  of  which 
there  are  some  seven  or  eight. 

Tlic  entire  cave,  as  far  as  it  is  explored. 


i 


THE    MAMMOTH    CAVE,    KENTUCKY. 


501 


(the  end  is  not  found  yet,)  contains  two 
hundred  or  more  avenues,  nearly  fifty  domes, 
twenty-two  pits,  and  three  rivers.  Many 
of  tiie  avenues  contain  lar<je  and  macrnifi- 
cent  stalagmite  cokimns,  extending  from 
the  floor  to  the  ceiling,  and  some  of  veiy 
grotesque  and  fanciful  shape.  Graceful  sta- 
lactites may  likewise  be  seen  pendant  from 
the  ceilings,  as  uniforjnand  regular  as  if  they 
were  cut  by  the  hand  of  man.  The  engrav- 
ing gives  a  view  of  one  of  those  avenues 
where  the  stalagmites  and  stalactites  abound 
in  great  profusion.  It  is  called  the  "Gotliic 
Avenue,"  from  tlie  formatiojis  which  resem- 
ble Gothic  architecture.  In  another  part 
of  this  avenue,  is  what  is  called  the  "Gothic 
Chapel,"  these  stalactic  formations  are  still 
more  striking,  very  much  resembling  a 
monkish  cathedral.  In  the  "  Fairy  Grotto," 
the  formations  likewise  assume  a  great 
man)'  fanciful  shapes. 

To  the  admirer  of  the  wonderful  and 
sublime,  we  say,  go  visit  this  the  greatest 
of  the  Almighty's  subterranean  works  I  No 
description,  however  well  written,  can  give 
the  least  idea  of  it.  No  other  cave  can  be 
compared  with  it  in  its  extent  and  grandeur ; 
in  its  serene  and  solemn  majesty  it  stands 
—  alone  I 

Among  the  wonders  of  this  cave  is  a 
species  of  fish  without  eyes,  found  in  one  of 
the  rivers.  A  late  traveller  says,  "  What 
shall  I  say  of  this  wonder  of  nature,  as  a 
whole  ?  I  had  heard  and  read  descriptions 
of  it,  long  since;  but  the  half,  the  i]uarter, 
was  not  told.  Its  vastness,  its  lofty  arches, 
its  inmicnse  reach  into  the  bosom  of  the 
solid  earth,  fdl  me  with  astonishment.  It 
is  —  like  Mount  Blanc,  Chimborazo,  and 
the  falls  of  Niagara  —  one  of  God's  mightiest 
works.  Shall  I  compare  it  with  anything 
of  a  similar  description,  whicli  you  have 
seen  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  ?  with 
the  Grotto  of  Neptune,  or  that  of  the  Sibyl, 
at  Tivoli,or  with  any  of  Virgil's  poetic  Ital- 
ian machinery?  No  comparison  can  be  in- 
stituted. I  speak,  as  you  are  aware,  from 
personal  knowledge.  You,  seated  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  Arno,  have  seen  me 
clamber  up,  from  the  noisy  waters  below, 
to  the  entrance  of  the  far-famed  Grotto  of 
Neptune,  which  I  leisurely  explored.  In 
point  of  capaciousness,  it  has  little  more  to 
boast  of  than  the  cellar  of  a  large  hotel,  and, 
like  that,  was,  as  1  think,  excavated  by  hu- 
man hands.  That  of  the  Tiburtine  Sibyl 
is  still  more  limited  in  its  dimensions.     In- 


'  deed,  every  cavern  which  I  have  ever  seen, 
j  if  placed  alongside  of  this,  would   dwindle 
into  insignificance." 

The  same  writer  says,  "I  cannot  refrain 
from  giving  yon  an  account  of  an  incident 
that  happened  in  this  cave  last  spring.  A 
wedding  party  went  to  the  cave  to  spend 
the  honeymoon.  While  there,  they  weni 
to  visit  those  beautiful  portions  of  the  cave 
which  lie  beyond  the  river  'Jordan.'  In 
order  to  do  this,  a  person  has  to  sail  down 
the  river  nearly  a  mile  before  reaching  the 
avenue  which  leads  off  from  the  river  on 
the  opposite  side,  —  for  there  is  no  shore, 
or  landing-place,  between  the  point  above 
on  this  side,  where  you  come  to  the  river, 
and  that  below  on  the  other ;  for  the  river 
fills  the  whole  width  of  one  avenue  of  the 
cave,  and  is  several  feet  deep  where  the 
side  walls  descend  into  the  water.  This 
party  had  descended' the  river,  visited  the 
cave  beyond,  and  had  again  embarked  on 
the  water  for  their  return  homewards.  Af- 
ter they  had  ascended  the  river  about  half 
W'a)',  sonie  of  the  parly,  who  were  in  a  hit;h 
glee,  got  into  a  romp  and  overturned  the 
boat.  Their  lights  were  all  extinguished, 
their  matches  wet,  the  boat  fdled  with  water 
and  sunk  iminedi!\tely  ;  and  there  they  were, 
in  '  the  blackness  of  darkness,*  up  to  their 
chins  in  water.  No  doubt,  they  would  all 
have  been  lost,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
guide's  great  presence  of  mind.  He  charged 
them  to  remain  perfectly  still ;  for,  if  they 
moved  a  single  step,  they  might  get  out  of 
their  depth  in  water  ;  and  swimming  would 
not  avail  them,  for  they  could  not  see  where 
to  swim  to.  He  knew  that,  if  they  could 
bear  the  coldness  of  the  water  any  length 
of  time,  they  would  be  safe  ;  for  another 
guide  would  be  sent  from  the  cave  house, 
to  see  what  had  become  of  them.  And  in 
this  perilous  condition,  up  to  their  mouths 
in  water,  in  the  midst  of  darkness  '  more 
than  night,'  fuiir  miles  under  ground,  they 
remained  for  upwards  of  'ti^n  liours  ;  at  tlie 
end  of  which  time,  another  guide  came  to 
their  relief  JIatthew,  or  Mat,  the  guide 
who  rescued  them,  told  me  that,  'when  he 
got  to  where  they  were,  his  fellow-guide, 
Stephen,  (the  Columbus  of  the  cave,)  was 
swinnning  around  the  rest  of  the  party, 
cheering  them,  and  directing  his  movements, 
while  swimming,  by  the  sound  of  their 
voices,  which  were  raised,  one  and  all,  in 
prayer  and  supplication  for  deliverance  !'  " 


Bailie  of  Lexington, 

THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTIONARY   WAR, 


The  war  of  American  independpnce  was 

the  result  of  causes  which  had  been  for  ages 

j   at  work.     It  was  hut  the  carrying  out  of 

5   principles,  which  had  cost  the  foil  and  treas- 

<  ure  of  many  and  many  a  nation,  in  their 
(  struggles  against  oppression,  —  principles 
5  which  had  been  sealed  by  the  blood  of  many 
I  a  holy  martyr  to  liberty.  The  immediate 
j  causes  of  the  appeal  to  arms  by  our  patriot 
i  fathers  of  1776,  are  soon  detailed.  England's 
>  king  wanted  money  to  build  a  splendid  new 
i   palace,  it  is  said;   for  when  a  young  man, 

<  he  had  been  laughed  at  as  having  the  worst 
!  looking  palace  in  all  Europe.  But  the 
'  treasury  was  e.vhausted  by  "  royal"  wars, 
J  in  which  the  nation  had  no  proper  interest; 
'  wars  to  carry  out  that  favorite  buUism,  that 
I  "  France  is  the  natural-enemy  of  Englimd." 
'.  Our  people  had  contributed  their  full 
5  share  of  blood  and  treasure  to  defend  them- 
j  selves  ag-ainst  the  French  and  Indians,  on 
5  their  frontier,  who  had  been  aroused  against 
I  them  by  the  foolish  European  politics  of 
I  England,  begfotten  of  an  encroaching  and 
j   overbearing  disposition.    It  was  proposed  to 

raise  money,  now  the  war  was  over,  osten- 
sibly to  help  pay  its  expenses,  but  really  to 
be  expended  by  the  British  Parliament,  in 
schemes  our  people  had  little  knowledge  of, 
o.'  interest  in ;  expended  too,  after  the  usual 
lavish  manner  of  the  mother  government, 
m  pensioning  ofi'  its  aristocracy,  gilding  the 
costly  bauble  of  royalty,  and  providing  for 


exclusive  interests.  Had  not  our  wise  fore- 
fathers taken  their  stand,  at  once,  we  should 
now  have  been  ground  down  by  taxes  as 
our  English  brethren  are,  to  pay  the  thou- 
sands of  millions  of  British  delit,  rolled  up 
chiefly  by  the  ol'Stinacy  of  the  English  gov- 
ernment in  standing  directly  in  the  way  of 
the  progress  of  the  world,  and  attempting, 
by  her  single  arm,  or  rather  purse,  to  stay 
the  onward  march  of  freedom  ! 

The  men  of  the  revolution  took  the 
ground  that  they  would  pay  no  tax,  the 
expending  of  the  revenue  from  which  they 
should  have  no  voice  in.  The)'  were  not 
represented  in  the  Parliament  of  England, 
and  had  no  vote  in  the  disbursement  of  the 
revenue  raised.  They  therefore  thought 
there  should  be  no  revenue  raised  from 
internal  taxation  in  the  colonies,  except 
what  might  be  raised  and  spent  by  the 
colonial  government,  and  thus  accommo- 
dated, both  in  the  mode  of  its  levying  and 
e.xpenditure,  to  the  wants  of  the  colonies. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  English  thought 
that  the  interests  of  the  mother  country 
were  in  all  cases  to  take  precedence  of  the 
interests  of  the  colonies ;  that  the  colonists 
were  getting  quite  too  free  in  speaking  their 
minds,  quite  too  full  of  ideas  of  indepen- 
dence. Scarce  an  inhabitant  of  England 
but  felt  that  "our"  colonies  were  his  per- 
sonal subjects,  that  their  inhabitants  held  a 
position  subordinate   to   real   Englishmen ; 


THE    AMERICAN    KEVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


503 


and  thus  their  setting  up  an  interest  and 
governinerit  of  their  own,  seemed  to  him 
something  iilie  a  personal  insult.  The  up- 
start must  be  put  down.  The  general 
English  feeling,  at  the  outset,  was,  The 
Americans  must  be  liumhled  and  .wl/jiigated. 
Thus  the  passions  of  boih  nations  were  soon 
enlisted. 

The  chiims  as  to  taxation  had  been  urged 
in  various  forms,  and  been  reluctantly  sub- 
mitted to,  evaded  or  resisted,  as  the  circum- 
stances allowed,  till,  in  1764-65,  after  the 
odious  duties  on  sugar,  molasses,  and  some 
other  articles,  had  been  declared  perpetual, 
and  the  right  to  trial  by  jur\'  tampered  with, 
the  Stamp  Act  was  passed,  as  the  entering 
wedge  of  a  scries  of  measures,  which  were 
to  reduce  every  man,  woman,  and  child,  of 
the  colonics,  to  the  tax-ridden  condition  of 
the  people  of  the  old  world.  The  night 
after  its  passage,  Franklin  wrote,  "  Tbe  sun 
of  liberty  is  set,  —  light  up  the  candles  of 
industry' and  frugality."  "We  shall  light 
up  torches  of  (piite  another  sort,''  was  tlie 
replj'i  and  they  were  lighted  up,  both  lite- 
rail  v  and  inelapliorically,  from  one  end  of 
the  Stales  to  the  other,  till  such  a  flame 
was  kindled,  as  snapt  like  tow  the  thousand 


cords  which  bound  us  to  England  —  her  ex- 
pensive royalty,  her  ambition,  her  destinier, 
and  her  oppressions. 

The  Stamp  Act  was  repealed  because  it 
could  not  be  enforced,  but  the  tyrannous 
disposition  still  remained.  In  17G7,  tea, 
glass,  oil,  and  painters'  colors,  imported  into 
America,  were  taxed;  the  authority  of  the 
Xew  York  .\sseiubly  was  suspended,  till  it 
should  consent  to  quarter  troops  ;  and  naval 
officers  were  appointed  custoin-liouse  offi- 
cers, to  enforce  the  trade  and  navigation 
acts.  In  1765,  a  congress  from  nine  states 
had  met  in  New  York,  and  measures,  look- 
ing to  the  calling  of  another,  were  taken  by 
the  JMassachusetts  Legislature,  in  1768  — 
but  the  governor  dissolved  that  body.  The 
Mouse  of  Burgesses  in  Virginia,  sustaining 
the  cause  of  liberty,  was  also  dissolved.  In 
fine,  the  whole  country  was  in  commolion; 
several  outbreaks  took  place,  and  repeated 
collisions  occurred  between  the  colonial  gov- 
ernors and  the  jjeople.  These  agitations 
were  not  allayed  by  the  repeal,  in  1771,  of 
the  act  laying  duties,  for  it  excepted  Ua, 
and  thus  asserted  the  hateful  principle  of 
taxation  vnthout  representation. 

When  the  lea  came  over,  in  some  of  the 


Peslnictioii  of  Tea  in  Boslon  Harbor. 


ports  ;t  was  stowed  in  damp  cellars  and 
spoiled  ;  in  others,  the  pilots  were  not  per- 
mitted to  bring  the  ships  to  the  wharf  — 
nowhere  was  it  allowed  to  be  sold.  In 
Boston,  a  party  disguised  as  Indians,  threw 
over  three  hundred  and  forty-two  chests  of 
it.  For  this  spirited  act,  called  the  "Boston 
Tea  Party,"  I'arliament  shut  up  the  port  of 


Boston,  1774;  that  is,  all  commercial  inter- 
course with  Boston  was  forbidden,  and  the 
landing  or  shipping  of  goods  there,  till  the 
tea  should  be  paid  for.  Other  acts  followed, 
forbidding  town  meetings  in  the  state,  abol- 
ishing jury  trials  in  certain  cases,  and 
appointing  counsellors  by  the  crown.  The 
cause  of  Boston   was  espoused   by  all  the 


504 


»-» 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


colonies,  and  the  necessities  of  her  people  i  of  the  mother  country  but  served  to  bind 
supplied  by  contributions.  Tlie  assembly,  I  them  more  closely  together,  and  to  ripen  the 
convened  at  Salem,  nominated  five  delegates   seeds  of  revolution. 

to  a  colonial  congress.  Everything  was  ]  In  1774,  a  colonial  congress  met  at  Phil- 
tending  to  centralization  and  unity  of  pur-  adejphia  ;  twelve  colonies  were  represented, 
pose  throughout  the  colonies,  and  every  act ,  "  For  solidity  of  reasoning,  force  of  sagacity, 


Hall  of  Congress, 

and  wisdom  of  conclusion,  no  body  of  men 
could  stand  in  preference  to  this  congress." 
Such  was  the  judgment  of  a  distinguished 
Englisliman,  Lord  Chatham  ;  such  has  been 
the  verdict  of  posterity.  They  approved  of 
the  conduct  of  Massachusetts,  and  took 
measures  for  her  relief;  drew  up  a  declara- 
i  tion  or  bill  of  rights ;  recommended  non- 
>  importation  associations, and  encouragement 
I  of  domestic  arts;  an  address  to  the  people 
\  of  Great  Britain,  a  memorial  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  British  America,  and  a  loyal  address 
to  the  king.  They  penned  an  encourag- 
ing memorial  to  their  constituents,  passed 
resolves  against  the  slave-trade,  and  resolves 
to  continue  the  colonial  union  till  their 
rights  were  obtained.  Their  petition  to  the 
king  was  a  masterpiece  of  feeling  and  force. 
War  approaches;  magazines  of  gunpowder 
and  other  military  stores  are  seized  at 
Charlestown  and  at  Cambridge ;  a  provisional 
congress,  witli  Hancock  for  president,  meets 
at  Salem  and  adjourns  to  Concord;  minute 
men  are  appointed,  bound  to  be  ready  to 
march  in  "  defence  of  the  province,"  that  is, 
of  liberty,  at  a  moment's  warning  ;    three  i 


al  Philadelphia. 

general  officers,  to  command  them  and  the 
military,  are  elected  ;  a  committee  of  sup- 
plies is  chosen  ;  and  a  committee  of  safety 
to  sit  during  the  recess.  In  November  they 
again  meet,  appoint  one  fourth  of  the  militia 
to  act  as  minute  men ;  elect  two  more 
general  officers,  and  send  to  inform  New 
Hampshire,  lihode  Island,  and  Connecticut, 
of  what  they  are. doing,  and  request  their 
cooperation  in  raising  an  army  of  twenty 
thousand  men.  Other  colonies  followed 
their  example  in  part. 

Insidious  compromises  were  proposed,  but 
the  difference  of  opinion  between  England 
and  the  colonies  was  too  great  to  be 
settled  except  by  war  —  and  both  nations 
prepared  for  the  combat.  On  April  ISth, 
177:3,  the  first  blood  of  the  revolution  was 
shed  at  Lexington.  Here  a  few  men,  whose 
names  will  ever  be  glorious  in  the  annals 
of  their  country,  were  drawn  up,  on  the 
common,  to  oppose  a  body  of  British  sol- 
diers sent  from  Boston,  to  destroy  military 
stores  at  Concord.  Concentrating  British 
arrogance  in  one  sentence,  the  first  cry  of 
their   commander,    as    he    advanced,   was, 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


505 


"Disperse,  you  rebels!  throw  down  your 
arms  and  disperse!"  followed  up  by  a  fire 
of  bullets  whicli  killed  eii,du  men.  Liberty 
or  death  was  now  the  choice  of  every  man 
who  bore  a  heart.  Fathers  left  their  chil- 
dren, mothers  sent  their  sons,  husbands 
parted  from  wives  —  all  bid  adieu  to  what 


was  dearest  to  them  in  existence,  to  peril 
life  in  the  holy  cause.  They  buckled  on 
their  armor,  not  with  a  reckless  love  of 
exciteuient,  but  with  a  deep-felt,  pious,  ear- 
nest deteniiirialion  to  do  or  die,  —  a  serious 
humor  most  fatal  to  tyranny. 

Twenty  thousand    men   were    soon  col- 


lected around  Boston,  and  General  Gage 
was  closely  besieged,  and  became  straitened 
for  provisions.  Ticnndcroga  and  Crown 
Point  were  seized.  "  By  whose  authority  ?  " 
said  La  Place,  commander  of  the  former. 
"God,  and  the  Coiitinental  Congress!" 
shouted  Ethan  Allen,  receiving  the  sword 
of  his  prisoner.  Skenosborough  Pass  was 
also  seized,  and  a  sloop-of-war  at  St.  John's. 
Thus,  witliout  bloodshed,  were  the  keys  of 
Canada  taken,  and  the  command  of  the 
lakes  secured. 

The  battle  of  Biiid<er  Hill  was  foiight  on 
the  17th  June,  1776.  On  the  1.5th,  Wash- 
ington was  elected  commander-in-chief,  by 
the  unanimous  vote  of  Congress ;  he  joined 
the  army  soon  after  the  battle,  and  intro- 
duced discipline,  subordination  and  order. 
Meanwhile,  Congress  published  a  dignified 
and  temperate  manifesto. 

Two  expeditions  were  sent  against  Can- 
ada ;  one  led  by  Arnold,  with  incredible 
hardship,  up  the  Kennebec,  through  the 
pathless  wilds  of  Maine  ;  the  other  along 
the  old  route,  by  way  of  Lake  Champlain. 
Montgomery  now  took  St.  John's  and  Mon- 
treal, and  marched  after  Gov.  Carleton  to 
Quebec.     Joining  Arnold,  their  force  was 


but  1,000,  with  which  they  sat  down  to 
besiege  the  Gibraltar  of  America,  with  its 
garrison  of  L.'jOO.  Rather  than  retire,  they 
came  to  the  desperate  resolution  to  str.rm 
the  city.  Montgomery  was  killed,  Arnold 
wounded  ;  400  Americans  were  made  pris- 
oners, and  Arnold,  with  the  rest  of  iiis 
troops,  lilock'aded  the  place. 

The  British,  being  masters  of  the  sea- 
coast,  burned  every  hostile  port.  This  but 
served  to  exasperate,  and  the  Americans 
retaliated  by  arming  hundreds  of  bold  and 
shrewd  privateers,  that  plundered  the  British 
commerce  on  every  sea,  and  even  in  the 
very  ports  of  the  haughty  island  itself.  In 
Virginia,  the  militia  defeated  the  royalists. 
On  the  meeting  of  Parliament,  acts  were 
])assed  with  the  design  of  annihilating  every 
vestige  of  American  navigation  and  com- 
merce. Vessels  taken  were  to  be  the  prop- 
erty of  the  captors,  and  their  crews,  their 
slaves;  17,000  Hessians  were  hired  of  their 
prince,and  25,000  English  mercenaries  were 
also  ordered  over.  The  petition  of  congress 
was  rejected  by  the  king,  and  not  even  heard 
by  the  Parliament.  These  acts  shut  the 
door  of  reconciliation. 

Washington,  by  occupying  Dorchester 


«4 


{ 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


507 


Heights,  which  he  effected  one  stormy  night, 
soon  made  Boston  too  hot  for  the  enemy, 
who,  on  the  17th  March,  1776,  evacuated 
it.  But  the  Americans  were  driven  out  of 
Canada,  and  lost  all  they  had  gained  there. 

At  Fort  Moultrie,  the  British,  in  June, 
1776,  were  noblj'  repulsed  from  Charleston  ; 
on  the  fourth  of  Jidy,  Congress  proclaimed 
its  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Lord  Howe  with  .\dmiral  Howe  was  now 
near  New  York,  with  thirty-live  tliousand 
of  the  best  troops  of  Europe,  and  hoped 
to  persuade  the  Americans  to  recede,  and 
return  to  their  loyally;  but  his  proclama- 
tions produced  no  ell'ect.  The  Americans 
concentrated  their  troops  here  ;  a  disastrous 
battle  was  fought.  The  sight  of  his  slaugh- 
tered troops,  and  a  Unouledge  of  the  dis- 
couragement likely  to  ensue,  extort  a  groan 
from  even  Washington's  maidy  breast;  but 
his  prudence  did  not  forsake  him,  ami  he 
retired  to  Haerlem  Heights,  leaving  the  city 
of  New  York  to  the  enemy. 

Although  our  people  were  dispirited  by 
defeat,  yet  were  there  many  true  and  firm 
hearts  amonff  them,  that  could  reiicho  the 


dying  words  of  Capt.  Hale,  executed  about 
this  time,  as  a  spy,  by  Howe  :  '■  I  lament 
that  I  have  but  one  life  to  lay  down  for  my 
country."  Howi-vcr  dark  their  prospects,  a 
people  animated  by  such  feelings  were  un- 
conquerable. Though  many  of  the  soldiers, 
as  well  as  citizens,  deserted  their  country  in 
this  hour  of  trial,  yet  many  also  stood  by  her 
tlirough  all.  Washington  adopted  the  Fa- 
bian |iolicy  of  delay,  striking  here  and  there 
where  he  felt  sure  of  his  blow,  and  keeping 
the  enemy  in  uncertainly  and  unaljle  to 
undertake  any  great  enterprise.  The  skir- 
mish at  White  Plains  took  place  Oct.  L'S: 
Fort  Washington  surrendered  Nov.  16 ; 
Fort  I.ee  was  evacuated  Nov.  IS  ;  Wash- 
ington retreated  across  the  Delaware  Nov. 
i2S.  These  were  the  times  which  showed 
the  men  of  '76. 

Washington's  lillle  army  was  "  unfed 
amidst  fatigue;  unshod,  while  their  bleed- 
ing feet  were  forced  rapidly  over  frozen 
gaiun<l,  e.\posed  to  the  keen  December  air, 
almost  wj^thout  clothes  or  tents."  Being 
joined  by  Lee's,  Midlin's,  Gates',  and  Mer- 
cer's forces,  Washington  found  himself  at 


n-..i-  ^t  17 ;......... 


the  head  of  about  seven  thousand  effective 
men  ;  but  the  term  of  service  of  many  of 
them  was  just  about  to  expire,  and  he  must 
strike  some  cITectivo  blow.     The  battles  of 


Trenton,  Dec.  26,  27,  1776,  and  of  Prince- 
ton, Jan.  3,  1777,  show  how  well  he  used 
the  opportunity.  The  "great  news  from 
the   Jerseys"   electrified   the  country   with 


508 


TH",    AMEKICAN    REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


sudden  hope,  and  put  a  new  aspect  on 
our  aflairs.  Articles  of  confederation  were 
adoped  Nov.  15,  1777.  Never  were  men 
more  wise  and  devoted  than  those  of  Con- 
gress, but  tliey  were  without  means,  and 
had  only  power  to  recommend  ;  they  au- 
thorized a  loan,  and  sent  to  France  for  aid  ; 
they  conferred  vast  powers  on  Washington, 
dangerous  with  any  other  man. 

The  campaign  of  1777  was  distinguished 


by  the  brutality  of  the  tories  and  English,  i 

who,  as  was  said  in  Europe,  "had  revived  < 

in  America  the  fury  of  the  Goths,  and  the  ) 

barbarity  of  the  northern  hordes."     Frank-  i 

lin's  wisdom  and  wit  had  enlisted  France  l 

in   our  cause.     Said   Lafayette,    "If  your  | 

country  is  in  extremity,  now  is  my  time  to  i 

join  you,"  and  his  coming  diffused  joy  and  > 

hope.  \ 


L^ifayeile  and  Franklin. 


The  two  objects  of  the  British  now  were  to 
take  Philadeljihia,  and  to  cut  ofTNew  Eng- 
land from  the  rest  of  the  country.  The 
well-appointed  army  of  Burgoyne  advanced 
victoriously  from  the  north,  and  encamped 
at  Saratoga.  Our  victory  at  Bennington  had 
begun  to  turn  the  tide ;  "  Beat  them  now, 
or  Molly  Stark 's  a  widow!"  became  the 
watchword.  The  battle  of  Stillwater,  Sejrt. 
19,  and  the  fierce  victory  of  Oct.  7,  were  but 
the  prelude  to  the  catastrophe  of  the  whole 
northern  British  armv,  which,  hemmed  in 
on  every  side,  capitulated  to  Gates,  on 
the  17th.  But  at  the  battle  of  Brandy- 
wine,  Sept.  11th,  after  terrible  carnage,  the 
Americans  were  worsted;  and  on  the  26th, 
the  enemy  took  Philadelpiiia,  then  the  capital. 
At  Germantown,  Washington  was  defeated, 
Oct.  4.  Tlie  enemy  wintered  in  comfort  at 
Philadelphia;  Washington's  army  were  in 
huts  at  Valley  Forge,  where  were  renewed 
the  sufTerings  of  the  previous  winter.   With- 


out even  straw,  these  patriots  lay  on  the  bare 
oTound;  nakedness,  hunger,  and  cold  soon 
filled  the  hospitals  with  accumulated  and 
irremediable  misery.  No  monument  is  yet 
erected  to  those  who  thus  died  for  their 
country  I 

We  can  only  give  a  catalosjue  of  the 
event.s  of  the  campaigns  of  1778,  1779,  and 
17S0.  In  I  hat  of  177S,  we  may  mention,  as 
among  the  most  important  events,  the  in- 
trigues against  Washington;  the  success 
of  American  privateers;  the  treaty  with 
France,  Feb.  6  ;  the  intrigues  of  the  British 
commissioners;  evacuation  of  Philadelpnia, 
June  IS;  battle  of  Monmouth,  2S;  arrival 
of  a  French  fleet ;  the  siege  of  Newport ;  the 
massacre  of  Wyoming  valley ;  Savannah 
taken,  Dec.  29. 

The  British  plan  in  the  campaign  of  1779 
was  to  subjugate  the  whole  south,  beginning 
with  Georgia,  which  was  soon  overrun.  Of 
the  events  of  this  year  the  most  noticeable   j 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 


509 


are,  the  horribleconduct  of  the  (ories  ;  Amer- 
ican defeat,  under  Aslic,  March  3  ;  taking  of 
Stony  Point,  hy  Wayne,  a  brilliant  exploit, 
July  15 ;  pnnishinent  of  the  savages,  at 
Newtown,  by  Sullivan,  Aug.  29;  French 
and  Americans  repulsed  from  Savannah, 
Sept.  24  to  Oct.  IS;  Paul  Jones'  naval  vic- 
tory, Sept.  27. 

The  campaign  of  1780  is  noted  for  the 
war  in  the  south  ;  the  surrender  of  General 
Lincoln  and  his  army  at  Charleston,  May 
12;  talcing  of  fort  Ninety-six,  and  of  Hii- 
ford's  force,  at  Wacsaw,  by  the  British, 
who  became  inasters  of  South  Carolina  ;  the 
depreciation  of  the  currcnc}'  sanctioned  by 
Congress;  heroism  of  the  Soutli  Carolina 
women  ;  arrival  of  Lafayette  ;  also  of  a 
French  squadron ;  the  e.vploits  of  the  parti- 


san leaders,  Sumpter  and  Marion  ;  De  Kalb 
and  Gates  lose  the  bloody  battle  of  Camden, 
Aug.  1(5,  leaving  the  British  triumphant  in 
the  south  ;  Sumplrr's  men  arc  surprised  and 
defeated  at  Fishing  Creek,  Aug.  IS,  but 
Marion  keeps  the  I, eld,  sheltering  himself 
in  the  mountsin  fastnesses,  'i'lie  miserahio 
treason  of  Arnold  occurred  in  September, 
but  he  was  frustrated  in  his  endeavor  to 
deliver -lip  the  north  to  the  enemy,  though 
his  condiict  at  this  time  and  afterwards,  as 
a  destroying  ravager,  rendered  the  country's 
cause  more  gloomy.  Col.  Ferguson's  defeat 
on  King's  Mountain,  Oct.  7,  cheered  the 
patriots  somewhat,  and  drove  Cornwallis 
back  into  South  Carolina.  His  hour  was 
approaching. 


Biirgoyne's  Retreat; 


Gates  having  been  unsuccessful  in  the 
south,  as  well  as  Liincoln,  he  was  superseded 
by  Greene.  The  year  17S1  began  witJiout 
funds  in  Coneress  to  pay  an  army,  and  a 
victorious  enemy,  constantly  receiving  rc- 
inforcemenls,  in  the  heart  of  the  coimtry. 
Jan.  1,  the  Pennsylvania  line  revolted,  from 
sheer  want,  but  were  (piieted.  In  this  di- 
lemma, a  national  bank  was  founded,  and 
Robert  Morris,  the  Washington  of  finance, 
came  forward  as  the  savior  of  his  country. 
Franklin,  too,  was  able  to  borrow  for  his 
country,  of  Hollaml,  under  the  endorsement 
of  France,  and  received  from  Louis  XV'I.  a 


gift  of  SIX  million  livres.  These  resources 
were  carefully  expended  ;  public  confidence 
revived ;  order  and  econoui}'  ruled  in  the 
place  of  confusion  and  waste.  The  war  at 
the  south  went  on  with  vigor;  on  Jan.  17 
took  place  the  battle  of  the  Cowpcns,  in  which 
iMorgan  defeated  the  notorious  Tarleton, 
taking  five  hundred  prisoners;  Cornwallis 
chases  the  victor  towards  the  Catawba, 
which  the  latter  crosses,  and  is  safe  ;  but 
he  soon  retreats,  with  Cornwallis  in  full 
pursuit,  towards  the  Yadkin,  the  rising  of 
whose  waters  after  lie  had  crossed  again 
puts  a  barrier  between  him  and  his  pursuer. 


510 


CONTINENTAL    MONEY. 


March  15  happened  the  battle  of  Guilford 
Court  House,  but  (Jreene  was  defeated, 
though  able  to  pursue  his  conqueror. 

\  But   the   war  was    drawing  to  a  close. 

I  Suinpter  and   Marion   annoy  the  British  ; 

5  but   the  Americans  are  surprised  and   de- 

<  feated  at  Hobkirk's  Hill ;  Riiwdon,  however, 
I  evacuates  Camden ;  the  British  forts  Watson, 
I  Georgetown,  and  Motte,  are  taken,  as  well 
1  as  Augusta;  and  Ninety-six  is  abandoned  by 
I  the  enemy.  On  Sept.  8  occurred  tiie  battle 
!  of  Eutaw  Springs,  one  of  the  most  bloody 
j  and  valiant  of  the  war;  —  Greene  was  victo- 
i  rious,  and  the  enemy  retired  to  Charleston. 
i  By  a  series  of  manoeuvres,  Cornwallis  was 
I  at  last   hemmed  in  at  Yorktown.     Wash- 

<  ingfon,  under  a  feint  of  attacking  New  York, 
5  had  prevented  Clinton  from  sending  Corn- 
i  wallis  reinforcements,  and  himself  marclied 
j  with  his  French  reinforcements  from  King's 
(  Bridge,  near  New  York,  directly  towards 
>  Yorktown.  The  French  fleet  arrived  ofl' 
I  the  Chesapeake,  blocking  up  escape  in  that 
S  direction.  Lafayette  was  already  at  Wil- 
i  liamsburg,  where  the  northern  forces  joined 
J  him  on  the  14th  of  September.  In  vain 
i  Cornwallis  wrote  to  Clinton  for  relief.    Oct. 


6,  the  American  army  of  si.xteen  thousand, 
seven  thousand  of  whom  were  French,  com- 
menced their  works;  Oct.  14,  two  redoubts 
were  carried;  Oct.  16,  the  British  sally  out, 
but  are  driven  back;  Cornwallis  tries  to 
escape,  but  a  storm  prevents  him  ;  Oct.  17, 
Cornwallis,  seeing  his  army  wasting  away, 
and  no  hope  of  escape,  before  noon  sends  a 
flag  to  treat  of  surrender.  On  the  19th,  he 
marches  out,  surrendering  an  army  of  nine 
thousand  men,  sixty  pieces  of  cannon,  two 
frigates,  and  twenty  transports. 

The  English  were  well  tired  of  the  war, 
seeing  that,  after  all  the  e.xpenses  of  prop- 
erty and  life,  nothing  was  left  them,  at 
the-  end  of  seven  years,  but  New  York, 
Charleston,  and  Savannah,  and  these  could 
only  be  kept  by  strong  fleets  and  garrisons. 
They  were  convinced,  at  last,  that  the 
Americans  could  not  be  conquered.  In 
17S2,  they  appeared  willing  to  give  up  the 
contest;  in  January,  17S3,  preliminary  ar- 
ticles werf  signed  ;  but  it  was  not  till  Sept. 
3  that  the  treaty  was  finally  completed, 
acknowledging  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States.  Thus  ended  the  War  of 
the  Revolution. 


CONTINENTAL   MONEY. 


Tni:  first  settlers  of  this  country  brought 
with  them  the  hard  money  of  their  native 
kingdoms  —  but  finding  this  an  insufficient 
medium  of  exchange,  barter  and  sale,  beaver 
skins,  and  wampum,  and  the  shell-money  of 
the  Indians,  were  adopted  to  supply  the  de- 
ficiency. Afterwards,  the  diffisrent  species 
of  grain  and  cattle  were  thus  appropriated. 


In  1635,  bullets  were  adopted  by  the  au- 
thorities of  Massachusetts  instead  ol  far- 
things, in  order  to  keep  this  defensive  am- 
munition in  circulation,  [n  1652.  a  mint 
for  silver  coin  was  established  in  the  same 
state,  and  the  pine  tree  currency  introduced. 
Two  years  later,  we, find  dry  fish,  and  even 
boards,  used  and  passed  fr.nn  hand  to  hand 


THE    NORTHMEN    IN    AMERICA. 


511 


as  cash.  In  168G,  the  mint  was  suppressed 
by  the  king,  and  a  bank  established.  In 
1(390,  the  government  attempted  to  dis- 
charge the  debts  incurred  in  the  expedition 
against  Quebec,  by  tbe  creation  of  bills  of 
credit — thecomnienccment  of  the  papersys- 
tem  in  New  England.  In  1714,  a  bank  was 
established,  and  issued  £100,000  in  scrip, 
called  "  Merchants'  Notes,"  wliich  sustained 
a.  good  credit.  The  bills  of  the  province 
now  began  to  decline,  and  we  find  people 
recurring  to  hemp,  flax,  and  bar  iron,  as  a 
nieilinm  of  excliange. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution,  the 
Commonwealth  was  obliged  to  resort  to  the 
emission  of  billsof  cre(ytand  treasury  notes, 
and  in  about  four  years  had  issued  more 
than  £1,600,000  of  "such  paper.     In   1775. 


the  National  Congress  began  to  issue  their  J 
bills  of  credit,  well  known  under  the  name   { 
of  "  Continental  Currency."    In  1776,  near-  '. 
]y  twenty  millions  sterling  had  been  issued,   | 
and   as  a   natural  consequence,  their  cur-   < 
rent  value   began    to  sink.     In  1777,  three   > 
dollars  of  this  currency  were  worth  one  in   \ 
silver ;   in  177S,  the  value  of  this  scrip  was   l 
as  six  to  one  ;   in   1779,  as  twenty-eight  to   ] 
one;  and  finally  as  one  hundred  and  fifty  to   J 
one.     In    1781,   Congress   was    obliged   to   [ 
yield   to   the   pressure,   and    declared    that   | 
bills  of  the  continental  currency  might  pass 
for  what  they  would  bring,  and  not  for  their 
nominal    value.      In    the    same    year,   the 
Hank   of  North   America  was  established  ; 
and  in  17S6,  the  present  currency  of  dollars, 
dimes,  and  cents,  was  adopted. 


THE   NOirniMKN   IN   AMERICA. 


Onr  of  the  most  curious  revelations  of 
',    modern  times,  is  that  the  Norwegian  rovers, 

■  who  had  discovered  Iceland  and  Greenland, 
visited   the  coasts   of   New   England,  and 

■  :   made   a   settlement  there,   many  centuries 


ago,  and  nearly  five  hundred  years  before 
the  discovery  of  Columbus.  The  account 
is  as  follows  :  — 

At  the  time  we  speak  of,  the  Northmen, 
or   inhabitants  of  Denmark,  Norway,  and 


512 


THE    NORTHMEN    IN    AMERICA. 


Sweden,  were  the  boklest  mariners  in  the 
world.  With  small  vessels,  and  without 
the  compass,  they  launched  forth  upon  the 
Northern  Ocean,  and  not  only  discovered 
Iceland  and  Greenland,  but  made  settle- 
ments there.  A  man  named  B'lorn,  on  a 
voyage  to  Greenland,  being  driven  to  the 
west,  discovered  land  ;  another  sailor,  called 
Leif,  hearing  of  this,  wont  in  search  of  this 
unknown  region,  with  thirty-five  ipen.  He 
came  upon  a  region  of  snow  and  ice,  which 
he  named  Hellerland.  Sailing  still  further 
onward,  he  reached  a  delightful  island  near 
the  continent.  A  German  belonging  to  the 
expedition,  penetrated  into  the  country  and 
came  back  annminring  that  he  had  discov- 
ered grapes.  Tliey  filled  their  vessel  with 
this  fruit,  and  with  timber,  and  naming  the 
country  Vinland,  returned  hoipe. 

The  next  adventurer  was  Thorwald  Grie- 
son,  brother  of  Leif,  who  sailed  for  Vinland 
in  1002.  He  discovered  some  huts  which 
had  been  built  by  Leif,  and  spent  the  winter 
in  theirneighborhood.  In  the  ensuing  spring, 
he  sent  a  party  to  make  discoveries  to  the 
southward.  They  passed  a  great  extent  of 
country,  finding  it  well  wooded  and  the 
coast  covered  with  ranges  of  white  sand. 
They  were  attacked  by  various  parties  of 
Indians,  and  in  one  of  these  encounters, 
Thorwald  was  mortally  wounded,  and  was 
buried  on  a  promontory  in  the  vicinitjr.  His 
men  returned  to  Greenland  the  following 
year. 

In  1007,  Thorfinn,  the  brother  of  Leif  and 
Thorwald,  not  discouraged  by  the  fate  of 
his  kinsmen,  fitted  out  a  third  expedition 
for  the  exploration  of  tlie  newly  discovered 


region.  It  consisted  of  three  vessels,  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty  men;  they  took  with 
them  Ijve  stock  and  everything  that  was  nec- 
essary to  form  a  permanentsettlement.  After 
stopping  at  the  various  places  already  dis- 
covered, they  voyaged  further  south,  where 
theyfoimd  grapes  and  wild  grain  in  great 
abundance.  In  one  of  these  favored  spots, 
they  erected  houses  and  passed  the  winter. 
No  snow  fell,  and  their  cattle  pastured  in 
the  open  fields.  The  next  spring,  a  party 
of  Indians  approached,  and  seemed  disposed 
to  trade  with  the  Northmen;  they  bartered 
furs  for  red  cloth,  and  were  very  anxious  to 
obtain  some  spears  and  swords,  which,  how- 
ever, the  Northmen_were  unwilling  to  sell. 
Later  in  the  season,  hostilities  ensued,  and 
rendered  the  stay  of  the  Northmen  so  dan- 
gerous and  difficult,  that  they  retreated 
towards  the  north,  and  finally  left  for  Ice- 
land. 

These  voj'ages  and  many  others  which 
the  Northmen  made  to  Vinland,  and  of 
which  the  narratives  are  so  minute  and  au- 
thentic as  to  place  their  truth  bej'ond  a 
doubt,  render  it  almost-certain  that  a  large 
portion  of  the  coast  of  New  England  was 
known  to  these  navigators.  By  diligently 
examining  the  routes  pursued  by  them,  and 
by  comparing  the  bearings  and  distances 
and  general  description  of  the  territory  seen 
by  the  Northmen  with  the  actual  situation 
of  the  country,  we  shall  be  struck  with  the 
extent  and  accuracy  of  their  discoveries. 
Hellerland  is  Newfoundland,  and  the  re- 
gions that  they  discovered  to  the  southward 
were  successively  Nova  Scotia,  Cape  Cod, 
Martha's  Vineyard,  &c. 


Dighloii'  Rock- 


In  Rhode  Island  and  the  neighborhood 
there  still  exist  some  relics  of  antiquity, 
which  many  persons  regard  as  belonging  to 
the  age  of  the  Northmen.  At  Dighton,  on 
Taunton  river,  is  the  famous  "  writing 
rock,"  on  which  are  sculptured  various  hie- 


roglyphical  characters,  in  attempting  to  ex- 
plain which  the  ingenuity  of  succcssiv-e  ages 
has  found  ample  scope.  They  are  supposed, 
however,  to  mean  in  substance,  as  follows  : 
Thorfinn,  with  a  hundred  aiid  sixty  men, 
took  possession  of  this  spot. 


POTOSI. 


» 

513 


This  explanation  coincides  with  the  nar- 
rative found  in  the  Icelandic  Skin  Books, 
which  states  what  we  have  already  related 


Newimrt  Tower. 

in  rcjjard  to  these  discoveries.  At  Newport 
is  still  to  be  seen  the  most  remarkable  archi- 
tectural ruin  in  the  United  States.  It  con- 
sists of  the  lower  portion  of  a  circular 
tower,  built  of  rubble  stone,  and  restinjr  on 
arches  and  pillars.     It  is  evidently  of  high 


antiquity,  and  is  supposed  to  be  of  Scandi- 
navian origin;  no  account,  either  written  or 
traditional,  ofthe  date  of  its  erection  has  ever 
been  found,  nor  has  any  other  struclvire  of 
tlic  kind  ever  been  discovered  in  the  country. 

At  Fall  River,  on  Mount  Hope  Bay, 
there  was  discovered,  in  1S34,  the  skeleton 
of  a  man  who  is  sujipnsed  to  have  been  one 
of  the  settlers  of  Viidand.  The  body  was 
brought  to  light  by  digging  down  a  hill. 
On  the  breast  was  a  plate  of  brass  much 
corroded,  but  which  was  evidently  a  shield 
or  breast  plate.  There  were  also  appear- 
ances of  embalmment  about  the  bodv. 
These  and  otlier  relics  scattered  along  the 
coast,  are  generally  regarded  as  vestiges  of 
the  Scandinavian  adventurers. 

The  more  recent  settlers  in  Vinland  be- 
came involved  in  bloody  civil  contentions, 
which  had  a  disastrous  elTect  on  the  future 
prosperity  of  the  colony.  The  last  voyage 
to  the  continent  which  is  mentioned  in  the 
Icelandic  history,  took  place  in  the  year 
1347,  exactly  a  centurj'  before  the  birth  of 
I  Columbus.  From  this  period,  the  country 
appears  to  have  been  abandoned  by  the 
Northmen,  and  Vinland  became  graduily 
forgotten. 


roTosi. 


PoTOSi  is  a  city  of  Upper  Pern,  or  Bolivia, 
situated  on  a  declivity  of  the  Cerro  di  Po- 
tosi,  a  mountain  belonging  to  the  Andes. 
It  is  celebrated  chiefly  for  its  silver  mines  ; 
from  the  discovery  of  these  mines  till 
late  in  the  17th  century,  it  was  a  place  of 
some  note,  having  over  150,000  inhabitants. 
Owing  to   the   recent  decay  of  the  mines, 


however,  the  place  has  fallen  into  neglect. 
The  city  is  almost  deserted,  and  wh<de 
suliurbs,  which  were  inhabited  by  Indians 
and  minors,  are  now  without  a  tenant. 

The  Cerro  di  Potosi,  which  is  eighteen 
miles  in  circuit,  and  rises  to  the  height  of 
over  1S,000  feet,  is  supposed  to  be  a  solid 
mass  of  the  ore  of  the  precious  metal,  of 


65 


514 


HUNTING    WILD    ANDIALS    ON    THE    PAMPAS. 


which  it  has  produced  a  vast  quantity. 
Viewed  I'rom  the  city,  it  appears  dyed  all 
over  with  numerous  tints,  green,  orange, 
yellow,  gray  and  rose-color.  The  discovery 
of  its  wealth  was  made  by  an  Indian,  who 
was  hunting  upon  its  sides.  Losing  his 
foflthold  he  caught  at  a  shrub  to  save  him- 
self from  falling.  The  shrub,  yielding,  laid 
bare  the  silver  concealed  under  its  root.  The 
mines  were  first  wrought  systematically  in 
154.5,  from  which  year  till  1S03,  they  are 
said  to  have  produced  over  1,000,000,000 
dollars  in  silver,  on  which  a  duty  was  paid; 
if  we  were  to  reckon  the  gold  also,  which 
was  produced  during  the  same  period,  and 
the  quantity  of  both  metals  which  was 
smuggled  into  circulation,  without  paying 
duty,  the  amount  of  the  mineral  wealth, 
taken  from  the  bowels  of  this  e.xtraordinary 


mountain,  but  the  number  of  mines  wrought 
during  the  present  century  has  rarely  ex- 
ceeded 100.  For  a  long  period  these  mines 
yielded  9,000,000  dollars  a  year,  but  since 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  whether 
from  exhaustion,  defects  in  the  mode  of 
working,  or  from  want  of  capital,  they  have 
been  nearly  unproductive.  The  ore  is  pul- 
verized in  water-mills  at  from  one  to  ten 
miles  from  tiie  city,  but  both  the  operations 
of  mining  and  reduction  of  the  ore  were 
conducted  in  a  most  bungling  manner. 

The  country  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
mines  is  perfectly  barren,  and  the  climate 
disagreeable  ;  the  rays  of  the  sun  are  scorch- 
ingly  hot  at  noon,  while  the  air  is  piercingly 
cold  at  night.  The  mint  in  the  city  of  Po- 
tosi  is  a  remarkable  building,  and  cost  over 
a  million  of  dollars.    In  the  principal  square 


mountain  would  be  much  increased.    About  |  is  an  obelisk,  sixty  feet  high,  erected  to  the 
8000  openings  have   been   made    into   the   memory  of  Bolivar. 


HUNTING  WILD   ANIMALS   ON   THE    PAMPAS. 


Pampas  is  an  Indian  word,  and  signifies 
a  flat  It  is  the  name  applied  to  extensive 
plains  in  South  America,  the  most  cele- 
brated of  which  are  those  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Buenos  Ayres.  A  part  of  them  is 
covered  with  grass,  affording  excellent  pas- 
turage, and  another  portion  forms  an  im- 
mense forest,  which,  however,  is  easily 
passable  in  all  directions.  The  inhabitants 
of  this  singular  region  are  the  Gauchos,  a 
race  of  Spanish  origin,  but  who  lead  a  life 
of  wild  independence,  living  on  horseback, 
eating  nothing  but  jerked  beef,  and  drinking 
nothing  but  water  ;  another  tribe  also  fre- 
quents tills  country, and  wages  perpetual  war 
with  the  Gauchos.    They  also  live  on  horse- 


back, and  lead  much  the  same  life  as  the 
Gauchos. 

On  these  plains  it  is  said  that  several  mil- 
lion head  of  cattle  feed,  together  with  about 
half  as  many  horses.  The  method  of  catch- 
ing them  is  as  follows.  The  Gaucho,  or  pam- 
pas Indian,  armed  with  his  lasso,  or  leather 
strap,  rides  on  horseback,  and  with  great  dex- 
terity throws  it  round  the  neck  of  the  animal 
he  wishes  to  take,  and  by  a  sudden  jerk  throws 
him  to  the  ground,  and  gallops  ofT  with  the 
booty.  Many  thousand  are  annually  caught 
in  this  way,  and  furnish  the  inhabitants  of 
the  country  with  their  only  means  of  subsis- 
tence. The  wild  horses  are  captured  in  the 
same  way,  and  afterwards  tamed  and  broken. 


THE   DEAD   SEA. 


i 


The  Dead  Sea,  situated  in  Ancient  Pal- 
estine, between  Judca  and  Arabia,  is  a  salt 
lake,  remarkal>le  for  being  fourteen  hundred 
feet  below  the  level  of  the  Alcditerranean. 
Its  waters  are  bitter  and  destitute  of  fish. 
No  bird  frequents  its  bosom  or  its  shores. 
All  around  is  still,  desolate,  and  barren. 
Precipitous  crags,  of  frowning  grandeur, 
surround  and  hang  over  it;  the  shadow  of 
death  seems  to  rest  upon  it.  Occasionally, 
the  traveller  meets  witli  patches  of  verdure, 
or  a  fresh  water  stream,  where  reeds  and 
palms,  and  good  drinking  water,  may  be 
found.  A  solemn  devastation,  however,  is 
the  characteristic  feature  of  its  scenery. 

This  remarkable  sea  is  about  forty-four 
miles  long,  and  eleven  broad.  From  its 
great  depth,  and  the  concentration  of  heat 
over  it,  increased  by  the  glare  from  its  whit- 
ish and  naked  borders,  it  has  been  compared 
to  a  seething  cauldron.  The  bottom  is  of 
mud,  slime  or  salt  crystals.  The  water  is 
transparent  and  surprisingly  buoyant.  We 
gather  the  following  extraordinary  facts  up- 
on this  subject  from  a  writer  belonging  to 
the  expedition  sent  to  this  sea  in  1848,  by 
the  U.  States  government.  A  horse  led 
into  the  water  had  his  legs  lifted  to  the 
surface,  and  was  thrown  over  upon  his  side. 
Tlie  extreme  density  of  the  water  was  fur- 
ther proved,  not  only  by  the  boat's  drawing 
less  water  than  when  floating  on  the  Jordan, 
but  by  the  solid  thumping  of  the  waves,  in 
a  storm,  against  the  boats.  Tiiis  the  iron 
boat  was  able  to  boar ;  but  the  copper  one 
was  so  battered  as  to  require  repair,  and  a 


wooden  one  would  probably  have  been  de- 
stroyed. 

On  bathing  in  the  sea,  the  skin  becomes 
covered  with  an  oily  substance  which  occa- 
sions a  prickly  sensation,  till  washed  ofT  in 
fresh  water.  The  atmosphere  over  the  sea 
is  completely  saturated  with  salt ;  the  stones 
on  the  beach  are  incrusted  with  it,  and  fresh 
foot-prints  in  tlie  sand  become  incrusted  with 
it  in  the  course  of  an  hour.  The  fish  that 
the  fresh  and  salt  streams  bring  into  the 
sea,  are  sulFocatcd  on  coming  into  its  waters, 
and  float  dead  upon  its  surface.  Unwhole- 
some fogs  envelop  its  shores,  and  clots  of 
asphaltus  continually  rise  from  the  bottom. 

At  the  extreme  south  point  of  the  Dead 
Sea  is  a  ridge  of  rock  salt,  nearly  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  high,  and  five  miles  long. 
Here  is  found  what  the  Arabs  traditionally 
deem  to  be  Lot's  wife,  transformed  into  a 
pillar  of  salt.  It  is  a  column  of  crystallized 
rock  salt,  sixty  feet  high  and  thirteen  in 
diameter.  All,  however,  that  we  know  of 
the  disaster  of  Lot's  wife,  is  from  the  sacred 
record,  which  simply  statos  that  "she  be- 
came a  pillar  of  salt."  This  may  bo  ex- 
plained by  supposing  a  shower  of  nitro-sul- 
phurous  particles  from  the  atmosphere,  and 
a  setting  on  fire  of  the  hollow  asphaltic 
plain,  with  its  cities  built  of  combustible 
bitumen,  and  that  being  bewildered  and 
suffocated  by  her  too  long  delay,  in  at- 
tempting to  return,  the  unfortunate  woman 
became  an  incrusted  salso-bituminous  heap 
or  pillar  —  a  monument  of  salt,  or  lasting 
memorial  of  the  effects  of  disobedience. 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON. 


This  great  and  good  man  — whose  mem- 
orj'  is  venerated  by  the  great  and  the  good 
of  all  lands  —  was  born  on  the  22d  of  Feb., 
1732,  in  the  county  of  Westmoreland,  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  the  eldest  of  six  children, 
having  three  brothers  and  two  sisters.  His 
father  dying  while  he  was  yet  young,  the 
care  of  a  large  family  devciived  upon  his 
mother,  a  woman  of  strong  mind,  wlu)  de- 
voted her  whole  energies  to  the  rearing  of 
her  children.  George  received  a  good  Eng- 
lish education,  and  at  an  early  age  began 
to  develop  the  qualities  and  characteristics 
which  afterwards  so  distinguished  him.  At 
school,  he  was  alwa}rs  made  umpire  in  dis- 
putes between  his  companions,  and  was 
always  chosen  commander  of  the  mimic 
military  companies  in  the  school-yard.  He 
was  a  close  student  of  geometry,  and  seemed 
to  delight  in  pursuing  the  mazes  of  a  legal 
investigation. 


At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  adjutant-generals  of  the  state, 
but  sickness  in  his  family  prevented  him 
from  holding  the  office  long.  In  the  year 
1753,  he  was  sent  by  the  governor  of  the 
colony  of  Virginia  on  a  mission  of  great 
importance  to  the  governor  of  Fort  Du 
Quesne,  a  French  post,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Pittsburg.  The  journey 
was  dangerous,  and  the  errand  difficult,  but 
he  performed  it  to  the  satisfaction  of  his 
employers,  and  received  the  public  thanks 
of  the  Assembly  of  Virginia.  During  the 
two  following  years  he  served  successfully 
against  the  French  and  Indians,  and  his 
name  rapidly  became  known  and  his  efforts 
' appreciated throughoutthecountry.  In  1755, 
he  was  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  ' 
1  Virginia  forces,  which  office  he  held  for  two 
I  years,  when  he  resigned  his  commission, 
1  and  retired  to  private  life.     He  married  at 


GE0.;GE    WASHINGTON. 


517  I 


the  agcof  twenty- ?even,  and  lived  in  n-tire- 
ment  and  pursuinj  the  occupation  of  hus- 
bandry for  fifteen  years. 

In  1774,  a  tempest  of  opposition  in  Amer- 
ica was  raised  by  the  tyrannical  acts  of  the 
British  Parliament,  among  which  was  the 
Boston  Port  Bill  ;  out  of  tliis  spirit  of  resist- 
ance, emanated  the  first  General  Congress, 
and  Washington  was  chosen  one  of  the 
deputies  from  Virginia.  He  rendered  great 
services  on  all  subjects  relating  to  military 
afliiirs.  The  following  year  he  was  placed, 
by  the  unanimous  call  of  tlie  country,  at  the 
head  of  the  continental  army.  He  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  Cambridge,  and  took 
command  of  the  forces.  On  the  17th  of 
March,  1776,  he  drove  the  British  from 
Boston,  which  they  had  made  their  strong- 
hold, and  thus  the  revolutionary  war  was 
fairly  commenced.  July  4th,  on  the  same 
year,  congress  declared  the  independence 
of  the  country,  and  early  the  following  year, 
its  independence  was  aclcnowledged  by 
France.  We  have  not  space  to  follow  in 
detail  the  various  events  of  this  war,  the 
sufferings  and  victories  of  the  army,  and  the 
exploits  of  ity  immortal  chief 

On  the  cessation  of  active  hostilities 
in  17S2,  the  discontent  which  had  long 
been  gathering  in  tlie  army,  was  on  the 
point  of  bursting  forth.  For  a  long  time 
the  soldiers  had  received  no  pay ;  the 
treasury  was  impoverished  by  the  unceas- 
ing levies  of  an  eight  years'  war,  and  the 
disbanding  of  the  army  was  looked  upon  as 
an  event  full  of  perils.  Washington  was 
still  at  the  height  of  popularity,  Iwth  with 
his  men  and  in  the  country  at  large,  and  in 
this  condition  of  things,  received  the  offer  of 
the  crown  of  the  kingdom,  if  he  would  con- 
sent to  the  establishment  of  monarchy,  and 
to  become  king.  The  patriot  indignantly 
refused,  sternly  rebuking  the  individual  from 
whom  the  offer  came.     Towards  the  close 


of  the  year  1793,  he  made  his  farewell  ad- 
dress to  the  army,  and  on  the  23d  of  Dec, 
resigned  his  commission  to  congress  at  An- 
napolis. 

The  country  still,  however,  was  in  a  dis- 
tracted state,  and  the  articles  of  confedera- 
tion, which  had  been'drawn  up  previous  to 
the  war,  were  felt  to  be  inefficient,  and  the 
necessity  was  obvious  of  creating  some 
stronger  bond  of  union  between  the  several 
states.  Conventions  for  this  purpose  were 
held  in  1786  and  '87,  and  on  Sept.  17th  of 
the  latter  year  the  present  constitution  was 
adopted.  Under  this,  electors  of  president 
were  chosen,  and  the  unanimous  vote  of  the 
electoral  college  fell  upon  Washinfrton,  early 
in  the  year  17S9.  From  Mount  V^crnon  to 
New  York,  the  then  seat  of  government,  his 
progress  was  a  continued  march  of  triumph, 
such  was  his  hold  upon  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  and  so  great  was  their  confidence 
in  his  ability  and  integrity. 

We  cannot  follow  Washington  through 
the  various  events  of  the  eight  years  of  his 
service  as  president ;  for  he  was  elected 
unanimously  to  a  second  term,  and  reinau- 
gurafed  in  1793.  His  second  administration 
closed  on  the  4th  of  March,  1797,  and  after 
the  inauguration  of  Mr.  Adams,  his  succes- 
sor, he  returned  to  Mount  Vernon,  where  he 
desired  to  pass  the  rest  of  his  days  in  retire- 
ment. He  was  soon  after  reappointed  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  .\tncrican  forces,  the 
attitude  of  France  appearing  belligerent  and 
threatening.  But  he  never  ag-ain  took  the 
field.  On  the  13th  of  Dec,  1799,  while 
riding  about  his  estate,  he  was  exposed  to  a 
shower  of  rain,  which  brought  on  his  last  ill- 
ness. Thirty  hours  after,  he  calmly  ex- 
pired, at  the  age  of  67.  A  whole  nation 
went  into  mourning,  and  grief  pervaded  the 
hearts  of  a  whole  people.  The  Father  of 
his  Country  was  no  more  ! 


J|t  W»»^%»%»>i^%%^ 


PfflPl'fflW'Jfill'fl^ 


JOHN  ADAMS. 


John  Adams,  the  first  vice-president  and 
second  president  of  the  United  Stales,  was 
a  native  of  the  town  of  Brainfree,  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, being  born  the  30th  of  Oct.,  1735. 
He  entered  Harvard  College,  where  he  grad- 
uated in  1755.  He  chose  the  law  as  a  pro- 
fession, and  very  soon  became  favorably 
known.  He  was  chosen  representative  for 
Boston  in  the  Massachusetts  Assembly,  in 
1770,  the  year  of  the  "  Boston  Massacre." 
Four  years  after,  he  was  elected  member 
of  the  Continental  Congress,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  active  men  of  that  body.  He 
advised  the  appointment  of  Washington,  as 
commander-in-chief,  and  stood  side  by  side 
with  Patrick  Henry  and  others,  in  boldly 
advocating  a  declaration  of  independence. 
He  was  member  of  the  committee  which 
;  reported  the  famous  draft  of  that  instrument, 
and  he  subsequently  signed  it. 

In  December,  1777,  Mr.  Adams  was  ap- 
pointed as  commissioner  to  the  court  of 
France  ;  he  asked  and  obtained  his  recall 
in  1779.     He  then  drafted  the  Massachu- 


setts Constitution,  being  on  a  committee  for 
that  purpose.  He  was  sent  to  Europe  m 
1780,  as  minister  plenipotentiary  for  nego- 
tiating a  peace  with  Great  Britain.  He 
negotiated  with  Holland,  a  loan  of  three 
millions  of  dollars,  and  a  treaty  of  amity 
and  commerce  with  that  power.  In  17S1, 
he  was  associated  with  Jay,  Franklin,  and 
JefTerson,  for  the  purpose  of  concluding 
treaties  of  peace  with  the  European  powers, 
and  in  17S3,  signed  a  definitive  treaty  of 
peace  with  Great  Britain.  In  January, 
17S5,  he  was  appointed  minister  to  the 
court  of  Great  Britain,  in  which  office  he 
remained  till  17SS.  The  same  ye'.ir  he  was 
chosen  vice-president  of  the  United  States, 
on  the  ticket  with  Washington,  and  was 
reelected  in  1792.  In  1797,  he  became  presi- 
dent, Thomas  JefTerson  being  vice-president. 
In  1801,  he  retired  from  public  life,  and 
never  again  appeared  actively  in  the  political 
field.  He  died  on  the  4th  of  July,  1826,  on 
the  semi-centennial  anniversary  of  signing 
the  Declaration  of  Independence, 


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THOMAS   JEFFERSON. 


The  subject  of  the  present  sketch  was 
Iwrn  on  the  13th  of  April,  1743,  in  Albe- 
marle county,  Virjjinia.  He  was  well  edu- 
cated, paying  particular  attention  to  mathe- 
matics and  philosophy  ;  and,  later  in  life, 
took  up  the  study  of  the  law.  He  was 
elected  to  the  Virginia  Legislature  in  1769, 
in  which  body  he  continued  to  serve  till 
elected  to  the  Continental  Congress  in  1775. 
He  was  placed  upon  the  coinniiltoo  ap- 
pointed to  draw  up  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  tliough  the  youngest  of  the 
members,  he  was  coumiissioned  by  the 
others  to  draught  it,  and  tlie  result  was, 
with  a  few  verbal  alterations,  the  instru- 
ment so  v;ell  known  at  the  present  day. 
He  soon  resigned  his  scat  in  congress,  bging 
desirous  of  serving  his  own  state,  and  re- 
turned to  Virginia.      He   was  busily  em- 


ploj'cd,  for  two  years,  on  a  commission  for 
revising  the  laws  of  Virginia.  In  1779, 
he  succeeded  Patrick  Henry  as  governor  of 
Virginia.  From  17S4  to  'S9,  he  was  min- 
ister at  the  French  court,  and  on  his  return 
was  offered  a  seat  in  the  cabinet  as  secre- 
tan,'  of  state.  In  this  capacity  he  served 
for  five  years,  and  resigned  in  1793,  owing 
to  difTerence  of  sentiment  '"th  Wash- 
ington on  the  revolution  in  France-  In 
1796,  he  was  the  opponent  of  Mr.  Adams, 
as  candidate  for  president,  but  was  unsuc- 
cessful ;  in  ISOO,  being  again  nominated, 
he  was  elected,  and  in  iS04  reilccted.  He 
retired  from  public  life  in  1S09,  having  done 
much  for  the  future  prosperity  of  tlio  coun- 
try. He  died,  like  John  Adams,  on  the  4th 
of  July,  on  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
Declaration  of  Isdependcnce. 


JAMES   MADISON. 


James  Madison,  immediate  successor  of 
Mr.  Jefferson,  and  fourth  president  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Virginia,  in 
1751.  He  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  was  subsequently  fitted  for  col- 
lege, and  in  1  /71,  graduated  at  Princeton, 
New  Jersey.  He  was  elected  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  in  1776, 
and  represented  that  state  in  the  Continental 
Congress,  from  1779  to  '84.  Two  years 
after,  he  was  sent  to  a  convention  which 
met  in  Philadelphia,  for  the  purpose  of 
revising  the  articles  of  confederation,  whii-h, 
as  we  have  said  in  the  life  of  Washington, 
were  finally  superseded  by  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States.  During  the  whole 
of  Washington's  administration,  he  served 
in  the  councils  of  the  nation,  as  representa- 
tive for  Virginia.  Under  Jefferson,  in  1801, 
he  became  secretary  of  state,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  served  eight  years.  He  succeeded 
Mr.  Jefferson  as  president,  and  was  inau- 
gurated in  March,  1809.  The  second  war 
with  Great  Britain  broke  out  during  his 


administration,  and  his  determination  to 
prosecute  it  vigorously  to  the  end,  if  inev- 
itable, procured  him  a  reelection,  and  he  was 
inaugurated  in  his  second  term  of  service  in 
1813.  On  the  3d  of  June,  1812,  a  majority 
of  the  committee  on  foreign  affairs  reported 
in  favor  of  a  declaration  of  war,  and  the 
measure  was  soon  after  adopted  by  the 
House  and  Senate,  and  on  the  18th  of  the 
same  month,  Mr  Madison  signed  the  instru- 
ment, and  the  war  followed,  which  was  con- 
cluded three  years  after  by  the  treaty  of 
Ghent,  and  by  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 
A-  slight  broil  with  the  Dey  of  Algiers  fol- 
lowed close  on  the  heels  of  this  war,  which, 
however,  was  soon  settled  by  a  squadron 
under  Commodore  Decatur.  During  the 
eight  years'  service  of  Mr.  Madison,  Loui- 
siana and  Indiana  were  admitted  into  the 
Union,  and  the  territory  of  Missouri  was 
organized.  His  public  life  closed  with  his 
administration,  and  on  the  28th  of  June, 
1836,  he  ended  his  mortal  career,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-five  years. 


JAMES   MONROE. 


James  Mon-kof,  was  born  in  the  county 
of  Wcstmorolaini,  Virginia,  in  1759.  He 
was  the  fourth  president,  out  of  five,  who 
claimed  Virginia  as  their  birth-place.  His 
early  youth  was  passed  in  the  exciting 
scenes  wliich  preceded  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  when  he  left  college,  at 
the  age  of  eigiiteen  years,  he  hastened  to 
Washington's  head-quarters,  and  joined  the 
continental  army.  He  subsequently  turned 
his  attention  to  the  law,  the  study  of  which 
he  commenced  under  Mr.  Jefferson.  In 
17S2,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Legislature,  and  the  following  year, 
was  sent  as  delegate  to  the  Continental 
Congress.  He  now  successively  filled 
various  olTices,  as  senator  at  Washington, 
from  1789  to  1794;  minister  to  France  from 
1794  to  1796;  governor  of  Virginia  from 
1799  to  1S02;  envoyextraordinary  to  France 
for  the  cession  and  purchase  of  Louisiana, 
and  commissioner  to  Spain  for  the  settle- 
ment of  boundary  disputes  with  that  power. 


In  1811,  he  was  agnin  elected  governor  of 
Virginia,  but  was  almost  immediately  ap- 
pointed secretary  of  state  by  Madison, 
which  office  he  continued  to  hold  till  the 
expiration  of  Madison's  second  term,  when 
he  succeeded  him,  being  inaugurated  March, 
1817.  During  his  administration,  Illinois, 
Mississippi,  Michigan,  Alabama,  IMaine, 
and  Missouri,  were  admitted  into  the  Union. 
He  was  reelected  president  with  great  una- 
nimity in  1820.  Two  years  after,  the  U. 
States  acknowledged  the  independence  of 
INIexicoand  five  Spanish  provinces  of  South 
America.  An  expedition  was  soon  after 
fitted  out,  under  Com.  Porter,  against  the 
pirates  in  the  West  Indies.  In  1824,  La- 
fayette visited  the  country  as  the  guest  of 
the  nation.  Mr.  Monroe  retired  from  the 
president's  chair  in  March,  182.^,  after  eight 
years'  harmonious  and  prosperous  adminis- 
tration of  the  government.  Like  John 
Adams  and  Jefierson,  he  died  on  the  na- 
tional anniversary  —  the  4th  of  July,  1831. 


JOHN   QUINCY   ADAMS. 

The  subject  of  the  present  memoir  was '  panied  his  father  to  the  various  posts  of 
born  in  Quincy,  Massachusetts,  at  the  fain-  honor  and  trust  to  which  he  was  sent,  both 
ily  mansion  of  his  father,  on  the  11th  of  at  home  and  abroad;  at  the  age  of  eleven 
July,  1767.     During  his  youth,  he  accom-   years,  he  went  with  him  to  France,  where 


522 


ANDREW   JACKSON. 


he  spent  some  time  :  he  afterwards  went  to 
school  in  Paris,  and  subsequently  in  Am- 
sterdam and  Leyden.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen, he  went  to  Russia,  as  private  secre- 
tary to  Mr.  Francis  Dana.  Returning  home, 
however,  he  entered  Harvard  University, 
where  he  graduated  in  1787. 

He  now  entered  public  life  as  an  essayist 
upon  subjects  of  political  interest  —  and  his 
merit  was  soon  appreciated  by  Washington. 
When  still  very  young,  he  was  appointed 
resident  minister  at  the  Netherlands,  and 
during  his  father's  administration,  minister 
to  Berlin.  Returning  home  in  1801,  he 
was  successively  elected  to  the  Senate  of 
Massachusetts,  and  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  where  he  remained  till  1806.  In 
1809,  Madison  appointed  him  minister  plen- 
ipotentiary to  the  court  of  Russia,  where  he 
was  received  with  great  kindness  and  favor 
by  the  Emperor  Alexander.     In  1814,  he 


ANDREW    JACKSON. 


Andrew  Jackson,  seventh  president  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  of  Irish  parents, 
who  emigrated  to  America,  and  settled  in 
South  Carolina  in  1765 :  two  years  after, 
on  the  15th  of  March,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born.  He  was  destined  to  be  a 
preacher  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  his 


was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  commission 
which  met  at  Ghent,  to  negotiate  a  treaty 
of  peace  and  commerce  with  Great  Britain. 
From  1815  to  '17,  he  was  minister  at  the 
court  of  St.  James  under  Madison,  and 
during  Monroe's  eight  years' administration 
he  served  his  country  as  secretary  of  state. 

In  1824,  the  people  failing  to  make  an  i 
election  of  president,  the  choice  fell  upon  the  i; 
House,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  chosen.  His 
administration  was  one  of  unbroken  tranquil- 
lity and  peace.  It  was  at  this  time,  however, 
that  party  lines  began  to  be  drawn  between 
the  different  opinions  which  had  lately  sprung 
up  in  the  country.  As  early  as  1825,  Gen. 
Jackson  was  nominated  as  candidate  for  the 
ensuing  presidential  election.  Mr.  Adams 
retired  from  the  presidency  in  1829.  In 
1830,  he  took  his  seat  in  Congress  to  repre- 
sent the  district  in  which  he  lived,  and  there 
remained  till  his  death,  Feb.  23,  184S. 


early  studies  were  commenced  in  this  view. 
The  revolution  breakingoutsoon  afterwards, 
his  military  zeal  received  an  impetus,  which 
materially  changed  his  future  career.  He 
became  a  volunteer  in  1780,  and  served 
under  Gen.  Sumter.  In  this  expedition,  his 
brother  was  killed,  and  his  mother  soon 


MARTIN    VAN    BUREN WILLIAM    HENRY    HARRISON. 


523 


after  died,  leaving  Andrew  the  only  survivor 
of  the  Jackson  family  who  came  to  America. 
In  1784,  he  commenced  the  study  of  the 
law  in  North  Carolina,  and  was  subse- 
quently appointed  solicitor  for  that  part  of 
the  state  known  as  Tennessee.  In  1795, 
he  was  chosen  member  of  the  convention 
for  framing  a  constitution  for  the  state  of 
Tennessee,  and  became  its  first  representa- 
tive in  Congress  in  1796.  One  year  after 
he  was  made  senator,  — and  always  acted 
with  the  democratic  party  in  opposition  to 
the  administration  of  Washinglon  and  Ad- 
ams. In  1S12,  he  entered  the  army,  and 
fought  several  severe  battles  with  the  In- 
dians. In  Jan.  1815,  his  great  battle  with 
the  British,  at  New  Orleans,  gained  him 
great  popularity  and  favor. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  served  the 
country  in  various  capacities  —  as  governor 


I  of  Florida,  and  as  U.  States  senator  from 
Tennessee.  In  1S24,  he  was  one  of  the 
five  candidates  for  president,  out  of  whom 
Mr.  Adams  was  chosen.  In  1S2S,  he  was 
elevated  to  that  rank  by  a  majority  of  more 
than  two  to  one  over  Mr.  Adams.  His 
administration,  of  eight  years' duration,  was 
an  extremely  eventful  one.  But  our  limits 
forbid  us  from  entering  info  detail.  His 
energy,  during  the  nullification  question  in 
South  Carolina,  saved  the  country  from  the 
dissolution  which  seemed  near  at  hand.  He 
settled  the  dispute  as  to  the  French  claim,  in 
1836,  to  the  general  satisfaction.  He  vetoed 
the  recbartering  of  the  U.  States  Bank,  and 
in  1836  this  institution  ceased  to  exist.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Martin  Van  Burcn  in 
1837  —  and  on  retiring  from  public  life, 
published  a  farewell  address.  He  died  in 
1845,  in  the  79th  year  of  his  age. 


MARTIN   VAN   BUREN. 


Martin  Van  Buren,  the  first  of  the  pres- 
idents of  the  United  States  who  was  not 
descended  from  a  Britishancestry,  was  born 
in  Columbia  county,  N.  York,  of  a  Dutch 
family,  in  Dec,  1782.  His  early  studies 
were  such  as  would  fit  him  for  practice  at 
the  bar,  the  law  being  the  profession  for 
which  he  was  intended.  He  was  admilted 
to  practice  in  1803,  and  became  rapidly 
known  and  appreciated.  In  1808,  he  was 
appointed  surrogate  of  Columbia  county ;  in 
1812,  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  and  in 
1S15,  he  received  the  appointment  of  attor- 
ney-general of  the  state.  Six  years  after- 
wards, lie  was  elected  to  the  senate  of  the 
United  States,  and  in  1327,  his  commission 
was  renewed  for  six  years.  The  next  year, 
however,  he  was  chosen  governor  of  the 
state,  and  one  year  later,  became  General 
Jackson's  secretary  of  state.  In  1831,  he 
was  appointed  minister  to  Great  Britain, 
but  the  nomination  not  being  ratified  by  the 
senate,  he  was  recalled.  He  was  elected 
vice-president  of  the  United  States  in  the 


ensuing  year,  and   in    1836,  was  elected 
president. 

In  1836-7,  a  commercial  panic  spread 
over  the  country  from  the  effects  of  the  ex- 
pansion of  paper  currency ;  the  president 
convened  an  extra  session  of  congress,  and 
in  his  message  proposed  what  was  called 
the  sub-treasury  scheme.  It  met  with  great 
opposition,  and  was  not  finally  passed  till 
1840.  In  1838,  the  president  was  called 
upon  to  check  the  Americans  from  taking 
any  active  part  in  the  disturbances  in  Can- 
ada, in  favor  of  whose  independence  their 
sympathies  were  strongly  excited.  In  1839, 
Mr.  \'an  Burcn  visited  the  state  of  New 
York,  and  was  received  with  enthusiasm 
and  respect  by  all  political  parties.  He  was 
renominated  in  1840,  but  failed  in  his  elec- 
tion, and  was  succeeded  by  Gen.  Harrison 
in  1841.  Since  that  period  Mr.  Van  Buren 
has  resided  upon  his  estate  at  Kinderhook, 
bis  birth-place.  In  1848,  he  was  the  candi- 
date of  the  Free  Soil  party  for  the  presidency, 
but  did  not  receive  a  single  electoral  vote. 


WILLIAM   HENRY   HARRISON. 


The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born  in 
Virginia,  in  the  vicinity  of  Richmond,  on 
the  9th  of  Feb.,  1773.  He  went  to  Phila- 
delphia, after  graduating  at  Hampden  Syd- 
ney, for  the  purpose  of  studying  medicine. 
His  ardor  for  this  pursuit  being  damped  by 


the  death  of  his   father,  he  determined  to 
join   the   army,  and   obtained    an   ensign's   < 
commission  from  Washington  ;  he  departcQ 
for   the   western  wilderness   to  engage    in   ' 
the   Indian  wars  of  that  region.     He  was 
made  successively  aid  to  Gen.  Wayne,  cap- 


;: 


524 


JOHN    TVLER. 


tain  and  commander  of  Fort  Washington. 
He  soon  after  resigned  his  military  commis- 
sion and  entered  upon  civil  duties  as  secre- 
tary of  the  North-western  Territory.  In 
1799,  he  was  sent  to  Washington  as  the 
first  delegate  from  this  territory,  a  tract  of 
land  embracing  the  present  states  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Iowa,  and  Wis- 
consin. He  was  subsequently  appointed 
governor  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana.  The 
war  of  1812  soon  breaking  out,  he  took  the 
field  in  person,  and  obtained  a  decisive  vic- 
tory over  the  Indians  at  Tippecanoe.  On 
the  surrender  of  Hull,  he  was  made  major- 
general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States. 
He  resigned  his  commission  in  1814,  in  con- 
sequence of  some  misunderstanding  with 


the  secretary  of  war.  He  retired  to  his 
farm  at  North  Bend,  and  was  successively 
called  upon  to  fill  various  offices  of  public 
trust.  In  1824,  he  was  sent  to  the  Senate 
at  Washington,  and  in  1828  was  made  min- 
ister to  the  republic  of  Colombia,  from 
whence  Gen.  Jackson  recalled  him.  He 
again  returned  to  his  estate  in  Ohio,  but  in 
1840,  was  called  to  the  office  of  president 
of  the  United  States.  The  majority  by 
which  he  was  elected  was  one  of  the  largest 
ever  given  to  any  candidate.  He  was  in- 
augurated the  4th  of  March,  1841.  He 
only  survived  his  elevation  one  month, 
however, — for  he  died  on  the  4th  of  April, 
at  the  age  of  68  years. 


JOHN   TYLER. 


The  family  of  John  Tyler,  descended 
from  some  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Virginia, 
was  distinguished  during  the  revolution  for 
its  attachment  to  the  patriotic  cause.  His 
father  was  the  intimate  friend  of  Jefferson, 
Patrick  Henry  and  other  leading  men,  and 
held  some  of  the  highest  offices  in  the  state, 
among  which  was  that  of  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia. John  was  born  on  the  19th  of  March, 
1790.  He  entered  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  gradu- 
ated with  honor.     He  now  applied  himself 


to  the  study  of  the  law,  and  being  admitted 
to  the  bar,  was  highly  successful  in  its  prac- 
tice. At  the  age  of  21,  he  was  elected  to 
the  Virginia  Legislature,  where  he  remained 
five  years.  In  1816,  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, in  which  body  he  served  nearly  two 
terms,  but  ill  health  forced  him  to  retire  to 
his  estate  in  the  country.  He  did  not  re- 
main long  in  private  life,  however.  He 
was  elected  to  the  Virginia  Legislature, 
in  1813 ;  to  the  governorship  of  that  state 
in  1815;  to  the  senate  of  the  United  States 


JAMES    KNOX    POLK. 


525  I 


in  1S17;  was  reelected  to  that  body  in 
1S33,  but  resigned  his  seat  in  1836.  In 
1839,  he  was  chosen  vice-president  of  the 
convention  that  met  at  Harrisbnrg  to  nomi- 
nate candidates  for  president  and  vice-pres- 
ident, and  strongly  supported  Mr.  Clay  for 
the  presidency.  Gen.  Harrison  and  Mr. 
Tyler  were  nominated  for  the  two  offices, 
and,  in  1S40,  were  both  elected. 

Harrison  dying  in  April,  1811,  Mr.  Tyler 
became  president,  and  took  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment. He  retained  Harrison's  cabinet 
in  office.  In  August  and  September,  1842, 
he  vetoed  the  two  bills  sent  to  iiiin  for  the 
creation  of  a  fiscal  agent  for  the  govern- 
ment.    In  the  same  year,  the   important 


question  of  the  north-eastern  boundary  was 
settled,  and  the  treaty  with  Great  Britain 
was  ratified.  A  treaty  for  the  annexation 
of  Texas  was  concluded  at  Washington  in 
April,  1844,  but  was  rejected  by  the  Senate 
in  June.  A  joint  resolution  for  the  consum- 
mation of  this  project  was  passed  in  tlie 
House  in  Jan.,  ISl.J,  and  by  the  Senate  on 
i  the  1st  of  March.  Two  days  before  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term,  the  president  signed  it, 
and  it  became  a  law.  The  following  winter, 
Generals  Houston  and  Rusk  took  their  seats 
in  tlie  U.  States  Senate,  from  the  state  of 
Texas.  Mr.  Tyler  was  succeeded  by  \Ir 
Polk,  in  March,'  1845. 


JAMES   KNOX    rOLK. 


James  K.  Polk  was  born  in  North  Car- 
olina, on  the  2d  of  Nov.,  1795.  Some  ten 
years  after,  his  father  removed  his  family 
to  the  state  of  Tennessee,  where  James, 
after  receiving  a  good  English  education, 
entered  a  mercantile  house.  This  pursuit 
not  according  with  his  taste,  he  entered  the 
University  of  North  Carolina,  with  a  view 
to  the  study  of  the  law.  He  was  distin- 
guished as  a  scholar,  and  in  1818,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three,  he  graduated  with  the 
highest  honors.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1S20,  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
of  Tennessee  in  1823,  and  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  Washington  in  1825. 
He  served  as  representative  during  fourteen 
years,  in  the  last  five  of  which  he  discliarged 
the  duties  of  speaker.  In  1839,  he  was 
elected  governor  of  Tennessee.  In  1841 
and  '43,  he  was  again  candidate  for  that 
office,  Inrt  was  defeated  on  both  occasions. 
In  May,  1844,  the  democratic  convention  at 
Halliniore  nominated  him  for  president  of 
the  U.  States  ;  he  was  elected  by  a  majority 
of  sixty-five  over  Mr.  Clay,  and  was  inau- 
gurated on  the  4th  of  March,  1S45. 


The  war  with  l\Iexico  was  the  principal 
event  of  Mr.  Polk's  administration.  It  re- 
sulted, as  is  well  known,  from  the  annexa- 
tion of  Texas  to  the  United  States.  Mexico 
never  having  acknowledged  the  indepen- 
dence of  Texas,  and  still  claiming  it  as  an 
integral  part  of  lier  dominions,  recalled  her 
minister  from  Washington,  and  denounced 
the  act  as  a  breach  of  faith.  War  ensued, 
and  continued  till  the  treaty  of  1848.  By 
this  instrument,  the  territory  of  the  United 
States  received  a  large  addition  —  the  tracts 
of  land  known  as  New  Mexico  and  Upper 
California,  as  well  as  the  disputed  territory 
in  Texas,  which  was  confirmed  to  us.  The 
tariflf  of  1846  was  likewise  passed  during 
Mr.  Polk's  administration. 

Mr.  Polk  was  not  a  candidate  for  ret  lec- 
tion. He  was  succeeded,  iu  1S49,  by  Gen. 
Taylor,  who  is  now  (1849)  incumbent  of  that 
office.  Mr.  Polk  left  W.  in  iNlarch,  and 
retired  to  his  residenct  at  Nashville,  where 
he  died,  after  a  short  illness,  en  the  17th  of 
June. 


ZACHARY   TAYLOR. 


Zacharv  Taylor,  the  twelfth  and  present 
President  of  the  United  States,  was  born  in 
the  year  1790,  in  Orange  county,  Virginia. 
While,  however,  he  was  yet  an  infant,  his 
father  removed  to  Kentucky.  Here  he  re- 
ceived such  an  education  as  circumstances 
admitted  and  was  soon  made  a  lieutenant 
in  the  United  States  army,  his  taste  taking 
a  decided  turn  for  military  pursuits.  Dur- 
ing three  years  he  was  employed  on  the 
western  frontiers,  fighting  the  Indians,  and 
protecting  the  settlers.  On  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war  of  1S12,  he  was  in  command 
of  Fort  Harrison,  with  the  grade  of  captain. 
With  but  fifteen  men  in  his  conmiand,  he 
defended  the  fort  until  relief  arrived  under 
Gen.  Hopkins.  He  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major  by  President  Madison.  Dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  the  war  of  1812,  he 
served  in  the  West,  but  without  any  re- 
markable opportunities  of  distinguishing 
himself.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
war  against  Black  Hawk,and  in  other  Indian 
contests.  While  Jackson  was  president,  he 
received  the  rank  of  colonel.  Soon  after, 
he  was  ordered  to  Florida,  to  take  part  in 
the  Seminole  war.  In  December,  1S37, 
he  fought  and  won  the  celebrated  battle  of 
Okee  Chobee.  In  this  battle  the  Americans 
lost  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  men,  up- 
wards of  one  eighth  of  the  number  engaged. 
The  manner  in  which  this  battle  was  con- 
ducted, the  disposition  of  the  American 
troops,  the  entire  bearing  and  action  of 
Gen.  Taylor,  has  been  highly  praised  by 
military  men. 


In  1840,  Gen.  Taylor  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Southern  Department,  his  head- 
quarters being  at  Fort  Jesup,  in  Louisiana. 
From  this  period  till  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Me.xican  war,  in  1845,  but  little  occurred  in 
the  life  of  Gen.  Taylor,  of  a  sufTiciently 
prominent  nature  to  deserve  mention  here. 
In  the  summer  of  1845,  Gen.  Taylor  was 
placed  at  the  head  o(lhe  Ar7riy of  Ocaipatio7i, 
the  force  concentrated  at  Corpus  Christi,  to 
resist  any  overt  acts  on  the  part  of  Me.xico, 
which  might  result  from  her  dissatisfaction 
at  the  admission  of  Texas  into  the  Union. 
He  remained  here  seven  months  ;  when  the 
camp  was  broken  up,  and  the  force  reached 
the  left- bank  of  the  Rio  Grande  on  the  2Sth 
of  March.  Our  space  will  not  allow  us  to 
go  into  detail  at  this  point ;  events  followed 
with  such  rapidity,  and  in  such  quick  suc- 
cession, that  volumes  will  be  required  to 
write  the  Mexican  war.  We  can  only  say 
that  from  this  position  resulted  the  battle  of 
Palo  Alto,  on  the  Sth  of  May,  and  that  of 
Resaca  de  la  Palma  on  the  the  9th.  In  this 
latter  action,  fifteen  hundred  Americans  de- 
feated six  thousand  Mexicans.  The  United 
States  government,  seeing  the  necessity  of 
reinforcing  Gen.  Taylor,  made  a  call  for 
volunteers,  which  was  responded  to  with 
such  eagerness  on  the  part  of  the  people, 
that  Gen.  Taylor,  about  a  month  after  his 
victories,  found  himself  at  the  head  of  eight 
thousand  men,  ready  for  field  action,  besides 
about  twelve  hundred  left  in  garrison.  On 
the  19th  of  September,  about  six  thousand 
Americans  arrived  before  Monterey,  a  post 


SHIPWRECKS. 


527 


which  the  Mexicans  had  been  engaged  in 
fortifying  and  defending  by  every  means  in 
their  power.  The  siege  of  Monterey  com- 
menced on  the  21st  of  September,  and 
lasted  three  days  ;  on  the  24th,  the  city  ca- 
pitulated; the  enemy's  force  were  allowed 
to  retire,  but  were  compelled  to  give  up 
most  of  their  artillery  and  munitions  of  war. 
Soon  after  this  victory,  the  U.  S.  govern- 
ment determined  to  strike  a  decisive  blow 
at  the  enemy  on  the  side  of  Vera  Cruz,  and 
if  successful  there,  to  march  upon  the  capital. 
This  enterprise  was  entrusted  to  Gen.  Scolt, 
and,  as  is  well  known,  was  triumpliantly 
successful.  To  accomplish  it,  however. 
Gen.  Taylor  was  deprived  of  a  large  part 
of  his  best  soldiers,  and  was  left  with  lut 
six  thousand  men  in  all,  mostly  volunteers. 
While  .still  at  Monterey,  he  learned  that 
Santa  Anna  was  advancing  upon  him  with 
twenty  thousand  men.  He  detenniiied  to 
give  him  battle  with  his  diminished  force, 
and  made  choice  of  the  position  of  Buena 
Vista.  This  battle  was  fought  on  the  2'id 
and  23d  of  February,  during  which  the 
American  army  were  twice  on  the  verge  of 


defeat.  They  recovered  their  losses,  and 
on  the  night  of  the  23d  were  masters  of  one 
of  the  most  obstinately  contested  fields 
ever  fought.  Less  than  five  thousand  men, 
mostly  volunteers,  who  had  never  seen 
action,  and  were  but  poorly  instructed  in  the 
arts  of  warfare,  contended  successfully 
against  the  flower  of  the  Mexican  army, 
twenty  thousand  strong,  led  by  Santa  Anna 
in  person.  This  fourth  victory  raised  Gen. 
Taylor  to  the  summit  of  renown,  and  gave 
him  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  j)eople, 
held  by  no  one  since  Washington. 

The  seat  of  active  operations  was  now 
transferred  to  the  valley  of  Mexico,  where 
another  series  of  brilliant  actions  was  per- 
formed by  the  army  under  General  Scott. 
Gen.  Taylor  ceased  to  be  actively  emjiloved, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  war,  which  followed 
the  capture  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  he  re- 
turned to  Louisiana.  On  the  seventh  of 
November,  1848,  the  people  elected  him  to 
the  presidency  of  the  United  States,  to 
which  office  he  was  inaugurated  on  the 
fifth  of  March,  1849.  ^ 


SHIPWRECKS. 


Tkerk  are  no  incidents  which  present 
more  afTecting  details  than  disasters  at  sea. 
A  volume  of  the  deepest  interest  might  be 
compiled  from  the  records  of  shipwrecks. 

But  of  all  the  events  of  this  kind,  that 


painful.  In  the  year  1S15,  the  colony  of 
Senegal,  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  was  ceded 
by  the  English  to  the  French,  from  whom 
it  had  been  originally  captured ;  as  soon 
after  as  the  state  of  afl[;iir3  would  permit. 


which  w->  are  to  notice  is  one  of  the  most '  a  squadron  was  sent  to  the  colony  by  the   5 


528 


SHIPWRECK    OF    THE    MEDUSA. 


i 


French  government,  to  convey  provisions 
and  stores  to  the  inhabitants,  and  to  trans- 
port thither  the  newly  appointed  officer  of 
the  settlement.  The  squadron  consisted  of 
four  vessels,  —  the  Medusa,  a  frigate  of  forty- 
four  guns,  and  three  smaller  vessels,  the 
whole  carrying  six  hundred  individuals,  of 
whom  four  hundred  were  on  board  the 
Medusa.  The  ships  comprising  the  expe- 
dition sailed  in  company  for  several  days, 
when  they  separated,  from  the  changeable- 
ness  of  the  vvind  and  their  different  sai.ling 
qualities.  All  went  well  on  board  the 
Medusa  for  some  time,  when  the  incapacity 
and  ignorance  of  the  captain  began  to  be 
painfully  evident.  As  they  neared  the 
tropics,  he  resigned  the  direction  of  the  ship 
to  a  stranger  named  Richfort,  who  steered 
the  vessel  in  whatever  direction  he  pleased, 
and  deliberately  disobeyed  the  written  in- 
structions of  the  government  in  regard  to 
the  course  of  the  vessel.  The  protestations 
of  the  passengers  were  of  no  avail,  and  the 
captain  continued  in  his  fatal  infatuation. 
The  sea  now  assumed  a  sandy  color,  and 
the  ship  was  found  to  be  in  eighteen  fathoms 
water.  The  captain  was  now  thoroughly 
frightened,  and  ordered  the  course  of  the 
ship  to  be  changed.  It  was  too  late.  The 
lead  showed  six  fathoms  water,  and  the 
next  instant  the  frigate  touched  the  sandy 
bottom,  and  struck  with  a  strong  concus- 
sion. 

The  most  frightful  scene  ensued,  which 
lasted  days  and  nights.  The  execration  of 
the  passengers,  the  oaths,  the  blasphemy  of 
the  terrified  crew,  the  wretched  helplessness 
of  the  infatuated  captain,  the  despair  and 
desolation  of  the  women  and  children,  and 
what  is  more,  the  intoxication  and  uproari- 
ous merriment  of  some  fifty  drunken  soldiers, 
served  to  form  a  combination  of  horrors 
unequalled  in  the  annals  of  shipwreck  and 
marine  disasters.  The  most  foolish  and 
useless  attempts  were  made  to  get  the  ship 
off;  only  half  measures  were  taken,  and 
the  result  was  that  the  unfortunate  frigate 
sunk  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  sand,  be- 
yond the  power  of  human  aid  to  relieve 
her. 

After  forty-eight  hours  of  doubt  and  hes- 
itation, it  was  concluded  to  construct  a  raft 
capable  of  receiving  150  persons,  the  six 
boats  being  only  able  to  carry  2-50.  It  was 
arranged  that  the  raft  should  be  attached  to 
the  boats  by  means  of  ropes,  and  be  towed 
by  them  to  the  nearest  land,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  about  forty-five  miles  off. 
The  scene  of  embarking  on  board  these  frail 
structures  beggars  description.     Every  one 


wished  a  place  in  the  boats,  and  to  prevent 
their  being  overloaded  and  sunk,  officers 
placed  themselves  at  the  bulwarks,  with 
loaded  pistols,  and  threatened  to  fire  on 
every  one  who  refused  to  take  the  place 
assigned  him.  The  raft  received  thus  its 
living  freight,  and  the  whole  expedition  pre- 
pared to  start.  As  they  left  the  ship,  it  was 
found  that  about  twenty-five  persons  were 
still  upon  the  wreck,  including  a  family  of 
nine  persons ;  the  father  of  this  family 
seized  some  muskets  upon  the  deck,  and 
menaced  with  certain  death  the  persons  in 
one  of  the  boats  in  which  his  family  had 
been  promised  places.  In  this  way  they  were 
saved  from  their  impending  fate.  The 
boats  towed  the  raft  some  distance,  when, 
as  if  actuated  by  one  common  impulse,  they 
successively,  one  after  the  other,  cut  the 
rope  which  held  them  to  the  raft,  and  row- 
ing quickly  away,  as  if  to  stifle  the  voice 
of  conscience,  left  the  raft  and  the  150  souls 
on  board  to  their  fate.  The  history  of  nav- 
igation presents  no  other  such  case  of  in- 
iquity as  this  ;  it  must  forever  stand  unpar- 
alleled for  heartless  inhumanity.  The  raft 
was  left,  like  a  log  upon  the  waters,  without 
compass,  or  capability  of  motion,  with 
twenty-five  pounds  of  water-soaked  biscuit, 
and  a  cask  or  two  of  wine,  and  as  many  of 
water.  Wild  cries  rent  the  air,  cries  for 
justice  —  for  help,  for  compassion  —  cries  of 
despair,  vengeance  and  contempt  —  all  were 
alike  unheeded,  and  the  boats  and  their 
crews  gradually  disappeared. 

The  sufferings  of  the  unhappy  wretches 
left  upon  the  raft  were  of  the  most  heart- 
rending nature.  For  twelve  days,  they  en- 
dured the  horrors  of  starvation,  of  thirst,  of 
cold,  and  of  heat;  fighting,  murder,  drown- 
ing, intoxication,  and  drunken  revelry,  went 
on  in  their  midst;  women  were  thrown 
ruthlessly  overboard,  mutiny  and  violence 
occurred  day  and  night — so  that  either 
from  the  effects  of  suffering,  or  from  being 
drowned,  or  in  some  other  way  killed,  their 
number  diminished  some  ten  or  twenty 
every  day.  Two  officers  seem  to  have  taken 
command  of  the  raft,  and  to  have  managed 
it  as  well  as  possible,  under  the  circum- 
stances. They  and  the  better  disposed  por- 
tion of  the  sailors  and  soldiers  fought  with 
the  mutineers,  distributed  the  rations  of 
wine,  for  the  biscuit  had  long  ago  given  out, 
and  consoled  and  encouraged  as  best  they 
might  their  unhappy  fellow-sufferers.  The 
mutineers  were  overcome  by  the  wine  they 
drank,  little  as  they  were  able  to  get,  and 
a  sort  of  delirium  ensued  ;  they  were  in  this 
state  three  successive  nights,  and  sanguinary 


WAR    OF    1812. 


529 


battles  were  fought  on  this  floating  tomb 
from  sunset  to  sunrise.  In  the  morning  it 
was  covered  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
and  dying.  The  twelfth  day  after  they 
were  deserted  by  the  boats,  and  the  day  of 
their  final  rescue,  their  number  was  reduced 
to  fifteen  —  135  out  of  150  had  died  or  been 
killed.  The  survivors  were  saved  by  the 
Argus,  a  brig  forming  part  of  the  original 
squadron  ;  siie  had  arrived  safely  at  Sene- 
■  :  gal,  and  had  returned  in  search  of  the  suf- 
ferers on  the  raft.  The  six  boats  had  safely 
reached  the  shore ;  and  of  the  seventeen  in- 


dividuals left  on  board  the  wreck,  four,  the 
only  survivors,  were  taken  off"  fifty-two  days 
after  the  disaster.  The  whole  affair  is  the 
most  dreadful  as  well  as  the  most  disgrace- 
ful in  navy  annals;  it  excited  horror  and 
disgust  throughout  France,  and  every  effort 
was  made  to  prevent  the  puljlicatinn  of  the 
detJiils,  by  Corri'ard,  first  captain  of  the  raft. 
Never  did  any  shipwreck  present  such  a 
series  of  blunders,  such  want  of  concert  and 
management,  or  such  a  deficiency  of  the 
common  feelings  of  humanity. 


WAR   OF  1812   WITH   ENGLAND. 


In  1S07,  Great  Britain  and  France  being 
at  war  with  each  other,  the  dispute  drew  to 
;  one  side  or  the  other  most  of  the  European 
powers  ;  and  though  the  government  of  the 
United  States  was  determined  to  keep  at 
peace  with  all  the  world,  if  possible,  there 
were  many  dilTiculties  in  the  way  of  main- 
taining a  strict  neutrality.  Great  Britain 
claimed  the  riglit  of  taking  her  own  native- 
born  subjects  where  she  could  find  them. 
Relying  upon  the  strength  of  her  navy, 
many  American  vessels  were  searched  in 
this  way,  and  British  sailors,  naturalized  as 
Americans,  and  many  native-born  Ameri- 
cans, were  from  time  to  time  seized  and 
impressed  into  the  British  service.  As  if 
to  continue  and  aggravate  this  grievance. 
Great  Britain  refused  to  listen  to  any  appli- 
cation for  redress.  Another  difficulty  was 
caused  by  an  order  in  council  issued  in  May, 
1806,  by  whicli  the  English  cabinet  declared 
all   the  ports  and  rivers  from  the  Elbe,  in 


Germany,  to  Brest,  in  France,  in  a  state 
of  blockade;  consequently,  American  ves- 
sels trading  to  any  of  these  ports  were  liable 
to  bo  seized  and  condemned.  Still  later,  in 
1S07,  another  order  in  council  was  issued, 
forbidding  all  the  coasting  trade  with  France 
on  penalty  of  capture  and  condemnation. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  in  1807, 
when  the  attack  on  the  Chesapeake  oc- 
curred ;  the  controversy  which  followed  was 
the  prelude  to  that  state  of  feeling  which 
led  to  the  war  of  1*^12.  Five  men  deserted 
from  the  British  frigate  Blelampiis,  which 
w'as  lying  in  Hampton  Roads,  Norfolk,  and 
three  of  them  joined  the  American  frigate 
Chesapeake,  then  preparing  forsca.  Though 
subsequently  proved  that  they  were  Ameii- 
can  citizens,  the  British  consul  applied  for 
their  delivery  to  the  English  captain.  They 
were  not  given  up,  and  in  June  the  Chesa- 
peake started  on  her  voyage  to  the  Medi- 
terranean.   She  was  intercepted  at  Hampton 


67 


530 


WAR    OF    1812. 


I 


Roads,  by  a  British  fleet,  when  a  colloquy 
ensued,  and  the  American  commander  re- 
fnsinof  to  allow  a  search  to  be  made,  and 
refusing-  to  give  up  any  of  his  crew,  the  ship 
was  fired  upon,  and  three  of  her  men  killed 
and  eig-hteen  wounded.  Being  unprepared 
for  action,  she  could  make  no  resistance,  and 
finally  surrendered.  A  search  was  made 
by  the  British  captain,  the  three  men,  to- 
gether with  another  claimed  as  a  British 
subject,  were  taken  on  board  the  Melampus. 
The  Chesapeake,  being  much  injured,  re- 
turned to  Norfolk. 

This  affiiir  led  to  much  ill  feeling  on  the 
part  of  the  Americans,  and  to  discussion 
and  diplomacy  on  the  part  of  the  two  cabi- 
nets ;  negotiations  were  several  times  at- 
tempted, but  always  failed  of  success.  Great 
Britain  and  France  still  continued  at  war, 
and  by  their  orders  and  decrees  and  impress- 
ments and  seizures  were  breaking  in  upon 
all  former  treaties,  especially  those  with  the 
United  States.  The  prospect  that  the  latter 
government  would  be  able  to  keep  out  of 
difficulty  was  growing  less  and  less  every 
day;  decrees,  prohibitions,  and  proclama- 
tions followed  each  other  in  quick  succes- 
sion. In  May,  1811,  an  unprovoked  attack 
was  made  upon  the  U.  States  frigate  Pres- 
ident, by  the  British  sloop  of  war  Little 
Belt,    in    which    the    latter   was    signally 


worsted.  Some  months  later,  the  attack 
on  the  Chesapeake  was  acknowledged  by 
Mr.  Foster,  the  British  envoy,  to  be  unau- 
thorized, and  negotiation  followed,  by  which 
the  affair  was  adjusted  to  the  satisfaction 
of  both  parties.  This,  however,  did  not 
remove  the  difficulties  with  Great  Britain. 
That  government  still  insisted  on  the  right 
of  impressment,  as  it  was  called  ;  the  block- 
ade of  her  enemies'  ports  was  very  injurious 
to  the  interests  of  the  U.  States,  and  her 
orders  in  council  had  not  been  annulled. 
On  the  3d  of  April,  1812,  the  president, 
Mr.  Madison,  with  the  recommendation  of 
congress,  laid  an  embargo  on  all  vessels 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  U.  States. 
This  was  the  prelude  to  war,  which  .vas 
declared  on  the  18th  of  June. 

The  country  was  poorly  prepared  foi  war, 
and  the  news  was  received  with  murmur- 
ings  in  some  quarters,  and  with  open  vio- 
lence in  others.  Massachusetts,  R.  Island, 
and  Connecticut,  refused  to  furnish  men 
from  the  militia  of  their  states  except  for  the 
defence  of  their  seaboard.  The  few  troops 
already  in  service,  and  those  who  enlisted, 
immediately  were  sent  to  the  north-west, 
and  placed  under  Gen.  Hull.  A  most  dis- 
graceful surrender  soon  followed,  by  which 
Detroit,  the  neighboring  forts  and  garrisons, 
together  with  the  army,  fell  into  the  hands 


'.iueenalowii. 


of  tlie  British.  This  dispiriting  circum- 
stance, at  the  outset  of  the  war,  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  whole  country.  Gen.  Hull  was 
tried  for  treason,  cowardice  and  unofficer- 


like  conduct ;  was  convicted  on  the  last 
two  charges,  and  sentenced  to  death,  but  on 
account  of  his  age  was  pardoned  by  the 
president. 


WAR    OF    1812. 


531 


i 


The  war,  which  bcg^an  so  unhappily  on 
the  land,  was  brilliantly  and  successfully 
prosecuted  at  sea.  The  U.  States  possessed 
but  seventeen  vessels  of  war  on  the  open 
s(!as,  while  the  naval  power  of  Great  Britain 
consisted  of  from  eii^ht  hundred  to  one  thou- 
sand ships  ;  yet  the  overwhelming  force  of 
the  so-called  mistress  of  the  ocean  was  effec- 
tually humbled  by  a  power  whose  naval 
equipr.ients  she  could  not  help  despising 
for  their  seen)ing  inefficiency.  The  British 
sloop  of  war  Alert  was  taken  by  the  Es- 
.sex,  Captain  Porter,  after  an  action  of  only 
eight  min\ites.  The Guerriere,  thirty-eight 
guns,  Captain  Dacres,  was  captured  and 
sunlv  by  the  Constitution,  after  an  action  of 
two  hours.  The  Constitution  was  not  at 
all  injured,  and  was  ready  for  another  action 
the  very  next  day.  These  brilliant  events 
at  sea  atoned  in  some  measure  for  the  dis- 
graceful nature  of  the  land  service,  and 
served  to  encourage  the  navy  m  its  contest 


with  the  greatest  naval  power  in  the  world,  j 

Where  least  was  expected,  the  most  heroic  i 

braver}'  and   the  most  unprecedented   skill  j 

were  manifested.     On  the  ISth  of  (jctuber,  s 

the  American  sloop  Wasp,  eighteen  guns,  \ 

fell  in  with  the  British  sloop  Frolic,  of  about  } 

the  same  force,  and  captured  her  after  an  ^ 

obstinate  action  of  an  hour  and  a  half.    The  ! 

Wasp  had   ten    men   killed   and  woundeil,  j 

while  the  loss  of  the   Frolic   amounted  to  I 

nearly  a   hundred.     Both  ships  were   soon  * 

after   attacked    by  a    British    seventy-four,  S 

and  as  they  were   in   no  situation  to  escape  j 

or  make  a  defence,  were  captured  and  taken  s 

to  Bermuda.      One  week  later,  the  United  \ 

Slates,  forty-four,  fell  in  with,  encountered  ; 

and  captured  the  British  frigate  Maccdo-  J 
nian,  rated  at  thirty-eight  guns,  but  in  re- 
ality carrying  forty-nine.  Belore  the  year 
closed,  an  engagement  ensued  between  the 
Constitution,  Commander  Bainhridge,  and 
the  British  frigate  Java,  fortv-niue,  oil"  the 


Burning  of  iIr'  Jiiv.i. 


St  of  Br 


The  action  was  very  severe,   the  close  of  1S12.     Owing  to  bad  manage- 


the  Java  losing  two  hundred  men,  in  killed 
and  wounded,  and  the  Constitution  about 
thirty.  The  Java  surrendered,  and  being 
nearly  reduced  to  a  hulk,  was  burned  by 
the  Americans. 

An   attack   on   Queenstown,  in   Canada, 
was  planned  and  carried  into  execution,  at 


mcnt,  and  to  tlie  militia  refusing  to  follow 
the  regular  troops,  as  they  liad  promised  to 
do,  the  Americans,  after  having  got  a  foot- 
hold in  the  countrv,  and  having  taken  the 
battery  on  the  heights  of  Queenstown,  were 
obliged  to  surrender,  and  retreat.  Nothing 
was  accomplished,  although  circumstances 


«^v 


632 


WAR    OF    1812. 


were  favorable  in  the  highest  degree  to  the 
Americans.  Early  in  Jan.,  1813,  French- 
town,  a  place  twenty-si,\  miles  from  Detroit, 
was  attacked  by  a  large  force  of  British  and 
Indians ;  it  was  successfully  defended  for  a 
time  by  Gen.  Winchester,  but  was  finally 
taken,  together  with  five  hundred  prisoners. 
A  most  frightful  massacre  followed;  the  un- 
happy victims  heingstripped,  plundered,  tom- 
ahawked or  roasted  at  the  stake.  But  few- 
lived  to  be  exchanged.  The  following  spring, 
the  town  of  York,  on  Lake  Ontario,  the  great 
depository  of  the  British  military  stores, 
was  attacked  by  the  Americans,  under  Gen. 
Pike:  they  took  the  town  and  fortifications, 
the  barracks  and  stores,  and  seven  hundred 


and  fifty  prisoners.  In  May,  Fort  George, 
another  strong  British  post,  in  the  vicinity 
of  York,  was  taken  after  a  sharp  and  bloody 
conflict,  together  with  over  six  hundred 
prisoners.  In  the  same  month.  Fort  Meigs, 
the  head-quarters  of  the  north-western  army, 
under  Gen.  Harri-son,  was  unsuccessfully 
besieged  by  the  British,  under  Gen.  Proctor. 
During  tiie  first  six  months  of  1S13,  the 
Americans  were  not  so  successful  at  sea  as 
in  the  j'ear  preceding.  The  Chesapeake, 
Captain  Lawrence,  was  captured  by  the 
Shannon  in  June,  and  the  Argus  by  the 
Pelican,  in  July.  In  September,  however, 
the  tide  began  to  turn,  and  in  an  action 
between   the   American    vessel   Enterprise 


Baule  of  Lake  Erie, 


and  the  British  brig  Bo.xer,  the  Americans 
were  completely  victorious.  In  the  same 
month,  an  action  took  place  on  Lake  Erie, 
between  the  American  and  British  fleets 
there.  After  four  hours'  hard  fighting  the 
British  surrendered  their  whole  fleet,  con- 
sisting of  six  vessels,  carrying  sixtj'-three 
guns.  At  the  battle  of  the  Moravian  towns, 
which  soon  followed,  the  Americans,  under 
Generals  Harrison  and  Shelby,  utterly 
routed  the  combined  British  and  Indian 
army,  under  Gen.  Proctor.  Tecumseh,  the 
celebrated  Indian  chief,  was  killed  in  this 
battle.  This  action  ended  the  war  in  the 
north-west. 


The  spring  of  1S14  opened  with  the  loss 
of  the  U.  States  frigate  Essex,  in  the  Bay 
of  Valparaiso,  Chili.  Later  in  the  spring 
the  British  briij  Epervier  was  taken  by  the 
United  States  sloop  of  war  Peacock.  The 
Wasp,  already  mentioned,  made  two  cap- 
tures of  British  ships  this  year,  the  sloops 
of  war  Reindeer  and  Avon.  The  war  upon 
the  land  languished  during  the  first  half  of 
the  year  1814,  the  British  having  need  of 
all  their  troops  at  home  in  combating  Na- 
poleon. But  no  sooner  had  he  fallen,  than 
fourteen  thousand  of  the  troops  which  had 
fought  under  Wellington  were  let  loose  upon  , 
the  Canadian  frontier.     The  battle  of  Chip-    i 


WAR    OF    1812. 


5Xi 


pewa  ensued,  in  which  the  Americans  ob- 
tained a  biondy  and  dearly  bougiit  victory. 
Another  portion  of  the  British  force,  which 
the  close  of  the  French  war  enabled  Eng;. 
land  1(5  pour  upon  this  country,  entered  the 
Potomac  river  in  a  sfjuadron  of  fifty  or  si.vty 
sail,  and  proceeded  towards  Washington. 
This  city  they  captured  ;  they  burnt  the 
capitol,  the  president's  house,  the  public 
offices,  the  arsenal  and  the  navy  yard.  Sev- 
eral private  buildings  were  also  destroyed. 
From  Washington  the  British  went  as  rap- 


idly as  possible  to  Baltimore.  On  the  way, 
they  met  with  such  opposition  that  they 
gave  up  the  enterprise,  and  retreated  to 
their  ships.  The  war  on  Lake  Champlain, 
which  comes  next  in  the  order  of  time,  was 
signally  fortunate  for  the  Americans.  Both 
on  the  water,  and  in  the  engagements  of 
the  land  forces,  they  were  in  the  highest 
degree  successful,  though  fighting  ag-,iinsta 
force  many  times  greater  than  their  own. 

Il  is  at  this  period  (hat  the  commissioners, 
who  had  been  appointed   by  both  govern- 


Uatllo  of  New  Orleans,  Jan.  8,  1815. 


ments  to  lay  tlie  basis  of  negotiation  for 
peace,  met  at  Ghent,  in  Holland.  A  treaty 
of  peace  was  signed  on  the  2-lth  Dec,  1S14. 
Before  it  was  known  in  the  United  States, 
a  terrific  battle  took  place  at  New  Orleans, 
between  the  British,  under  I'ackcnham  and 
Gibbs,  and  the  Americans,  under  General 
Jackson.  This  battle  is  one  of  the  most 
extraordinary  on  record.  The  British  troops 
were  picked  men,  were  thoroughly  disci- 
plined troops,  and  amounted  to  about  12,- 
000.      The  Americans  were   mostly  raw 


militia,  and  hardly  numbered  6,000.  Yet 
the  British  were  defeated  with  the  most 
I  dreadful  slaughter,  losing  their  two  generals 
in  the  first  onset.  Their  loss  amounted  to 
seven  hundred  in  killed,  fourteen  hundred 
wounded,  and  five  hundred  taken  prisoners. 
The  Americans  had  but  seven  men  killed 
and  six  wounded.  The  treaty  signed  at 
Ghent  was  ratified  at  Washington  on  the 
17th  of  February,  and  peace  was  hailed 
with  joy  throughout  the  United  States. 


WONDERS   OF   THE   HONEY-BEE. 


The  common  hive  or  honey-bee  may  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  wonderful  and 
curious  subjects  of  observation  to  a  student 
in  natural  history.  Its  habits,  its  peculiar 
organization,  the  vast  amount  of  labor  it 
performs,  its  love  of  order  and  regularity, 
its  administration  of  the  internal  economy 
of  a  hive,  all  render  it  a  most  attractive 
study  to  those  who  are  interested  in  observ- 
ing the  ways  and  habits  of  animals.  In 
eiving  a  brief  description  of  these  curious 
occupants  of  the  hive,  we  shall  confine  our- 
selves principally  to  the  honey-bee,  but  shall 
first  explain  the  duties  and  occupations  of 
the  queen  and  the  drones. 

In  a  single  hive  there  are  sometimes  not 
fewer  than  thirty  thousand  bees  of  various 
sorts.  These  are  divided  into  three  classes 
or  sexes,  each  having  its  own  peculiar  work 
to  do.  First  is  the  queen-bee,  the  only  fe- 
male in  the  hive,  who  may  be  distinguished 
from  the  others  by  her  greater  size,  more 
elongate  form,  and  brighter  colors.  Her 
duty  principally  consists  in  the  laying  of 
eggs ;  in  this  occupation  she  is  attended 
by  a  body-guard  of  workers,  who  pay  her 
the  greatest  possible  attention.  She  is  the 
mother  of  the  hive,  that  is,  of  its  future 
inhabitants,  as  well  as  the  swarms  of  the 
following  summer.  She  e.Kercises  the  most 
extraordinary  influence  with  the  population 
over  which  she  presides.  Though  her 
absence  deprives  the  working-bees  of  no 
organ,  paralyzes  no  limb,  yet  in  every 
instance  that  they  are  deprived  of  her,  they 
neglect  their  duties,  and  unless  provided 
with  another  queen,  refuse  food,  and  quickly 
perish.     Reaumur  proved  this  astonishing 


fact,  by  dividing  a  hive,  leaving  one  portion 
in  possession  of  their  queen,  and  depriving 
the  other  of  her  presence  ;  that  division  in 
which  she  remained,  made  two  combs  in  a 
very  short  space  of  time,  while  the  others 
did  not  construct  a  single  cell ;  and  had  he 
not  restored  the  queen,  they  would  have 
allowed  themselves  to  starve. 


Queen-bee,  magnifieil. 

The  male  bees,  or  drones,  of  which  there 
are  several  hundreds,  sometimes  even  two 
thousand,  in  a  full  hive,  are  idle  creatures, 
and  do  no  work;  their  only  duty  is  to  im- 
pregnate the  queen,  and  this  efiected,  they 
are  driven  ignominiously  from  the  hive  by 
the  working-bees.  They  may  be  distin- 
guished by  their  more  bulky  size,  and  by 
the  fact  that  they  have  no  sting ;  in  flying, 
they  make  a  much  greater  noise  than  the 
other  bees.  They  seldom  leave  the  hive, 
and  then  only  when  the  sun  shines,  and 
near  the  middle  of  the  day.  They  meet 
their  death  with  resignation,  when,  at  the 


WONDERS    OF    THE    HONEY-BEE. 


Bid  i 


end  of  their  probation,  they  are  attacked 
and  stung  to  death  by  the  workers,  and 
seem  to  feel  that  their  hour  is  come,  and 
have  at  least  the  merit  of  dying  with  for- 
titude'. 

The  working-bees,  otherwise  called  hive, 
honey,  or  neuter  bees,  are  by  far  the  most 
important  portion  of  the  hive  ;  they  consti- 
tute the  great  mass  of  the  population  of  a 
society,  though  the  smallest  members  in 
the  community.  To  them  the  internal 
economy  of  a  hive  is  committed,  and  upon 
them  the  whole  labor  of  the  swarm  de- 
volves; they  mount  guard,  and  protect  the 
qtiecn,  feed  the  young,  and  kill  tiie  drones. 
These  various  duties  are  not  pi.Tlonned  by 
the  whole  community  indiscriminately,  but  a 
hive  is  divided  into  classes,  to  each  of  which 
is  assigned  some  particular  business.  One 
band  secretes  the  wax ;  another  collects  the 
honey  ;  others  never  leave  the  hive,  but  are 
employed  as  a  body-guard  for  the  queen,  or 
as  a  watcli  over  the  necessities  of  the  young. 

The  working-bee  is  about  half  an  inch 
long,  and  three  hundred  and  twenty  of  them 
weigh  an  ounce. 


I  consists  of  two  parts,  or  rather  of  two  stings 
applied  against  each  other.  The  external 
side  of  each  has  several  barbs  like  those  of 
a  dart.  When  inserted  in  the  flesh,  these 
barbs  prevent  its  being  easily  v.'ilhdrawn. 
Whenever  a  bee  is  forced  to  leave  its  sting 
in  the  wound,  it  generally  dies  soon  after. 


Tho  cj'Q  of  a  bee,  magiiifieij. 


It  has  a  large  round  eye  on  each  side  of 
its  head,  and  two  strong  teeth,  which  enable 
it  to  construct  its  cells.  Below  the  teeth  is 
an  instrument  for  collecting  honey,  which 
is  called  the  proboscis.  The  bee  has  four 
wings  and  six  legs.     In  the  third  pair  of 


Lig  of  ft  hoe,  pliowin*  the  laskcl  or  civity. 

legs  IS  a  cavity,  or  triangular  basket,  for 
the  purp.ose  of  carrying  pollen,  or  bee-bread, 
with  which  the  young  are  fed.     The  sting 


Tongue  of  a  bee,  magnified. 

Besides  the  two  large  eyes  already  men- 
tioned, each  bee  has,  on  the  upper  part  of 
the  head,  and  between  the  antenna;,  three 
other  eyes,  which  are  quite  small.  These 
are  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  bee  to 
see  upward,  as  the  others  enable  it  to  see 
forward  and  downward. 


Bcc8  secreling  wax. 

It  was  at  first  supposed  that  wax  was 
made  fiom  the  yellow  pellets  or  pollen  which 
the  bees  are  seen  to  convey  to  the  hive. 
Hubcr  was  the  first  to  discover  that  wax  is 
made  from  honey  alone.  It  is,  at  first,  a 
fluid  which  issues  from  little  wax-pockets, 
intended  for  the  purpose  of  secreting  it. 
On  cooling,  or  drying,  it  falls  in  scales  or 


536 


WONDEKS    OF    THE    HONEY-BEE. 


plates,  at  the  bottom  of  the  hive.  While 
secreting  the  wax,  the  bees  to  whom  this 
duty  has  fallen,  form  a  sort  of  curtain,  one 
holding  on  to  another,  as  is  represented  in 
the  preceding  engraving. 

The  wax  thus  made,  is  used  by  others 
in  the  formation  of  cells.  These  cells  are 
six-sided  ;  no  room  is  thus  lost,  and  greater 
strength  and  solidity  are  obtained,  each  cell 
serving  to  fortify  that  which  it  joins. 


Honey-comb  and  cells. 

When  the  cells  are  on  the  point  of  being 
commenced,  the  swarm  divides  itself  into 
bands,  one  of  which  produces  the  wax  to 
be  used  in  the  structure  ;  another  takes  it 
and  begins  the  work ;  another  brings  food 
to  the  laborers. 

A  very  interesting  period  in  the  history 
of  a  hive,  is  that  in  which  those  bees  that 
remain  of  an  old  swarm,  together  with  those 
newly  hatched  and  reared,  set  off  in  various 
squadrons  in  search  of  a  new  home.  The 
queen-mother  loses  her  parental  feelings, 
becomes  infuriated,  and,  rushing  from  cell 
to  cell,  in  which  are  deposited  the  future 
queens,  her  offspring,  she  tries  to  tear  them 
open  ;  the  guards  make  way  for  her,  and 
suffer  her  to  act  as  she  pleases.  She  be- 
comes soon  fatigued,  however,  and,  in  a 
state  of  delirium,  runs  about  the  hive, 
communicating  a  spirit  of  disorder  and  ex- 
citement to  the  inmates  of  the  hive.  She 
finally  rushes  out  of  the  hive,  followed  by  a 
great  portion  of  the  original  swarm,  without 


order,  but  in  one  continuous  stream,  whirl- 
ing, buzzing,  rising  and  flying  in  every  di- 
rection. By  degrees  they  fix  themselves 
upon  a  branch,  form  a  group  there,  by  hook- 
ing themselves  one  to  another  by  their  feet. 


Bees  hanging  to  a  branch,  after  swarming. 

It  is  this  moment  that  bee-hunters  usually 
seize  for  hiving  the  swarm,  which  is  oidi- 
narily  done  by  inverting  a  hive  immediately 
under  it,  and  dislodging  them  by  a  vigor- 
ous shake  of  the  branch.  The  bees  gener- 
ally fall  in  a  cluster  to  the  bottom  of  the 
hive,  and  before  they  have  time  to  rise,  the 
hive  may  be  turned  to  its  proper  position. 
The  bees  which  were  left  behind  in  the 
old  hive  follow  some  of  the  newly-hatched 
queens  in  search  of  a  new  abode,  and  they 
too  are  hived^  in  the  manner  already  indi- 
cated. In  this  way  three,  and  even  four, 
swarms  are  thrown  out  of  a  single  hive. 
The  art  of  following  these  swarms,  of  dis- 
covering beforehand  when  a  hive  is  on 
the  point  of  breaking  up  and  seeking  new 
homes,  of  enticing  them  to  settle,  and  of 
successfully  hiving  them,  is  one  of  no  small 
difficulty  and  address,  and  it  has  become  a 
profession  of  considerable  importance.  The 
fact  that  a  bee,  when  laden  with  h  ney, 
rises  in  the  air  to  obtain  a  sight  of  its  hive, 
and  then  flies  directly  to  it  without  varying 
from  a  straight  line,  has  caused  the  term,  a 
bee-line,  to  be  applied  to  any  line  indicating 
the  shortest  distance  between  two  given 
points. 


View  of  Mnnlercy, 

THE   WAR  WITH   MEXICO. 


Spain  recoB^nized  the  independence  of 
Mexico  in  1S20.  In  1S24,  the  Slates  of 
Mexico  united  in  a  federal  government, 
which  centralized  the  powers  of  the  states  at 
the  capital,  leaving  the  independent  states 
to  become  insignificant  and  dependent  prov- 
inces. Among  these  states  was  Texas : 
not  desiring  to  sink  into  this  subordinate 
position,  the  energetic  people  of  this  state, 
though  few,  resolved  to  declare  themselves 
independent  of  Mexico  and  every  other  state. 

For  many  years,  Mexico  endeavored  to 
reduce  the  Texans  to  obedience,  but  in 
1836  her  independence  was  recognized  by 
the  United  States.  This  gave  umbrage 
to  Mexico,  as  she  had  not  yet  surrendered 
her  claims,  and  this  umbrage  was  height- 
ened to  animosity,  when,  in  1845,  Texas 
was  annexed  to  our  Union,  as  a  sister 
state. 

Previously  to  this  cause  of  complaint  on 
the  part  of  Mexico,  the  United  States,  on 
her  part,  had  great  reason  for  dissatisfaction 
with  Mexico.  During  nearly  twenty  years 
injuries  had  been  committed  at  sundry  times 
by  Mexican.s  upon  the  persons  and  property 
of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
settlement  of  these  had  been  from  time  to 
time  deferred,  in  consequence  of  the  re- 
peated changes  which  took  place  in  the 
Mexican  government.  The  two  govern- 
ments had  even  appointed  commissioners 
to   settle  our  claims.     Some  were   deter- 


mined, b\it  even  these  remained  unpaid. 
In  1S4.5,  the  Mexicans  refused  to  receive 
our  ambassador. 

In  this  state  of  feeling,  on  both  sides, 
the  government  of  the  United  States  had 
deemed  it  important  to  have  a  force  upon 
the  frontier,  especially  as  it  had  agreed  to 
take  upon  itself  the  settlement  of  the  west- 
ern boundary  of  Texas,  as  claimed  against 
Mexico.  This  force  advanced  to  the  ex- 
treme edge  of  the  disputed  boundary ;  a 
collision  took  place  in  1846 ;  blood  was  shed 
and  war  was  begun. 

At  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma 
Gen.  Taylor  and  his  brave  soldiers,  though 
surrounded  by  fearful  odds,  beat  off  and 
conquered  the  enemy.  The  west  side  of  the 
Rio  Grande  was  soon  in  the  power  of  our 
victorious  troops.  Col.  Doniphan  had  taken 
Santa  Fe,  and  after  a  little  more  fighting. 
New  Mexico  was  also  subdued. 

Gen.  Taylor  pushed  on  towards  Mexico, 
took  Camargo,  Ceralvo,  and  Monterey, 
where  his  men  behaved  with  the  utmost 
intrepidity.  Having  defeated  and  dispersed 
the  Mexican  army,  he  pushed  on  beyond 
Monterey  to  Saltillo,  while  another  army 
under  Santa  Anna  himself  was  advancing  to- 
wards him.  At  this  critical  moment,  many 
of  iiis  regular  troops  were  ordered  away  from 
Gen.  Taylor,  to  commence  another  line  of 
operations  towards  Mexico,  from  Vera  Cruz, 
under  Gen.  Scott. 


68 


THE    WAR    WITH    MEXICO. 


539 


Gen.  Taylor,  though  weakened  and  an- 
noj'ed,  was  still  undismayed;  he  took  an 
advanced  position  at  Buena  Vista.  The 
veterans  of  Europe  now  looked  on  with  ad- 
miration at  the  unerring  strategy  of  this 
wonderful  advance,  with  raw  recruits  and 
volunteers,  triumphing  in  battle  afler  Imttle 


\ 


in  the  face  of  every  odds  and  every  disad- 
vantage, gaining  victories,  when,  by  all  the 
rules,  they  should  have  been  defeats!  But 
what  a  blaze  of  glory  surrounded  our  little 
army  when  the  result  of  the  well-fought 
field  of  Buena  Vista,  against  <piintuple  odds, 
was  known  to  the  applauding  world  ! 


Ar.lcricans  approactiing  Ihe  cil)'  of  Mexico. 


The  best  portion  of  the  Mexican  army  was 
utterly  routed  and  dispersed  at  Buena  Vista. 
At  Vera  Cruz,  the  town  itself  was  taken,  and 
after  a  short  bombardment,  the  fort  of  St. 
Juan  de  Ulloa,  impregnable  as  itseemed,  sur- 
rendered. After  much  skirmishing,  gaining 
brilliant  victories  at  Cerro  Gonio  aiidPue- 
bla,  our  little  army  of  heroes  appeared  before 


r   tained  a  greater  degree  of  order  and  quiet  I      Having  taken  all  the  ports  aiong  the  Gulf 
than  had  reigned  there  for  inany  years!        I  of  Me.vico,  and  on   the   Pacific,  and  after 


the  gates  of  Mexico.  The  sanguinary  battles 
of  Cherubusco,  JMolino  del  Key,  and  the 
streets  of  Mexico,  in  which  so  many  brave 
men  fell  on  both  sides,  made  us  masters  of 
the  renowned  capital  of  the  Montezunias, 
romantic  Mexico  itself.  Only  a  handful  of 
.\nicricans  now  held  a  citj'  and  suburbs  of 
a  quarter  of  million  of  people,  and  main- 


540 


MURDER    OF    MISS    MACREA. 


some  fighting,  having  taken  possession  of 
California,  holding  Vera  Cruz  and  its  castle, 
the  capital  and  its  roads,  our  government 
were  able  to  dictate  a  peace.  It  used  its 
power  with  moderation ;  it  agreed  with 
Mexico  to  take  upon  itself  the  discharging 
of  all  claims  of  its  own  citizens  against  the 
Mexican  republic,  and  to  pay  fifteen  millions 
of  dollars  for  a  boundary  line,  beginning  at 


the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande,  then  up  that 
stream,  to  the  southern  boundary  of  New 
Mexico,  then  across  to  the  Gila,  and  down  to 
its  mouth,  with  free  navigation  to  the  Gulf  of 
California,  and  thence  across  to  the  Pacific. 
The  war  commenced  by  the  fighting  near 
Matamoras,  in  the  spring  of  1846,  and  was 
thus  finished  by  a  treaty  of  peace,  amity, 
and  commerce,  May  30,  1848. 


MURDER   OF   MISS   MACREA. 


It  is  well  Imown  that  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  the  English,  being  in  want  of 
troops,  a  great  part  of  their  best  soldiers 
being  employed  in  the  defence  and  garrison 
of  their  numerous  colonies,  hired  large  bodies 
of  foreign  mercenaries,  whom  they  sent  to 
our  shores  to  fight  in  their  cause.  Great 
numbers  of  Hessians,  of  Germans,  of  Ca- 
nadians, and,  lastly,  of  Indians,  were  thus 
enrolled  under  their  banner.  The  employ- 
ment of  the  Indians  excited  an  odium,  which 
•vas  in  no  degree  compensated  by  any  ser- 
vices they  could  render. 

An  incident  that  occurred  in  1777,  roused 
indignation  to  the  highest  pitch,  and  created 
a  sensation  wholly  to  the  disadvantage  of 
the  British  cause.  Two  savages  were  em- 
ployed to  conduct  Miss  Macrea,  a  young 
American  lady  of  great  personal  beauty,  to 
the  British  camp,  where  she  was  to  be  mar- 


ried to  a  British  officer.  On  the  way,  they 
quarrelled  about  the  expected  reward,  when 
one  of  them,  exasperated  to  fury,and  resolved 
at  all  events  to  disappoint  his  rival,  struck 
her  dead  with  his  tomahawk ! 

In  reference  to  this  atrocity.  Gen.  Gates 
wrote,  —  "  That  the  savages  of  America 
should,  in  their  warfare,  mangle  and  scalp 
the  unhappy  prisoners  who  fall  into  their 
hands,  is  nothing  new  nor  extraordinary  ; 
but  that  the  famous  Lieutenant-General 
Burgoyne,  in  whom  the  fine  gentleman  is 
united  with  the  soldier  and  scholar,  should 
hire  the  barbarians  of  America  to  scalp  Eu- 
ropeans and  the  descendants  of  Europeans 
—  nay  more,  that  he  should  pay  a  price  for 
each  scalp  so  barbarously  taken,  is  more 
than  will  be  believed  in  Europe,  until  au- 
thenticated facts  shall,  in  every  gazette, 
confirm  the  horrid  tale." 


FERNANDO   CORTEZ. 


Feknaxco  Cortez,  the  conqueror  of 
Mexico,  was  born  in  Estremadiira,  Spain, 
in  14So.  Ho  emigrated  to  the  Weft  Indies 
in  1501,  where,  some  years  after,  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Cuha  gave  him  the  command  of  a 
fleet,  in  which  he  sailed  on  a  voyage  of  dis- 
covery. He  quitted  the  port  of  San  Jago 
in  November,  1518,  with  ten  vessels,  six 
hundred  Spaniards,  eighteen  horses,  and 
some  field-pieces.  He  landed  at  Tobasco, 
in  Mexico,  where  he  forced  the  natives  to 
acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  King  of 
Spain.  He  next  proceeded  to  that  part  of 
Mexico  where  Vera  Cruz  now  stands.  He 
hjrc  received  envoys  from  Montezuma,  the 
sovereign  of  the  country,  who  brought  him 
many  rich  presents,  and  by  which  the  curi- 
osity and  avarice  of  tlie  invaders  were  high- 
ly ctimulated.  Cortez  determined,  spite  of 
the  weakness  of  his  little  aniiy,  to  advance 
into  the  interior  of  the  country.     At  this 


time,  IMexico  was  the  most  powerful  mon- 
archy in  the  western  world,  and  contained 
a  population  of  about  eight  millions.  It 
had  made  great  advances  in  civilization, 
and  the  people  had  built  fine  cities  and 
splendid  temples  and  palaces. 

As  Cortez  advanced,  striking  terror  into 
the  ]\Iexican  people  by  the  exhibition  of 
his  firearms  and  horses,  his  little  band 
received  continual  additions  from  various 
bodies  of  di.'^afTccted  Indians,  who  encour- 
aged him  in  his  hopes  of  conquering  the 
country.  After  many  pitched  battles,  in 
all  of  which  the  Jlexicans  were  defeated, 
Cortez  arrived  at  the  cit}'  of  Mexico,  where 
the  terror-stricken  Montezuma  received  him 
as  his  master  ;  he  was  even  supposed  by 
the  inhabitants  to  bo  n  pod,  and  a  child 
of  the  sun  !  He  destroyed  the  idols,  and 
placed  in  their  stead  images  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.     He  was  continually  endeavoring  to 


542 


CHEVY-CHASE. 


Strengthen  himself  by  forming  alliances 
with  those  caciques,  who  were  hostile  to 
Montezuma.  His  success  and  victories 
were  such,  that  the  jealousy  of  Velasquez, 
Governor  of  Cuba,  was  excited,  and  he  sent 
an  army  against  him.  Cortez  gained  over 
these  troops,  and  incorporated  them  into 
his  army.  Thus  reinforced,  he  again  made 
war  upon  the  Mexicans.  Montezuma,  hav- 
ing been  dethroned  by  his  subjects,  was 
succeeded  by  his  nephew,  Gautimozin,  who, 
with  all  his  court  and  retainers,  fell  into 
Cortez's  hands  three  months  after. 

The  court  of  Madrid  now  became  jealous 
of  Cortez  in  its  turn,  and  sent  commission- 
ers  to   inspect   and   control    his   measures.  [ 


Upon  this  Cortez  returned  to  Spain,  where 
he  was  received  with  much  distinction.  He 
afterwards  returned  to  Mexico  witli  an  in- 
crease of  titles,  but  a  diminution  of  power. 
A  viceroy  controlled  the  government,  while 
the  military  command  only  was  entrusted 
to  Cortez.  His  life  became  embittered  from 
this  period,  and  though  in  1536  he  discov- 
ered the  peninsula  of  California,  he  returned 
to  Spain,  where  he  was  received  with  in- 
diflerence  and  neglect.  He  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  days  in  solitude,  and  died 
near  Seville,  in  1554,  leaving  behind  him 
a  character  eminent  for  bravery  and  ability, 
but  infamous  for  perfidy  and  cruelty. 


CIIEVY-CHASE. 


One  of  the  most  celebrated  of  British 
ballads  is  that  of  Chevy-Chase.  A  good 
deal  of  antiquarian  research  has  been  e.\- 
pended  to  discover  the  historical  event  cele- 
brated by  this  ballad,  and  the  story  seems 
to  be  something  like  the  following.  The 
battle  had  its  origin  in  the  rivalry  of  the 
Percys  and  MUglases  for  distinction  in 
arms ;  the  lust  living  in  England,  on 
the   border  of  Scotland,  and  the  latter  in 


Scotland,  contiguous  to  England.  Their 
respective  pennons  often  met  on  their 
marches;  their  war-cries  were  often  raised 
either  in  hostility  or  defiance.  Percy 
made  a  vow  that  he  would  enter  Scotland, 
take  his  pleasure  in  the  woods  bordering  on 
the  estate  of  Douglas,  and  hunt  the  deer  for 
three  summer  days  in  the  donjam  of  his 
rival.  "  Tell  him,"  replied  Douglas,  "  that 
he  will  find  one  day  enough."     But  Percy, 


nowise  intimidated,  marched  into  Scotland 
with  fifteen  hundred  chosen  archers  and 
greyhounds  for  the  chase.  Douglas  and 
i  his  host  soon  appeared,  and  the  two  leaders 
agreed  to  settle  the  feud  themselves,  in  a 
hand-to-hand  fight.  The  ardor  of  battle 
soon  communicated  itself  to  tiie  armies  of 
the  two  leaders.  Percy  and  Douglas  both 
fell,  but  the  contention  was  continued  by 
the  rival  hosts.  The  slaughter  was  terrible, 
but  the  \'arious  editions  of  the  ballad  leave 


ST.    PETER  S    CHITRCH,    AT    ROME. 


543 


us  in  doubt  as  to  which  side  gained  the  vic- 
tory. "  Of  twenty  hundred  Scottish  spears," 
says  the  English  version  of  the  ballad, 
"scarce  fifty-five  did  flee."  "Of  fifteen 
hundred  English  spears,"  says  the  Scotch 
edition,  "  went  home  but  fifty-three."  Frois- 
sart,  in  the  account  which  he  drew  from 
knights  of  both  lands,  says  that  the  Scotch 
were  conquerors.  On  both  sides,  the  flower 
of  the  border  chivalry  were  engaged. 


ST.    rETEll'S   CllUllClI,   AT   ROME. 


The  site  of  this  wonderful  pile  is  that  of 
the  ancient  church  of  Constantino.  The 
first  stone  of  the  present  edifice  was  laiil  in 
1506,  by  Pope  Julius  II.;  its  construction 
was  confided  to  Brahmante  Lazzarri,  but 
he  died  soon  after,  and  tlic  duties  of  archi- 
tect fell  upon  Jlichael  Angelo  Bnonarotti, 
whose  sublime  genius  is  manifest  at  everv 
step.  He  kept  strictly  to  the  original  de- 
sign, which  was  that  of  a  Greek  cross,  but 
after  Ins  death  the  lengthy  Latin  cross  was 
sub'^tituteil.  Though  aided  bv  the  immense 
wealth  and  power  of  the  Roman  church, 
yet  it  took  one  hun<lred  and  fifteen  years 
to  complete  the  temple  only,  while  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men  were  recjuired  to  build 
the  colonnade  and  ornaments.  Abmit  fifty 
million  crowns  were  expended  in  its  con- 
struction, and  about  thirty  thousand  crowns 
are  required  annually  to  keep  the  immense 
mass  in  repair. 

The  clear  inside  length  of  the  church  is 
six  hundred  and  fifteen  feet,  and  its  breadth 
four  hundred  and  forty-eight  feet ;  the  ex- 
treme height  from  the  piazza  to  the  cross 
is  four  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet.  It  is 
nearly  one  third  of  a  mile  round  tlie  church. 
The  vvalls  of  the  building  are  of  Travertine 


stone.  Vast  as  the  structure  appears  to  be, 
it  is  said  that  there  is  a  still  larijer  quantity  i 
of  stone  which  remains  unseen  ;  the  deptli  i 
of  the  foundation,  and  the  enormous  thick-  > 
ness  of  the  substructures,  being  such  that  | 
tliere  is  actually  more  of  the  material  under  5 
than  above  ground.  Everything  is  vast  in  j 
this  splendid  pile;  the  clfect  of  the  interior  / 
is  surpassingly  grand.  The  figures  of  the  i 
Evangelist,  in  the  inside  of  the  cupola,  are  \ 
of  colossal  size ;  the  pen  in  St.  Mark's  hand 
is  six  feet  long! 

The   central   nave   is   one   hundred   and 

fifty-two    feet    high,   and    eighty-nine    feet 

broad  ;    it   is  flanked  on   either  side   by  a 

noble  arcade,  the  piers  of  which  are  deco- 

:  rated  with   niches  and  pilasters  of  the   Co- 

'  rinthian  order.    The  concave  surface  of  tiic 

cupola   is   divided   into  compartments,  and 

enriched   by  majestic   figures   of  saints   in 

Mosaic,   and    other   works  of  art,  and    is 

brilliantly   lighted   from  above  and   below. 

Ten  or  twelve  feet  beneath   the  pavement 

of  the  present  church   is   the  tomb  of  St. 

I  Peter,  before  which  one  hundred  lamps  are 

constantly  kept  burning  ! 

St.  Peter's  must  be  considered  as  by  far  the   ■. 
mostcostlyand  splendid  church  ever  erected.    / 


HENRY   CLAY. 


Tkz  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
the  year  1777,  in  Hanover  count}^  Virginia. 
His  family  was  in  humble  circumstances, 
his  father  being  a  clergyman  of  the  Baptist 
persuasion.  Four  years  after  the  birth  of 
Henry,  his  father  died,  leaving  seven  chil- 
dren to  the  care  of  his  widow.  Henry  was 
the  fifth  child,  there  being  two  younger 
than  he.  He  entered  a  store  when  very 
young,  where  he  remained  till  the  com- 
pletion of  his  fifteenth  year,  when  he  was 
placed  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Tinsley,  clerk  in 
the  Chancery  Court,  Richmond.  Here  he 
became  acquainted  with  Chancellor  Wythe, 
whose  amanuensis  he  was  afterwards  made, 
and  with  Attorney-General  Brooke,  formerly 
Governor  of  Virginia.  He  accepted  an  invi- 
tation to  enter  this  gentleman's  office,  where 
he  remained  till  1797,  when  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice.  He  now  followed  his 
mother,  who  had  married  a  second  time, 
to  Kentucky,  and  located  himself  at  Lexing- 
ton. Here  he  rapidly  rose  in  estimation,  and 
soon  acquired  fame  and  means.  In  1797, 
he  made  himself  rather  unpopular  by  advo- 
cating the  prospective  abolition  of  slavery  ; 
but  soon  after  he  recovered  his  standing 
and  favcr  by  opposing  the  sedition  laws 
of  the  administration  of  John  Adams. 

In  1803,  Mr.  Clay  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Kentucky,  in 
which  body  he  remained  till  1806.  when  he 


was  sent  to  the  U.  S.  Senate  to  fill  the  unex- 
pired term  of  Gen.  Adair,  who  had  resigned. 
In  1807,  he  returned  to  Kentucky,  where 
he  became  Speaker  of  the  House.  In  1808, 
occurred  his  first  duel,  in  which  Humphrey 
Marshall  was  his  antagonist.  At  the  second 
exchange  of  shots,  both  parties  were  slightly 
wounded,  where  the  matter  rested.  The 
vear  following,  Mr.  Clay  was  again  sent  to 
the  U.  S.  Senate,  to  serve  out  the  unexpired 
term  of  Mr.  Thurston.  It  was  at  this  pe- 
riod that  his  career  as  a  national  statesman 
may  be  said  to  have  commenced.  He  here 
broached  his  ideas  on  the  subject  of  protec- 
tion, of  which  he  has  always  been  the  ad- 
vocate and  champion.  In  1811,  he  was 
elected  by  the  people  of  Kentucky  to  the 
U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  which  be- 
came to  him  the  theatre  of  his  greatest 
triumph.  He  was  chosen  Speaker  of  this 
body  the  very  day  he  entered.  He  now 
became  a  vigorous  advocate  for  proceeding 
to  extreme  measures  in  our  quarrel  with 
England,  and  supported  the  war  policy  with 
all  the  fervor  of  his  mind  and  talent.  The 
war  following,  in  1812  and  '13,  he  was  a 
second  time  chosen  Speaker.  He  was  soon 
obliged,  however,  to  resign  this  office,  and 
proceed  to  Europe  as. commissioner  to  treat 
for  peace  with  Great  Britain.  Peace  was 
concluded  at  Ghent,  on  the  24th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1814,  and  the  treaty  was  subsequently 


THE    ESqUtMAUX. 


545 


ratified  by  both  g'overnments.  He  now  re- 
turned to  the  United  States,  was  reelected 
to  Congress,  and  was  for  the  third  time 
cliosen  Speaker  of  tlie  House,  which  office 
he  retiiined  till  1S25.  In  the  election  of 
1825,  the  people  failingf  to  make  a  choice 
of  President,  it  fell  to  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives to  nominate  to  that  office  one 
of  the  candidates  who  had  received  the 
largest  popular  vote.  Mr.  Clay  had  been 
largely  voted  for  by  the  people,  but  not 
enough  so  to  bring  him  before  the  House. 
Mr.  Clay  gave  his  support  to  J.  Q.  Adams, 
who  was  subsequently  elected.  Under  him 
Mr.  Clay  was  Secretary  of  State.  While 
holding  this  office,  his  second  duel  took 
place,  John  Randolph,  of  Virginia,  being 
his  antagonist. 

In  1S29,  the  administration  of  Mr.  Adams 
closing,  Mr.  Clay  retired  to  private  life.  In 
1831,  however,  he  returned  to  the  Senate, 


where  he  remained  till  1832.  In  this  year, 
he  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  the  presi- 
dency against  Gen.  Jackson.  Jackson  was 
elected  by  an  inniiense  majority.  In  1S39, 
when  the  .lomination  of  a  candidate  for  the 
Whig  party  was  to  be  made,  it  was  univer- 
sally supposed  that  Mr.  Clay  would  receive 
it.  Gen.  Harrison,  however,  was  the  candi- 
date selected,  and  was  triumphantly  elected 
at  the  close  of  the  same  year.  In  1844,  Mr. 
Clay  was  nominated  in  the  contest  against 
Polk,  but  was  again  defeated.  In  1848,  the 
nomination,  which  was  a  long  time  balanced 
between  Mr.  Clay  and  Gen.  Taylor,  was 
finally  given  to  the  latter,  who  was  elected 
president  on  the  7th  of  November,  1848. 
On  the  1st  day  of  February,  1849,  Mr.  Clay 
was  again  chosen  to  the  U.  S.  Senate 
by  the  Legislature  of  Kentucky.  He  will 
take  his  seat  in  that  body  in  the  session  of 
1849-50. 


THE   ESQUIMAUX. 

TdE  Esquimaux  are  a  nation  inhabiting  I  eastern  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay.  The  wliole 
the  most  northern  countries  of  America,  and  country  between  the  Great  Fish  river,  the 
if  the  extent  of  the  country  be  considered,  ]  Mackenzie  river,  and  the  Arctic  Ocean,  is 
are  one  of  the  most  widely-spread  nations  [  exclusively  inhabited  by  them.  The  coast 
on  the  globe.  They  occupy  the  whole  of  j  lying  to  the  west  of  Mackenzie  river  is  also 
the  great   peninsula  of  Labrador,  and  the   in  their  possession,  while  Greenland  and  all 

6U 


546 


RUINS    OF    ANCIENT    CITIES. 


the  other  islands  between  the  northern  coast 
of  America  and  the  pole,  as  far  as  habitable, 
are  also  occupied  by  this  race. 

They  are  a  peculiarly  formed  people,  and 
in  stature  rarely  exceed  five  feet.  Their 
faces  are  broad,  their  cheek-bones  high, 
their  mouths  large,  and  lips  thick.  Their 
noses  are  small,  but  flat.  Their  eyes  are 
generally  dark  and  deeply  seated,  the  eye- 
lids being  much  encumbered  with  fat.  The 
hair  is  uniformly  long  and  of  a  jet  black 
color.  The  ears  are  situated  far  back  on 
the  head.  Their  bodies  are  large,  square, 
and  robust ;  the  chest  high,  and  shoulders 
very  broad.  Their  bunds  and  feet  are  re- 
markably small ;  there  is,  however,  no  sud- 
den diminution,  both  extremities  appearing 
to  taper  from  above  downwards  in  a  wedge- 
like shape.  They  are  of  a  deep  tawny, 
or  rather  copper-colored,  complexion.  They 
pluck  out  the  beard  as  soon  as  it  appears. 
They  show  a  good  deal  of  ingenuity  in 
making  their  dresses  and  instruments,  and 


some  of  them  have  attracted  the  attention  of 
travellers  by  their  display  of  mental  power. 
They  clothe  themselves  in  the  skins  of 
marine  animals,  which  constitute  their  prin- 
cipal sustenance.  Besides  taking  seals  and 
whales,  they  hunt  the  reindeer,  the  bear, 
wolves,  and  other  wild  beasts.  Iheir  do- 
mestic animals  are  a  large  kind  of  dogs, 
which  they  use  for  draught  and  the  chase. 
Their  arms  are  bows  and  arrows,  spears 
and  knives.  Their  canoes  are  composed 
of  wood  or  whalebone,  covered  with  seal- 
skin. They  are  entirely  without  govern- 
ment, and  nothing  is  known  of  their  re- 
ligious notions.  Tliey  wrap  up  the  dead  in 
skins,  and  deposit  the  body,  with  the  arms 
of  the  deceased,  in  the  hollow  of  a  rock. 
They  speak  a  dialect  entirely  distinct  from 
that  of  the  other  aborigines  scattered  over 
the  continent,  and,  in  lact,  resemble  them 
in  no  one  respect,  differing  from  them  in 
character,  habits  of  living,  complexion  and 
stature. 


Uuiiis  iif  Balliec. 


RUINS   OF   ANCIENT   CITIES. 


The  ruins  of  the  city  of  Balbec,  the 
ancient  Heiiopol/s,  (or  City  of  tlie  Sun,)  are 
the  finest  in  the  East.  The  city  is  in 
Syria,  about  forty  miles  from  Damascus, 
and  is  now  inhabited  by  about  5000  inhab- 
itants. The  remains  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Sun  in  this  city  are  the  most  splendid  of 
antiquity.  A  great  part  of  it  is  still  un- 
injured ;  many  of  the  columns  have  disap- 
peared, only  six  put  of  fifty-four  remaining  ; 
the  shafts  of  these  are  fifty-four  feet  high 
and  nearly  twenty-two  in  circumferenj^e ; 
and  the  whole  height  including  the  pedestal 
and  the  capital  is  seventy-two  feet.  The 
size  of  the  stones  of  which  the  walls  of  this 
temple  are  constructed  is  astonishing.     No 


raechanfcal  expedient  now  known  would 
be  able  to  place  them  in  their  present  situa- 
tion. Excellent  marble  statues  of  Jupiter, 
Diana,  and  Leda,  and  bas-reliefs  and  busts 
of  Roman  emperors  and  empresses.are  still 
to  be  seen  ;  the  great  palace  ',>riicn  Anto- 
ninus Pius  is  said  to  have  built,  and  several 
other  temples  of  distinguished  beauty. 

The  ruins  of  Palmyra,  another  city  of 
Syria,  which,  though  equally  celebrated  with 
those  of  Balbec,  are  their  inferiors  in  gran- 
deur and  style,  have  remained  as  Tamerlane 
left  them  in  1400,  after  having  plundered 
the  inhabitants  and  wasted  the  city.  They 
have  been  in  a  desolate  state  for  centuries 
past,  —  the    spot    being  inhabited  only  by 


RUINS    OF    ANCIENT    CITIES. 


547 


a  smnll  tnhe  of  Betlnuin  Arabs,  who  have 
bailt  ihuir  hovels  in  the  prristyle  of  the 
ijri'at  temple.  The  first  appearance  of 
Palmyra  is  very  .^irikiii?.  Its  innumerable 
columns  and  other  ruins,  cxtcndin;^  nearly 
n  mile  and  a  hall'  in  leM<,'th  and  unobstructed 
bv  modcri]  liuildings,  contrast  by  their  snow- 
white  appearance  with  the  yellowish  sand 
of  the  desert.  There  is  a  great  sameness 
in  the  architecture,  all  the  columns  being 
Corinthian,  except  those  which  suri'ound 
the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  which  are  Ionic  and 
fluted.  The  most  interesting  remains  of 
Palmyra  are  perhaps  its  sepulchres,  which 
are  outside  the  walls  of  the  ancient  city, 
and  arc  built  in  the  shape  of  square  towers, 
from  three  to  five  stories  high.  The  ceiling 
of  these  chambers,  on  which  the  paint  is 
ttill  perfect,  is  ornamented  like  that  of  the 
peristyle  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  at  Bulbec, 


with  the  heads  of  various  deities  disposed 
in  diamond-shaped  divisions.  Kemains  of 
mummies  and  mummy  cloth  are  found,  re- 
sembling those  of  Egypt.  The  lines  of  the 
streets  and  the  fnundatious  of  the  houses 
are  distinguishable  in  some  places. 

Among  the  remains  of  Persepolls,  is  the 
well  known  i)alace  of  Clulniinar,  i.  e.  tlie 
forty  cnhanns.  These  are  undoubtedly  the 
ruins  of  a  great  and  magnificent  structure, 
encircled  iu  the  rear  by  rocky  mountains, 
which  open  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  and 
consistiui;  of  three  divisions,  one  above  the 
other,  and  built  entirely  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful gray  marble,  the  immense  blocks  of 
which  arc  put  together,  with  admirable  art, 
without  mortar.  Rlarble  stairs,  so  wide 
and  easy  of  ascent  that  ten  horsemen  can 
ride  up  them  abreast,  lead  from  the  lower 
divisions  to  the  higher.     At  the  entrance 


Ruins  of  Babylon. 


•o   the   portico  flibulous  animals  are   seen,  |  if   to   guard   the   palace.      On   the    second 
wrought  in  the  still  remaining  pilastres,  as  I  division   there    still   exist   several    coli'mns 


548 


DREAMS. 


of  a  colonnade,  fifty  feet  high,  and  of  such 
a  circumference  that  three  men  can  hardly 
clasp  them.  Though  this  building  and 
thase  in  its  neighborhood  belong  to  Persian 
antiquity,  yet  it  is  probable  that  the  Persians 
themselves  did  not  construct  them,  but 
caused  them  to  be  erected  by  others. 

The  ruins  of  Babylon  have  been  already 
noticed.  The  ruins  of  Nineveh,  the  first 
great  city  known  to  history,  have  been 
recently  investigated  by  Mr.  Layard.^an 
Englishman,  with  great  success.  The  cen- 
tre of  Nineveh  was  opposite  the  present 
city  of  Mosul,  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Tigris ;  but  some  miles  below  this  point, 
Mr.  Layard  discovered  the  vestiges  of  sev- 
eral temples,  evidently  built  3000  years 
ago.  They  were  covered  with  rubbish,  but 
he   found   blocks   of  stone,   covered   with 


sculptures  and  reliefs,  affording  the  most 
wonderful  insight  into  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  ancient  Assyrians. 


DREAMS. 


Dreams  are  trains  of  thought  presenting 
themselves  during  sleep.  The  dreamer 
is  introduced  into  a  sort  of  fairy  land, 
where  the  soul  seems  to  converse  with 
numberless  beings  of  its  own  creation,  and 
is  transported  into  numberless  scenes  of  its 
own  raising ;  it  is  itself  the  theatre,  the 
actor,  and  the  beholder.  We  are  told  that, 
when  we  are  in  a  dreaming  state,  all  the 
bodily  functions  which  depend  upon  volition 
are  suspended,  and  the  bodily  senses,  though 
not  entirely  in  a  state  of  abeyance,  become 
very  obtuse.  But  this  does  not  interrupt 
the  activity  of  the  mind ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  power  of  imagination  and  the  celerity 
with  which  ideas  pass  through  the  mind, 
are  increased  by  the  cessation  of  communi- 
cation through  the  senses.  The  mind,  there- 
fore, acts  vigorously  when  the  powers  of 
the  body  are  resting ;  and  it  is  only  advanc- 
ing another  step  to  suppose  that  it  can  act 


independently  of  its  material  instrument  and 
survive  it.  The  most  curious  circumstance  in 
the  phenomena  of  dreams  is  the  extreme  ra- 
pidity in  which  a  long  train  of  incident  may 
be  suggested  and  coupled.  Lord  Brougham 
says,  in  speaking  on  this  subject,  "  A  punc- 
ture made,  will  immediately  produce  a  long 
dream,  which  seems  to  termiiwte  in  some 
such  accident  as  that  the  sleeper  had  been 
wandering  through  a  wood  and  received  a 
severe  wound  from  a  spear,  or  the  tooth  of 
a  wild  animal,  which  at  the  same  instant 
awakes  him.  A  gun  fired  in  one  instance 
during  the  alarm  of  invasion,  made  a  mili- 
tary man  at  once  dream  that  the  enemy 
had  landed,  that  he  ran  to  his  post,  and 
repairing  to  the  scene  of  action,  was  present 
when  the  first  discharge  took  place,  which 
also  at  the  same  moment  awakened  him." 
From  these  facts,  Lord  Brougham  infers 
the  infinite  rapidity  of  thought. 


THE   THAMES  TUNNEL. 


T:iE  Thames  Tunnel  was  commenced  in 
1S24,  by  Mr.  Brunell,  the  great  civil  ensji- 
neer.  Two  unsuccessful  attempts  to  form 
a  tunnel,  under  the  Thames,  had  previously 
been  made,  in  1799  and  in  1S04. 

Mr.  Brunell  begnn  his  operations  by 
making  preparations  lor  a  shaft  fifty  feet  in 
diameter,  which  he  commenced  one  hini- 
dred  and  fifty  feet  from  the  river  on  the 
Surrey  side  ;  this  he  cflectcd  hy  constructiiip; 
on  the  surface  of  the  ground  a  substantial 
brick  cylinder  of  that  diameter,  fortv-two 
feet  in  height  and  three  feet  in  thickness. 
Over  this  he  set  up  a  steam-engine  neces- 
sary for  pumping  out  the  water,  and  for 
raising  tiie  earth  to  he  taken  from  within 
the  cylinder,  and  then  proceeded  to  sink  it 
bodily  into  the  earth.  By  this  means  he 
succeeded  in  passing  through  a  bed  of  sand 
and  gravel  twenty-six  feet  deep,  constitut- 
ing, in  part,  a  q\iicksand,  and  in  which  the 
drift-makers  of  the  former  undertaking  had 
been  compelled  to  suspend  their  work. 

The  cylinder  having  been  sunk  to  the 
depth  of  sixty-five  feet,  the  horizontal  ex- 
cavation was  commenced  at  the  depth  of 
sixty-three  feet;  and  in  order  to  have  suf- 
ficient thickness  of  ground  to  pass  safely 
under  the  deep  part  of  the  river,  the  exca- 
vation was  made  to  descend  two  feet  three 
inches  in  every  hundred  feet.  This  ex- 
cavation is  thirty  feet  wide,  and  twenty-two 
and  a  half  feet  high,  and  the  process  of 
making  it  may  briefly  be  described  as  fol- 
lows. 

It  was  accomplished  by  means  of  a  pow- 
erful apparatus  of  iron,  called  a  shield,  and 
which  consisted  of  twelve  large  frame^ 
standing  close  to  each  other,  like  so  many 
volumea  on  the  shelf  of  a  book-case,  these 


frames  being  twenty-two  feet  in  height, 
and  about  three  feet  in  width.  They  were 
divided  into  three  stages  or  stories,  thus 
presenting  thirty-six  cells  or  chambers  for 
the  miners.  The  front  of  each  one  of  these 
cells  was  protected  by  narrow  boards,  tech- 
nically called  "polling-boards,"  each  of 
which  was  separately  held  in  its  place  by 
an  apparatus  constructed  for  the  purpose. 
The  miner  commenced  hy  removing  the 
upper  polling-board  in  his  division  of  the 
shield,  thus  exposing  a  small  portion  of 
earth;  into  this  earth  he  made  an  excava- 
tion of  six  inches  in  depth,  throwing  the 
earth  behind  him,  from  whence  it  was  re- 
moved to  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel,  and  from 
there  raised  by  steam  to  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  He  then  replaced  the  polling- 
board,  causing  it  to  press  against  the  face 
of  the  newly  excavated  earth,  and  thus 
advancing  it  six  inches  beyond  the  other 
polling-boards  of  his  division.  Then  suc- 
cessively taking  down  the  remaining  boards, 
excavating  the  earth  six  inches  behind  them, 
and  replacing  the  boards  six  inches  further 
in  than  before,  he  very  soon  had  advanced 
that  distance  over  the  whole  length  of  his 
division.  All  the  other  miners  in  the  thirty- 
six  cells  having  done  the  same,  the  frame- 
work was  moved  forward ;  and  six  inches 
more  of  earth  removed.  It  was  in  this 
way,  by  these  slow  degrees,  that  the  work 
was  finally  completed.  As  the  frame- n-ork 
advanced,  it  was  closely  followed  by  a  solid 
mass  of  brick-work,  enclosing  two  arched 
passages.  These  two  passages  were  sepa- 
rated by  a  solid  wall,  three  and  a  half  feet 
at  the  top  and  four  at  the  bottom.  Other 
arches  were  however  formed  in  this  wall, 
for  the  purpose  of  opening  a  communication 


^■^^^^JK 


550 


THE    NYL-GHAU. 


between  one  tunnel  and  the  other.  The 
whole  of  the  brick-work  is  laid  in  Roman 
cement,  and  each  archway  is  finished  with 
a  linino;  of  cement,  a  carriage-road  and  a 
narrow  footpath  adjoining  the  central  wall. 
This  immense  enterprise  Avas  not  finall}' 
completed  without  serious  delay  and  appar- 
ently insurmountable  obstacles.  The  works 
were  thrice  interrupted  —  in  1S26,  by  the 
breaking  off"  of  llie  clay,  leaving  the  shield 
exposed  to  the  influx  of  the  land-water  for 
sjx  weeks  ;  also  in  May,  1S21,  and  in  Jan., 
1S28,  when  the  river  broke  in  and  filled  the 
tunnel.  This  was  however  quickly  remedied 
by  filling  the  holes  or  chasms  with  strong 


bags  of  clay  ;  the  structure,  on  clearing  the 
tunnel  of  the  water,  was  found  in  a  most  sat- 
isfactory state.  Some  time  later,  the  works 
were  suspended  for  seven  j'ears,  owing  to 
the  want  of  funds.  Parliament,  however, 
after  repeated  applications,  granted  an  ad- 
vance for  their  completion,  and  the  woiAb 
were  resumed  and  continued,  till  they  were 
brought  to  a  successful  termination.  The 
cost  of  the  tunnel,  with  the  approaches  on 
both  sides  of  the  river,  was  about  three 
million  and  a  half  dollars  —  much  less  than 
the  cost  of  the  modern  metropolitan  bridges 
which  span  the  Thames  between  Surrey  and 
Middlesc-x. 


-...'-     1 


"'^^""'•t^.,:^..,tji»iii^J~;:;^^ic:^,,^,..., 


THE   NYL-GHAU. 


The  nyl-ghau  is  larger  than  the  deer, 
and  smaller  than  the  black  cattle  of  Europe  ; 
in  its  form  there  is  a  resemblance  to  both. 
Its  horns  are  seven  inches  long,  six  inches 
round  at  the  roots,  tapering  by  degrees,  and 
terminating  in  a  blunt  point ;  the  ears  are 
large,  and  spread  to  a  considerable  breadth  ; 
they  are  white  on  the  edge  and  on  the  in- 
side, except  where  two  black  bands  mark 
the  hollow  of  the  ear  with  a  zebra-like  va- 
riety. 'JMie  general  color  of  the  animal  is 
ash  or  gray,  from  a  mixture  of  black  hairs 
and  white,  most  of  which  are  half  white  to- 
wards the  root,  and  half  black. 

The  nyl-ghau  eats  oats,  is  fond  of  grass 
and  hay,  and  still  fonder  of  wheaten  bread. 


When  thirsty,  it  will  drink  two  gallons  of 
water.  It  is  generally  tame  and  gentle  ; 
and  should  it  prove  docile  enough  to  be 
easily  trained  to.  labor,  its  great  swiftness 
and  considerable  strength  might  be  applied 
to  valuable  purposes.  When  the  ujales 
fight,  they  prepare  for  the  attack  at  a  dis- 
tance from  each  other,  by  falling  down  upon 
their  knees  ;  and  in  ithis  attitude  they  ap- 
proach, and  when  they  are  sufficiently  near, 
spring  and  dart  upon  each  other  with  great 
violence. 

The  nyl-ghau  is  considered  a  species  of 
antelope ;  it  is  a  native  ol  India,  but  has 
lately  been  carried  to  Europe,  where  it  is 
seen  in  menageries. 


View  of  the  Baatile. 

THE   IKON   MASK. 


O.NT,  of  the  most  exlranrtlinary  events 
rerordi'd  in  the  annals  of  caiitivit)',  is  ttie 
imprisonment,  IWe,  dcalli,  and  bnrial  of  an 
individual  known  as  the  "  Iuon  Mask." 
Til  is  remarkable  personag-cretnained  shroud- 
ed in  obscurity  for  forty  or  fifty  years,  within 
llig  walls  of  a  dungeon  ;  and  after  his  death 
his  identity  was  never  satisfactorily  proved. 
We  i.t#ido;e  the  following  account  of  him 
from  Voltaire's  "  Age  of  Louis  XIV."  "  Ii> 
Kitil,'  he  says,  "there  happened  an  event 
of  which  there  is  no  example  in  tlie  history 
of  the  world,  and  with  which  the  historians 
of  that  time  seem  to  have  been  totally  un- 
acquainted. There  was  sent  to  the  castle 
on  the  island  of  Marguerite,  in  the  S.a  of 
Provence,  an  unknown  prisoner,  rather  above 
the  middle  size,  j-oung  and  of  a  graceful 
figure.  On  the  road  he  wore  a  mask  with 
steel  springs,  whicli  enabled  him  to  eat 
without  taking  it  olf.  He  remained  here, 
closely  confined,  till  1690,  when  St.  Mars, 
the  new  governor  of  the  Ba>tile,  had  him 
conveyed  to  that  prison.  During  the  jour- 
nej',  he  roniained  always  covered  with  a 
mask,  and  the  governor  never  sat  down  in 
his  presence.  He  was  lodged  at  the  Bastile 
with  all  the  attention  possible  in  that  dun- 
geon. Nothing  was  refused  him  that  he 
desired.  His  chief  taste  was  for  lace  and 
linen,  remarkably  fine.  He  pl.iyed  well  on 
the  guitar.  During  his  two  journeys,  the 
soldiers  who  escorted  him  had  orders  to 
shoot  him,  if  he  made  any  attempt  to  dis- 
cover himself. 

"This  unknown  person  died  in  1703, 
and  was  buried  in  the  night.  What  in- 
creases our  astonishment  is  that  when"  he 
was  sent  to  St.  Marguerite,  no  person  of 
importance  in  Europe  was  missing.  Yet 
the  prisoner  was  certainly  one  of  the  great 
ones  of  the  world.  Every  circumstance 
connected  with  liim  proves  this.     The  gov- 


ernor put  the  dishes  on  liis  table  himself, 
then  retired  and  locked  the  door.  One  day 
the  prisoner  wrote  something  with  his  knife 
on  a  silver  plate  and  threw  it  out  of  the 
window.  A  fisherman  picked  it  up,  and 
brought  it  to  the  governor,  who  with  evident 
astonishment  asked  the  man  if  he  had  read 
what  was  written  on  the  plate,  or  if  any- 
body else  had  seen  it.  He  was  not  allowed 
to  go  till  he  had  proved  these  points  de- 
cisivel)-.  The  governor  then  dismissed  him, 
saying,  '  It  is  lucky  for  ymi  that  you  can  wt 
read.'  One  of  the  prisoner's  shirts,  written 
upon  in  a  very  fine  hand,  w.n^  one  day  dis- 
covered in  the  water  by  a  young  barber; 
two  davs  after  the  boy  was  found  dead  in 
his  bed!" 

On  the  death   of  the  Iron  l\Iask,  his  ap- 
parel, linen,  clothes,  mattrasscs,  and  in  short 
everything _that  had  been  used  by  him  were 
burnt;  the  walls  of  his  room  were  scraped, 
and  tlfc  floors  taken  up;   all  evidently  from 
the  apprehension  that  he  might  have  found 
means  of  writing  something  which  would 
have  discovered  who  he  was.     The  glass 
was  taken  out  of  the  window  of  his  room 
and  pounded  to  dust,  the  window-frame  and 
doors  were  burnt,  and  the  ceiling  and  the 
plaster  of  the  inside  of  the  chimney  were 
taken  down.     It  was  even  affirmed  that  the 
body  was  buried  without  a  head  ;  and   it 
was  currently  reported,  that  a  gentleman, 
having   bribed   the    sexton,   had   the    body 
taken  up  in  the  night,  and  found  a  stone 
instead  of  the  head.     The  most  prevalent 
opinion  as  reg-ards  this  singular  individual 
is,  that  he  was  the  twin-brother  of  Louis   l 
XIV.  born  some  tiours  after  him:  and  that   \ 
the  king,  their  father,  fearing  that  the  pre-   < 
tensions  of  a  twin-brolher  migiit  one  day   > 
rekindle    civil   war    in    France,   cautiously   < 
concealed   his  birlh,  and  sent  him  away  to   / 
be  brought  up  privately.  j 


WALTER   SCOTT. 


Walter  Scott  was  born  in  Edinburgh 
in  1771,  and  was  the  fourth  of  ten  children. 
His  father  was  a  lawyer  and  was  very  atten- 
tive to  his  profession,  rigid  in  his  religious 
opinions,  and  prudent  in  his  ways  of  liv- 
ing. His  mother  was  a  small,  plain,  well- 
educated  woman,  rigid  and  prudent  like  her 
husband.  Walter  was  feeble  and  sickly  in 
his  youth,  and  was  sent  to  the  borders  of 
the  Tweed  at  the  age  of  five  years.  He 
here  passed  much  of  his  time  with  his 
grandmother,  who  was  a  woman  of  great 
cleverness,  and  possessed  a  great  stock  of 
old  tales  and  legends, and  great  knack  in 
telling  them.  It  is  to  this  circumstance,  and 
to  the  wild  and  romantic  scenery  about  him, 
that  we  are  to  attribute,  in  a  great  degree, 
the  turn  taken  by  his  genius  in  after  life, 
and  which  has  afTorded  the  world  so  much 
gratification.  At  the  age  of  eight  he  en- 
tered the  high  school  of  Edinburgh.  He 
was  not  an  industrious  student,  however, 
preferring  to  read  romances  and  histories 
of  the  olden  time.  He  became,  at  this 
period,  an  excellent  story-teller,  and  often 
recounted  tales  of  giants  and  dwarfs,  fierce 
battles  and  fairy  enchantments,  to  an  admir- 
ing audience  of  school  companions. 


In  17S3  he  was  transferred  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Edinburgh,  where,  the  next  year, 
he  broke  a  blood-vessel,  which  reduced  him 
to  the  verge  of  the  grave.  During  the  ill- 
ness which  followed,  he  did  nothing  but 
read,  and  became,  as  he  said,  "  a  glutton 
of  books." 

Scott  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1792, 
and  in  1797  married  Miss  Carpenter,  by 
whom  he  received  a  small  fortune.  He 
now  began  to  write,  and  in  ISOO  published 
the  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border. 
This  gave  him  at  once  a  high  stand  with 
the  literary  men  of  the  day.  Then  followed 
the  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,  in  ISOS; 
Marmion,  in  1808;  The  Lady  of  the  Lake, 
in  1809;  Don  Eoderick,  in  1811;  Rokeby, 
in  1813,  and  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  in  1814. 
As  these  poems  appeared  one  after  another, 
they  cast  successive  flashes  of  delight  over 
the  whole  of  Europe ;  and  the  publication 
of  a  new  poem  "  by  the  author  of  the  Lay 
of  the  Last  Minstrel,"  was  hailed  as  a  joyous 
event.  The  sudden  apparition  of  Byron 
and  his  dazzling  success,  caused  Scott  to 
turn  his  attention  to  another  species  of 
writing,  and  in  1814  he  published  Waver- 
ley.     Encouraged  by  a  welcome  such  as 


WALTER    SCOTT. 


553 


few  authors  ever  received,  he  went  on,  and 
produced  in  the  space  of  four  years,  Guy 
Mannering',  the  Antiquary,  the  Black 
Dwarf,  Old  Mortality,  and  the  Heart  of 
Mid  Lothian.  These  were  all  published 
anonymously,  and  the  author  was  termed 
the  "Great  Unknown."  Still  Scott  was 
generally  regarded  as  the  author. 

Scott  now  became  engaged  with  the  Bal- 
lantynes  and  Constable,  eminent  booksellers 
in  Edinburgh,  as  a  private  partner  in  the 


publishing  of  books.  His  own  original  pro- 
ductions were  the  chief  subjects  of  this  spec- 
ulation. The  sale  of  these  was  enormous, 
and  Scott  commenced  the  building  of  a 
vast  baronial  hall,  which  he  entitled  Abbots- 
ford.  Novel  after  novel  was  produced  ;  and 
such  was  the  confidence  of  his  partners  in 
him,  that  he  received  bills  and  obtained 
cash  upon  them  for  works  not  yet  written, 
nor  even  named  ! 


Scott'a  Monument. 


i 


Things  went  swimmingly  on,  till  1826, 
when  the  Ballantynes  and  Constable  went 
down  in  a  crash  of  bankruptcy,  bearing  Sir 
Walter  with  them ;  and  he,  as  partner,  was 


70 


left  to  pay  debts  to  the  amount  of  seven 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  Undismayed  at 
this  frightful  prospect,  he  set  to  work,  and 
in  the  three  years  that  followed,  performed 


}  554 


MARY,    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS. 


an  amount  of  literary  labor  altogether  un- 
paralleled. In  this  period  he  produced 
thirty  original  works,  the  proceeds  from 
which  amounted  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  He  spent  twelve  and 
fourteen  hours  a  day  in  composition.  Soon 
after,  however,  his  constitution  began  to 
give  waj'  under  this  dreadful  pressure,  and 
-he  was  obliged  to  give  up  writing  and  seek 
relief  in  travelling.     He  never  fully  recov- 


ered, and  in  June,  1832,  he  was  struck  with 
paralysis.  He  was  brought  back  to  Eng- 
land, and  finally  to  Scotland.  He  expired 
at  Abbotsfordon  the  21st  Sept.,  1532.  His 
last  hours  were  lightened  by  the  certainty 
that  his  debts  would  be  paid  by  his  own 
exertions.  Abbotsford  is  now  disencum- 
bered, and  remains  in  possession  of  the  fam- 
ily. A  splendid  monument  has  been  erected 
to  the  memory  of  Scott,  at  Edinburgh. 


MARY,   QUEEN   OF   SCOTS. 


\  Mary  SxtJAET,  celebrated  for  her  beauty, 
her  accomplishments,  her  errors,  and  her 
misfortunes,  was  born  Dec.  8,  1542,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  James  V.  of  ^cotland. 
Her  father  died  eight  days  after,  atid  a  re- 
gency was  appointed  to  reign  in  the  stead 
of  the  youthful  queen.  She  was  sent  to 
France  at  the  age  of  six,  where  she  was 
educated  in  a  convent,  and  appears  to  have 
been  instructed  in  every  branch  of  learning 
and  literature  which  was  fashionable  at  that 
period.  She  was  married  in  1558  to  the 
dauphin,  afterwards  Francis  II.     He  died 


two  years  after,  however,  and  Mary  deter- 
mined to  return  to  Scotland  and  ascend  the 
throne  of  her  ancestors.  A  great  change 
had  taken  place  in  her  native  country  during 
her  thirteen  years'  absence  ;  when  she  left, 
the  Roman  Catholic  religion  reigned  su- 
preme ;  and  the  Romish  clergy  displayed  a 
fierceness  of  intolerance  which  seemed  to 
aim  at  nothing  short  of  the  extirpation  of 
every  seed  of  dissent  and  secession.  But 
Knox  had  brought  to  bear  against  them  the 
irresistible  thunder  of  his  eloquence,  and 
had  called  forth  the  entire  energies,  physical 


HARY,    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS. 


555 


and  mental,  of  the  nation,  wliicli,  under  his 
guidance,  expended  tiiemselves  with  the 
fury  of  awaUened  indignation  upon  the 
whole  fabric  of  the  ancient  religion.  The 
war  of  destruction  was  just  completed,  and 
the  Protestant  government  established  on 
the  ruins  of  the  Roman  Catholic,  when 
Mary  returned.  She  was  a  strong  Catho- 
lic, and  had  been  taught  in  France  to  shrink 
at  the  avowal  of  Protcst;int  opinions.  The 
first  Sunday  after  her  arrival,  she  com-, 
manded  a  solemn  mass  to  be  celebrated  in 
the  chapel  of  the  palace  ;  a  violent  uproar 
ensued,  ami  nearly  resulted  in  a  general 
riot.  The  following:  Sunday  Knox  delivered 
a  terrible  sermon  against  idolatry,  and  said 
that  one  mass  was  more  to  bo  feared  than 
10,000  armed  men.  Thus  did  tlie  \mfor- 
tunate  queen  find  herself  at  variance  with 
her  subjects;  but  her  youth,  her  beauty, 
and  her  accomplishments  interested  so 
many  in  her  favor,  that  the  peace  of  the 
countr\''  continued  unbroken. 

In  1565,  she  married  her  cousin  Henry 
Stuart,  Lord  Darnley;  the  ceremony  being 
performed  according  to  the  rites  of  the 
Romish  church.  Whether  she  had  a  right 
to  choose  her  husband  without  the  consent 
of  Parliament  was  a  doubtful  point;  but 
she  certainly  had  not  the  power  to  confer 
upon  him  the  title  and  dignity  of  king,  or 
to  invest  him  with  the  character  of  a  sov- 
ereign ;  yet  so  entirely  had  she  fascinated 
and  subjugated  the  hearts  of  her  subjects, 
that  her  conduct  in  this  respect  produced 
no  general  dissati^faction.  Her  life  with 
Darnley  was  not  a  happy  one,  however;  he 
appears  to  have  been  a  profligate  and  un- 
grateful husband,  and  a  weak  and  worthless 
man.  Excited  by  jealousy,  he  caused  his 
wife's  secretary,  Rizzio,  to  be  assassinated 
in  her  presence,  and  olFered  her  many  other 
indignities.  In  the  mean  time,  the  well- 
known  Earl  of  l?(ithwcll  was  rapidly  ad- 
vancing in  the  queen's  favor,  and  at  length 
no  business  was  concluded,  no  grace  be- 
stowed, without  his  assent  and  participation. 
Meanwhile,  also,  Mary  bore  a  son  to  Darn- 
ley, afterwards  James  I.  of  England.  Darnley 
himself  was  soon  after  seized  with  the  small- 
pox, or  some  dangerous  distemper,  and  when 
very  ill,  the  house  in  which  he  was  lodged 
was  blown  up  with  gunpowder.  Bothwell 
was" the  author  of  this  horrid  deed;  but  it 
is  a  matter  of  great  uncertainly  whether 
Mary  was  privy  to  it  or  not.  Bothwell  was 
tried  for  the  crime,  but  his  accuser  not  ap- 
pearing, he  was  acquitted  without  the  exam- 
ination of  a  single  witness.  He  raised  a 
process  of  divorce  against  his  wife  on  the 


ground  of  consanguinity,  and  married  Mary 
just  nine  days  after  he  obtained  the  decree 
in  his  favor. 

Public  indignalion  could  be  restrained  no 
longer;  the  nobles  rose  against  Bothwell 
and  Mary,  and  pursued  them  from  fastness 
to  fastness.  Mar)'  was  forced  to  abandon 
Bothwell,  and  throw  herself  on  the  mercy 
of  her  subjects.  She  was  conducted  to  tlie 
castle  of  Lochleven,  where  it  was  deter- 
mined that  she  should  abdicate  in  favor  of 
the  prince  her  son.  To  the  instrument  of 
resignation  she  was  constrained  to  affix  her 
signature  ;  and  the  young  prince  was  sol- 
emnly crowned  at  Slirlinc  in  1567,  when 
little  more  than  a  year  old.  Jlary  continued 
at  Lochleven,  but  made  her  escape  in  less 
than  a  twelve-month,  and  collected  a  con- 
siderable army.  The  battle  of  Langside 
ensued,  where  she  was  completely  routed. 
She  then  passed  into  England,  hoping  to 
secure  the  favor  of  Elizabeth.  This  haugh- 
ty and  jealous  queen  refused  to  grant  her 
an  audience,  and  detained  her  a  captive  a 
period  of  nineteen  years,  till  tlie  end  of  the 
year  15S6,  when  she  was  acc\iscd  of  being  i 
accessory  to  Babington's  conspiracy  against 
the  Queen  pf  England.  A  coniniission  was 
appointed  to  try  her,  and  notwithstanding 
Mary's  protestations  against  being  tried  by 
any  but  her  peers,  proceeded  in  their  work. 
Mary  was  condemned, and  on  the  Sth  of  Feb. 
15S7,  suirere<'.  decapitation  at  the  castle  of 
Fotheringay,  in  the  45th  year  of  her  age. 
She  died  professing  the  religion  in  which 
she  was  brought  up,  and  to  her  adherence  to 
which  many  of  her  miseries  may  be  traced. 

The  conduct  and  character  of  the  unfor- 
tunate Queen  of  Scots  have  been  ti\e  sub- 
ject of  much  controversy.  "  No  inquir}-," 
says  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  his  History  of 
Scotland,  "  has  been  able  to  bring  us  to 
that  clear  opinion  upon  the  guilt  of  Mary, 
which  is  expressed  by  many  authors,  or  to 
guide  us  to  that  triumphant  conclusion  in 
favor  of  her  innocence  of  all  accession, 
direct  or  tacit,  to  the  death  of  iier  husband, 
which  others  have  maintained  with  the  same 
obstinacy.  The  great  error  of  marrj-ing 
Bothwell,  st;uned  as  Tie  was  by  universal 
suspicion  of  Darnley 's  murder,  is  a  spot  upon 
her  character  for  which  we  seek  in  vain  an 
apology.  What  excuse  she  is  to  derive 
from  the  brutal  ingratitude  of  Darnley; 
what  from  the  cruelty  and  perfidy  of  the 
fiercest  set  of  nobles  who  existed  in  any  age  ; 
what  from  the  manners  of  a  time  in  which 
assassination  was  often  esteemed  a  virtue, 
and  revenge  the  discharge  of  a  debt  of  honor, 
must  be  left  to  the  charity  of  the  reader."      ^ 


ALEXANDER   THE   GREAT. 


Alexander,  the  son  of  Philip,  succeeded 
at  the  age  of  twenty  to  the  throne  of  Mace- 
don,  on  the  death  of  his  father,  wiiich  took 
'  place  three  hundred  and  thirty-six  years 
before  Christ. 

On  the  night  of  his  birth,  the  great  tem- 
ple of  Diana,  at  Ephesus,  one  of  the  most 
wondrrful  edifices  ever  erected  by  human 
skill,  was  burnt  to  the  ground  by  Eratos- 
(ratus,  who  madly  hoped  to  perpetuate  his 
memory  by  the  incendiary  deed. 

The  first  warlike  expedition  of  Alexander 
was  against  the  barbarians  to  the  north  of 
his  kingdom.  During  his  engagements 
here,  a  powerful  confederacy  was  formed 
against  him  by  the  Grecian  states ;  and  the 
Thebans,  upon  a  false  report  of  his  death, 
killed  all  the  Macedonians  within  the  roach 
of  their  fury. 

Alexander  speedily  came  against  their 
city,  took  it,  and  utterly  destroyed  it ;  six 
thousand  of  the  inhabitants  were  slain,  and 
thirty  thousand  were  sold  for  slaves.  This 
dreadful  example  of  severity  spread  the  ter- 
ror of  his  arms  through  all  Greece,  and  those 
who  had  been  opposed  to  him  were  com- 
pelled to  submit. 

A  general  assembly  of  the  states  of  Greece 
was  now  summoned  at  Corinth.  Alexander, 
as  heir  of  his  father,  was  made  generalissi- 
mo against  the  Persians,  and  he  imme- 
diately commenced  preparations  for  the  mo- 
mentous expedition. 

Alexander  set  off  with  an  army  of  only 
thirty  thousand  foot,  and  five  thousand 
horse,  and  provisions  for  a  single  month. 
He  crossed  the  Hellespont,  and  marched 
through  Asia  Minor  towards  Persia.  Dari- 
us Codomannus  resolved  to  crush  at  once 
this  inconsiderate  youth,  and  met  him  on 


the  banks  of  the  Granicus,  with  one  hun- 
dred thousand  foot,  and  ten  thousand  horse. 
The  Greeks  swam  the  river,  their  king  lead- 
ing the  van,  and  attacking  the  astonished 
Persians,  left  twenty  thousand  dead  upon 
the  field,  and  put  to  flight  their  whole  army. 
Darius  was  left  almost  alone  in  his  lofty 
chariot;  he  had  but  just  time  to  get  on 
horseback,  and  gallop  away  from  the  battle. 

Alexander  now  sent  home  his  fleet,  leav- 
ing to  his  army  the  sole  alternative,  that 
they  must  subdue  Asia,  or  perish.  Prose- 
cuting their  course  for  some  time,  without 
resistance,  the  Greeks  were  attacked  by  the 
Persians  in  a  narrow  valley  of  Silicia,  near 
the  town  of  Issus.  The  Persian  host 
amounted  to  four  hundred  thmi^^nrd,  but 
their  situation  was  such  that  only  a  small 
part  could  come  into  action,  and  they  were 
defeated  with  prodigious  slaughter.  The 
loss  of  the  Persians  was  one  hundred  and 
ten  thousand  ;  that  of  the  Greeks  very  incon- 
siderable. 

After  the  battle  of  Issus,  Alexander  be- 
sieged Tyre,  but  the  Tyrians  resisted  him 
with  great  bravery  for  seven  months.  At 
length,  the  city  was  taken  by  storm,  and 
thirty  thousand  of  its  population  were  sold 
for  slaves,  and  two  thousand  were  crucified 
upon  the  sea-shore,  for  no  other  crime  than 
that  of  defending  the  country  from  an  in- 
vader. The  shocking  cruelty  of  Alexander  to 
this  city  stamps  him  with  eternal  infamy. 

Incensed  with  the  Jews  for  not  sending 
supplies  to  his  army,  when  besieging  Tyre, 
Alexander  marched  to  Jerusalem,  resolved 
upon  its  ruin.  Jaddus,  the  high  priest,  and 
all  the  other  priests  of  the  temple,  proceeded 
from  the  city  to  meet  him,  and  to  implore 
his  mercy.     Alexander  no  sooner  saw  the 


ALEXANPER  THE  GREAT. 


557 


venerable  procession,  than  he  paid  the  high 
priest  all  the  tokens  of  profound  respect,  and 
left  them  in  satisfaction  and  peace,  without 
the  least  molesting  the  temple  or  the  city. 

The  whole  of  Syria  had  submitted  to 
Alexander ;  Gaza  had  followed  the  fate  of 
Tyre  ;  ten  thousand  of  its  inhabitants  were 
sold  into  slavery ;  and  its  brave  defender, 
Belis,  was  dragged  at  the  wheels  of  his 
victor's  chariot,  —  an  act  far  more  disgrace- 
ful to  the  conqueror  than  to  the  conquered. 

The  faking  of  Gaza  opened  Egypt  to  Al- 
exander, and  the  whole  country  submitted 
without  opposition.  Amidst  the  most  in- 
credible fatigues,  he  led  his  army  through 
the  deserts  of  Lybia,  to  visit  the  temple  of 
his  pretended  father,  Jupiter  of  Ammon. 
When  intoxicated  with  the  pride  of  success, 
he  listened  to  the  base  flattery  of  the  priests ; 
and,  upon  the  foolish  presumption  of  his 
being  the  son  of  that  Lybian  god,  he  re- 
ceived adoration  from  his  followers. 

Returning  from  Egypt,  Alexander  trav- 
ersed Assyria,  and  was  met  at  Arbela  by 
Darius,  at  the  head  of  seven  hundred  thou- 
sand men.  Peace,  on  very  advantageous 
terms,  was  ofTered  by  the  Persians,  but  was 
haughtily  rejected.  The  Persians  were 
defeated  at  Arbela,  with  the  loss  of  three 
hundred  thousand  men,  and  Darius  fled 
from  province  to  province.  At  length,  be- 
trayed by  Bossus,  one  of  his  own  sutrnps, 
he  was  cruelly  murdered,  and  the  Persian 
empire  submitted  to  the  conqueror,  B.  C. 
330. 

After  the  battle  of  Arbela,  Alexander 
marched  in  triumpli  to  the  cities  of  Baby- 
lon, Susa,  and  Persepolis,  where  he  found 
amazing  treasures.  Excited  by  intemper- 
ance, and  instigated  by  a  wicked  woman, 
he  set  fire  to  the  magnilicent  palaces  of  the 
Persian  kings,  that  no  one  should  enjoy 
them  but  himself. 

Alexander,  firmly  persuaded  that  the  sov- 
ereignty of  the  whole  habitable  globe  had 
been  decreed  him,  now  projected  the  con- 
quest of  India.  He  penetrated  to  the  Gan- 
ges, defeated  Porus,  and  would  have  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Indian  Ocean,  if  the  spirit  of 
his  army  had  kept  pace  with  his  ambition; 
but  his  troops,  seeing  no  end  to  their  toils, 
refused  to  proceed.  Indignant  that  he  had 
found  an  end  to  his  conquests,  he  abandoned 
himself  to  every  excess  of  luxury  and  de- 
bauchery. 

Returning  again  to  Babylon,  laden  with 
the  riches  and  plunder  of  the  east,  he  en- 
tered that  celebrated  city  in  the  greatest 
pomp  and  magnificence.     His  return  to  it, 


however,  was  foretold  by  his  magicians  as 
fatal,  and  their  prediction  was  fulfilled. 

Giving  himself  up  still  further  to  intoxi- 
cation and  vice  of  every  kind,  he  at  last, 
after  a  fit  of  drunkenness,  was  seized  with 
a  fever,  which  at  intervals  deprived  him  of 
his  reason,  and  after  a  few  days  put  a  period 
to  his  existence  ;  and  he  died  at  Babylon,  on 
the  21st  of  April,  in  the  thirty-second  year 
of  his  age,  after  a  reign  of  twelve  years  and 
eight  months,  of  the  most  brilliant  success. 

His  death  was  so  sudden  and  premature, 
that  many  attributed  it  to  poison.  Antipa- 
ter  has  been  accused  of  administering  the 
fatal  draught,  but  it  was  never  proved 
against  him. 

In  the  character  of  Alexander  we  shall 
find  little  to  admire.  In  the  early  part  of 
his  career  he  had  shown  many  excellent  and 
noble  traits  of  character  ;  but  he  met  with 
such  great  and  continual  success  in  all  his 
undertakings,  that  his  disposition  was  ru- 
ined by  it.  At  last  he  began  to  think  him- 
self something  more  than  mortal,  and  made 
himself  a  god. 

Yet  so  far  was  Alexander  from  being  a 
god,  that  some  of  his  actions  were  unworthy 
of  a  man.  One  of  his  worst  deeds  was  the 
murder  of  Clytus,  an  old  officer,  who  had 
fought  under  King  Philip.  He  had  once 
saved  Alexander's  life  in  battle,  and  on 
this  account  he  was  allowed  to  speak  freely 
to  him. 

One  night,  after  having  become  intoxi- 
cated, Alexander  began  to  brag  of  his  own 
exploits,  and  he  spoke  more  highly  of  them 
than  old  Clytus  thought  he  deserved  ;  ac- 
cordingly he  told  Alexander  that  his  father, 
Philip,  had  done  much  greater  things  than 
ever  he  had  done. 

The  monarch  was  so  enraged,  that  he 
snatched  a  spear  from  one  of  his  attendants, 
and  gave  Clytus  a  mortal  wound  ;  but,  when 
he  saw  the  old  man's  bloody  corpse  emended 
on  the  floor,  he  was  seized  with  horror ;  — 
he  had  murdered  the  preserver  of  his  own 
life  ! 

Alexander's  remorse  did  not,  however, 
last  long.  He  still  insisted  on  being  a  god, 
the  son  of  Jupiter  Ammon ;  and  he  was 
highly  oflTended  with  a  philosopher,  named 
Callisthenes,  because  he  refused  to  worship 
him  ;  for  no  other  crime,  Callisthenes  was 
put  into  an  iron  cage,  and  tormented,  till 
he  killed  himself  in  despair. 

After  Alexander's  return  from  India  to 
Persia,  he  met  with  a  great  misfortune,  — 
it  was  the  loss  of  his  dearest  friend,  Hephes- 
tion,  who  died  of  a  disease  which  he  had 


558 


CROMWELL. 


contracted  by  excessive  drinking.  For  three 
days  afterwards  Alexander  lay  prostrate  on 
the  ground,  and  would  ta)<e  no  food. 

He  erected  a  funeral  pile  of  spices,  and 
other  precious  materials,  so  that  it  was  as 
costly  as  a  palace  would  have  been.  The 
lifeless  body  of  Hepliestion  v.'as  then  placed 
on  the  summit.  ■  Alexander  then  set  tire  to 
the  pile,  and  stood  mournfully  looking  on, 
while  the  corpse  of  his  friend  was  consumed 
to  ashes. 

There  was   once  a   certain   pirate,  who 


made  great  havoc  among  the  shipping  of 
the  Mediterranean  Sea.  He  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  JNIacedonian  soldiers,  and 
brought  before  Alexander,  who  asl;cd  hikri 
by  what  right  he  committed  his  robberies. 
"I  am  a  robber  by  the  same  right  that  you 
are  a  conqueror,"  was  the  reply  :  "  the  only 
dillerence  between  us  is,  that  I  have  but  a 
few  men,  and  can  do  but  little  mischief, 
while'  you  have  a  large  army,  and  can  do  a 
iM-eat  (leal." 


CROMWELL. 


Oliver  Cromwell,  Protector  of  England, 
Ireland  and  Scotland,  was  born  at  Hunting- 
don, Y\pril  25ith,  1599,  and  descended  from 
a  family  which  traci-d  its  genealogy  up  to 
the  barons  of  the  eleventh  century.  His 
father  was  a  member  of  Parliament,  but 
having;  a  numerous  family  to  support,  under- 
took a  large  brewing estaljlishment.  Oliver 
was  educated  at  a  grammar  school,- and  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  entered  Cambridge, 
where  he  divided  his  time  between  his  stud- 
ies and  athletic  sports.  Though  dissolute 
in  his  early  youth,  he  reformed  at  twenty- 
one,  when  he  married,  and  became  con- 
nected with  a  religious  sect,  which  after- 
wards became  formidable  in  a  political  point 
of  view.  In  1625,  he  became  a  member  of 
Parliament,  under  the  reign  of  Charles  I., 
and  took  sides  with  Hampden  and  St.  John 


against  the  abuses  of  public  administration. 
For  many  years  he  took  the  part  of  the 
people  and  gained  great  popularity. 

The  king  carried  his  arbitrary  measures 
so  far,  that  Cromwell,  together  with  Hamp- 
den, Pym  and  some  others,  were  on  the 
point  of  embarking  for  New  England,  when 
they  were  prevented  by  tlie  king.  Civil 
war  broke  out  in  1642,  being  hastened  by 
Cromwell's  publication  of  a  declaration  of 
grievances  called  the  RemoHsirance.  He 
now  distinguished  himself  as  a  general,  a; 
a  puritan,  and  a  republican.  The  prospect, 
however,  which  opened  before  him,  stimu- 
lated his  ambitious  views,  and  his  natural 
craftiness  of  disposition  soon  led  him  into 
the  windings  of  intrigue.  The  Indepen- 
dents were  victorious  on  every  side,  and 
Charles,  who   had   taken   refuge  with    the 


THE    PEARL    FISHERY. 


559 


>  Scotch  nrmv,  wns  sold  by  them  to  Parlia- 
i   merit,  which  now  possessed  supreme  power. 

>  He  was  soon  after  executed  ;  Cromwell,  who 
5  was  not  naturally  cruel  or  sanguinary,  not 
J  daring  to  oppose  the  torrent  of  fanaticism 
I  in  the  army  whiidi  he  had  so  much  contrib- 
i  nted  to  swell.  He  now  led  the  army  to 
\  Ireland,  where  he  received  a  suhmissive 
i  welcome,  and  where,  in  six  months,  he  com- 
J   pletel}' checlced  t'le  royalist  party.    He  ne.xt 

proceeded  to  Scotland,  where  Charles  Stu- 
art, afterwards  Cliarles  II.,  had  been  pro- 
claimed king. 

Cromwell   harassed   the   royal   army  by 
skilful    marches,   and   cutting    it   ofl'   from 
its  points  of  support,  and  linally  totally  de- 
feated it  at  Worcester.     He  now  e.\erted  a 
weighty  influence  on  the  supreme  direction 
of  public  adliirs,  and  finding  the  Parliament 
i  in   the  way  of  his  advancement,  boldly  at- 
\  tacked  it  with  three  hundred  men,  and  clis- 
I   persed  it.   A  new  Parliament  orconncil  lioiiig 
I   called,  Cromwell  was  linaily  (Dec.  \'2,  165:J) 
'   declared  sole  goveriKU'of  tlie  commonweahh, 
under  the  name  of  Lt/rd  Protector,  with  an 


assistant  council  of  twenty-one  men.  He 
governed  for  live  years  with  llrmncss  and 
dignity.  The  navigation  act,  from  which 
iTiay  be  dated  the  rise  of  the  naval  power  of 
England,  was  framed  upon  his  suga^estion. 
The  Dutch  war  occurred  during  his  protec- 
torate, and  was  carried  on  by  his  generals 
through  many  v.'ell-contestetl  battles.  He 
died  in  1G5S,  and  was  buried  in  Westmin- 
ster Alibey.  ]\Iost  of  the  European  courts 
went  into  mourning  for  him.  Cromwell 
was  abstemious,  industrious  and  exact;  he 
possessed  extraordinary  penetration  and 
knowledge  of  human  nature  ;  he  was  bold, 
intrepid,  and  decided,  to  a  degree  rarely 
equalled.  No  obstacle  deterred  him,  and 
he  was  never  at  a  loss  for  expedients.  He 
made  religion  and  virtue  a  eloalc,  though  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that  in  his  earlier  years 
he  was,  as  he  himself  said,  "in  a  state  of 
grace."  Three  years  after  his  burial,  his 
body  was  dug  up  by  order  of  Charles  II., 
and  was  hanged  and  buried  under  the  gal- 
lows. 


THE   rK.VRL   FISH  K II Y. 


The  greatest  of  all  pearl  fisheries  is  car- 
ried on  in  the  months  of  April  and  May  on 
the  western  bank  of  the  Island  of  Ceylon, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, to  whom  the  island  belongs.  The 
privilege  of  diving  is  sold  by  auction,  and 
the  period  of  connnencing  and  closing  the 
fishery  is  regulated  by  law.  The  signal 
for  commencing  is  given  at  day-break,  when 
the  sea  is  the  calmest,  by  the  discharge  of 
a  rannon  ;  and  iuunediately  a  countless  fieet 
o:'  boats,  who  have  arrived  at  the  scene  of 
action,  cast  anchor,  and  the  divers  descend 
int )  the  depths  of  the  sea.  In  order  that 
they  may  descend  through  the  water  with 
greater  rapidity,  they  place  their  feet  on  a 


I  stone  attached  to  the  end  of  a  rope,  the 
'  other  enil  of  which  is  niade  fast  to  the  boat. 
I  They  carry  with  them  another  rope,  the 
extremity  of  which  is  held  by  two  men  in 
the  boat,  whilst  to  the  lower  part,  which 
descends  with  the  diver,  there  is  fastened 
a  net  or  basket.  Besides  these,  every  diver 
is  furnished  with  a  strong  knife  to  detach 
the  oysters,  or  to  servo  as  a  defensive  wea- 
pon in  ease  he  should  be  attacked  by  a 
shark.  As  soon  as  they  touch  ground,  they 
gather  the  oysters  with  all  possible  speed, 
and  having  filleil  their  not,  quit  their  hold 
of  the  rope  with  the  stone  —  the  weight  of 
which  enabled  them  to  remain  at  the  bottom 
— pull  that  which  is  held  by  the  sailors  in  the 


f 


560 


QUEEN    VICTORIA. 


boat,  and  rapidly  ascend  to  the  surface  of 
the  water. 

The  pearl  is  a  malady  of  the  oyster,  a 
sort  of  excrescence  or  wart,  and  requires 
seven  years  to  develop  itself  completely.  If 
the  shell  is  not  fished  at  that  time,  the  ani- 
mal dies,  and  the  pearl  is  lost.  When  taken, 
the  oysters  are  left  in  a  hot  sun  to  putrefy. 


in  which  state,  if  vigorously  washed  with 
sea-water,  they  easily  render  the  pearls  they 
may  contain.  They  are  afterwards  cleansed 
and  assorted,  with  reference  to  their  size, 
regularity  and  color.  Troops  of  Indian  arti- 
sans are  always  on  the  spot  to  drill  or  pierce 
them,  which  they  do  with  extraordinary 
rapidity  and  correctness. 


QUEEN   VICTORIA. 


William  IV.,  King  of  England,  dying 
without  children,  Victoria,  the  daughter  of 
his  brother,  the  Duke  of  Kent,  was  called 
to  the  throne  in  1S37,  at  the  early  age  of 
eighteen.  Her  accession  was  hailed  with 
more  than  ordinary  enthusiasm,  and  all 
parties  vied  with  each  other  in  testifying 
their  allegiance  to  the  youthful  sovereign. 
She  was  married  on  the  10th  of  Feb.,  1S40, 
to  her  cousin,  Prince  Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg- 
Gotha. 

The  principal  events  of  her  reign,  thus 
far,  have  been  the  war  carried  on  by  the 
British  in  China,  the  result  of  which  has 
been  to  compel  that  great  country  to  open 


K%<v%%^%» 


four  of  her  ports  to  the  commerce  of  Chris- 
tendom ;  the  passage  of  the  new  postage 
law,  by  which  the  rate  on  letters,  for  any  || 
distance  witiiin  the  British  Empire,  was 
reduced  to  one  penny ;  the  war  with  Af- 
ghanistan ;  the  famine  in  Ireland ;  the 
repeal  of  the  corn  laws ;  and,  lastly,  a 
thorough  modification  of  the  navigation 
laws.  The  queen  has  a  numerous  family, 
and  is  represented  as  a  lady  of  amiable 
manners,  of  accomplished  education,  and 
of  a  style  of  countenance,  which,  if  not 
beautiful,  is  pleasing  and  striking  from  its 
ingenuousness  and  affability. 


BOTANICAL   WONDERS. 


The  number  of  known  species  of  plants 
in  the  world  is  about  fifty  thousand,  and 
there  arc  doubtless  fifty  th(i\isand  more. 

The  largest  tree  in  the  world  is  in  Africa, 
where  several  negro  families  reside  in  the 
trunk. 

Tlie  largest  flower  in  the  world  is  found 
in  Java,  and  is  six  feet  in  diameter. 

The  oak  will  live  four  thousand  years. 

The  ''cow-tree,"  in  South  -America,  pro- 
duces milk,  from  which  the  people  obtain 
regular  supplies. 

Tiie  Ncpcui/iiis,  or  pitcher  plant,  of  India, 
furnishes  water  in  its  leaves,  which  not  only 
have  pitchers,  but  covers  to  them. 

The  pear  leaf  has  twenty-four  thousand 
pores  to  the  s([uaro  inch,  on  the  under  side. 
The  pink  has  twcnty-cigiit  thousand  five 
hundred.  Some  plants  have  as  many  as 
one  hundred  and  si.xty  thousand. 


There  arc  one  hundred  and  forty  differ. 
ent  species  of  oak  in  the  world,  seventy  of 
which  are  found  in  America,  and  thirty  in 
Europe. 

The  largest  oak  in  the  world  is  one  in 
Dorsetshire,  England,  whose  trunk  meas- 
ures sixty-nine  feet  in  circumference. 

There  are  forty  diflerent  species  of  pine. 
The  white  pine  grows  to  the  height  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet.  The  ritws  Dii- 
glacus,  on  the  Columbia  river,  is  the  tallest 
tree  in  the  world,  as  it  grows  to  the  stupen- 
dous height  of  two  hundred  feet.  Th.e 
greatest  body  of  timber  ever  measured  from 
a  single  tree  was  from  the  Fhius  Lam- 
bimuis,  on  the  5Iissouri  river. 

Lilies  are  natives  of  North  America, 
China,  Germany,  Liberia,  and  New  Hol- 
land. 

A  single  barley-corn  in  Paris  produced 


71 


662 


LAMARTINE. 


fifty-five  culms,  or  stalks,  containing  one 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand  corns  of 
barley. 

The  celebrated  botanist,  Ray,  counted 
thirty-two  thousand  seeds  in  the  head  of  a 
poppy. 

Tnere  are  three  hundred  and  sixty  thou- 
sand seeds  in  the  capsule  of  a  tobacco  plant. 

There  are  no  less  than  nine  thousand 
different  varieties  of  roses,  and  fifty  varie- 
ties of  pinks. 

It  is  supposed  by  many  naturalists  that 
the  elm-tree  produces  five  hundred  and 
thirty  thousand  seeds  each  year. 

Barley  has  been  sowed  with  success  one 
hundred  and  forty  years  after  it  was  pro- 
duced. Wheat  may  be  kept  with  the  ger- 
minating principle  forages.  Seeds  of  differ- 
ent grasses  will  vegetate  after  having  been 
buried  in  the  earth  one  thousand  years. 

The  Canada  thistle,  the  enemy  of  all 
farmers,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  but  it  has 


crossed  the  Atlantic  by  means  of  wings  with 

which  its  seeds  are  provided. 

The  yew-trees  of  Surrey,  England,  stood 
in  the  days  of  Julius  Caesar.  There  is  an 
apple-tree  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  two 
hundred  years  old  ;  a  fig-tree  in  Palestine 
seven  hundred  and  eighty  years  old,  a  live 
oak  in  Louisiana  one  thousand  years  old  ; 
a  pine-tree  in  Asia  Minor  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  ninety  years  old.  A 
cedar  on  Mount  Lebanon  is  two  thousand 
one  hundred  and  twenty  years  old  ;  a  chest- 
nut on  Mount  Etna,  Sicily,  two  thousand 
si.x  hundred  years  old  ;  a  sycamore  on  the 
Bosphorus  four  thousand  years  old  ! 

Some  person,  who  had  nothing  else  to 
do,  has  ascertained  that  there  are  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  grains  in  a  bushel 
of  wheat,  five  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
of  barley,  one  million  two  hundred  and 
sixty  thoiisand  of  oats,  twenty-seven  thou- 
sand of  horse-beans. 


LAMARTINE. 


ALrHONSE  DE  Lamaktine  was  bom  on  the 
21st  of  Oct.,  1792,  in  the  little  village  of 
Macon,  to  the  south-east  of  Paris.  His 
youth  passed  in  study  and  travel,  and  in 
1813,  he  commenced  in  Italy  his  first  work, 
The  Harmonies.     This   book  became  very 


among  the  first  of  European  poets.  He 
became  secretary  of  legation  at  Naples  and 
London,  and  afterwards  charge  d'affaires  at 
Turin,  where  he  published  the  "Last  Canto 
of  Childe  Harold's  Pilgrimage."  In  1832, 
he  set  out  on   a   pilgrimage   to   the   Holy 


famous,  and  Lamartine  at  once  took  rank  I  Land,   and   had   an   ample   opportunity  to   j 


y^^.w>.^.^/^»-vw 


pitcairn's  island. 


563 


gratify  his  natural  taste  for  luxury  and 
ostentation.  He  sailed  over  the  Mediter- 
ranean in  his  own  ship,  and  wrote  his  jour- 
nal as  he  s.iiled,  reclining  under  an  awning 
on  the  deck.  In  crossing  the  desert,  he  had 
a  body-guard  of  eighteen  horsemen,  and  his 
tent  was  stored  with  all  the  luxuries  of  the 
season.  He  continued  writing  poetry  and 
history,  improvising,  praj'ing  and  singing, 
till  1S46,  when  he  turned  his  attention 
towards  politics,  and  made  his  first  speech 
in  the  Cliamber  of  Deputies.  Even  here  his 
peculiar  ways  of  thinking,  and  his  poetic 
turn  of  mind,  were  evident  in  everything  he 
did.  He  spoke  in  favor  of  a  new  European 
system  of  regeneration  of  the  Holy  Land, 
foundlings,  and  other  congenial  topics.  On 
the  24th  of  Feb.,  1S4S,  he  pronounced  the 
doom  of  the  Count  of  Paris,  refusing  the 


regency  in  the  name  of  the  people.  He 
became  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  Pro- 
visional Government,  acting  as  minister  of 
foreign  aflliirs.  He  was  afterwards  elected 
to  the  French  Chamber  and  was  one  of  the 
five  who  composed  the  executive  commis- 
sion, and  who  resigned  their  powers  to  Ca- 
vaignac  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  insurrec- 
tion in  June,  184S.  Since  then  his  ]iolitical 
influence  has  been  rapidly  diminishing,  and 
he  will  probably  soon  return  to  his  own 
cloud-land,  from  which  he  descended  to 
mingle  with  the  afl'airs  of  goverinnent, 
where  experience  is  more  desirable  than 
theory,  and  practical  views  more  necessary 
than  imagination  and  poetry.  Lamartine  , 
must,  however,  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  j 
most  gifted  and  philanthropic  men  of  the 
age. 


i  This  small  island,  which  is  situated  in 
'.  the  Pacific,  was  discovered  by  Capt.  Cook, 
in  1777.  It  is  but  seven  miles  in  circum- 
ference, is  very  lofty,  with  precipitous  sides, 
and  haj  no  anchorage.  Some  of  the  rocks 
are  volcanic,  and  the  highest  point  above 
the  level  of  the  sea  is  1109  feet.  The  soil 
wliich  covers  the  rocks  consists  of  clay 
mixed  w'ith  sand  ;  it  is  very  rich,  and  of 
groat  depth.  This  land  is  well  wooded, 
and  it  is  supposed  could  easily  maintain  a 
population  of  1000  souls.  The  first  colony 
i   was  planted  here  in  1790,  and  consisted  of 


six  Englishmen,  and  twelve  Polynesian 
women,  whose  offspring  forms  the  whole 
population  of  the  island.  The  Englishmen 
had  been  sailing  on  board  the  ship  Bounty  ; 
they  mutinied,  and,  taking  possession  of  the 
vessel,  made  a  voyage  to  Otaheite,  where 
they  toolc  on  board  some  bread-fruit  trees 
and  a  few  Otaheite  women,  ami  returning 
finally  settled  in  Pitcairn  Island.  It  was 
visited  by  an  American  vessel  in  lS09v 
and  in  IS'26  was  surveyed.  There  being 
but  one  well  of  good  water  in  the  island,  a 
report  prevailed,  in  1S31,  that  the  inhabi- 


564  POM 

tants  were  suffering,  and  a  vessel  was  sent 
to  remove  those  who  were  willing  to  go  to 
Otaheite.  At  this  time  the  number  of  the 
inhabitants  amounted  to  S7,  and  a  part  of 
them  accepted  the  offer,  and  left  the  settle- 
ment ;  finding,  however,  that  they  had  not 
gained  by  the  change,  they  returned  the 
following  year. 

The  colonists  are  a  fine  and  robust  peo- 
ple, high-spivitod  and  intelligent,  and  speak 
both  the  Tahitian  and  English  language 
fluently.  Their  food  is  chiefly  vegetable. 
Yams,  which  are  abundant  and  of  excellent 
quality,  form  the  staple  article.  Cocoanuts, 
bananas,  and  pumpkins,  also  grow  in  profu- 
sion. They  have  plenty  of  swine,  goats, 
and  domestic  fowls,  and  fish  abounds  in  the 
sea.  Before  their  removal  to  Otaheite,  the 
islanders  were  distinguished  for  their  patri- 
l  archal  simplicity,  modified  by  the  English 
i  character;  but  since  that  time  they  have 


taken  to  drinking  ardent  spirits,  the  prepa- 
ration of  which  they  had  learnt  in  Otaheite. 
For  many  years,  an  old  English  sailor, 
named  John  Adams,  was  the  leader  of  the 
colony  ;  he  seems  to  have  been  a  most  ex- 
cellent and  simple-hearted  man.  Under  his 
guardianship,  the  inhabitants  lived  in  the 
most  perfect  harmony,  received  proper  ideas 
of  religion  and  morality,  and  were  grateful 
to  the  Almighty  for  the  many  blessings  they 
enjoyed.  "  Tlieir  habitations,"  says  a  re- 
cent account,  "  are  very  neat,  and  the  vil- 
lage of  Pitcairn  forms  a  pretty  square  ;  they 
are  a  simple,  unoffensive  race,  and  are  in- 
teresting as  forming  a  link,  in  person,  intel- 
lect and  habits,  between  the  European  and 
Polynesian  race."  These  people  were 
visited  by  an  English  vessel  in  1S47,  and 
they  appear  to  be  still  happy  and  thriving. 
Their  whole  number  is  about  eighty. 


1  ii  r  k  i^aii;ii^'i- 


mmm^ 


i\  ^        -21,        1//   '"-X    M/'^l'^^ 


POMPEII. 


Pompeii  was  an  ancient  city  of  Campania, 
formerly  celebrated  for  its  commerce,  and 
situated  twelve  miles  to  the  south-east  of 
the  present  site  of  Naples.  It  was  destroyed 
by  an  earthquake,  A.  D.  63,  and,  together 
with  Herculaneum,  was  buried  by  a  stream 
of  lava  and  showers  of  ashes  during  an  erup- 
tion of  Mt.  Vesuvius  fourteen  years  later. 
It  remained  concealed  for  nearly  seventeen 
hundred  years.  In  the  year  173S,  however, 
the  Spaniards  having  conquered  the  country, 


j  Charles  of  Spain  took  up  his   residence  at 
^Portici,  a  village  built  upon  ihe  spot  o(  the 
[ancient  Herculaneum.     A  well  being  here 
dug  to  a  considerable  depth,  traces  of  build- 
I  ings    were    found,    and  excavations    being 
pushed  to  a  greater  depth,  the  theatre  of 
Herculaneum  was  laid  open,  and  an  impe- 
tus given  to  further  discoveries.     In  1750, 
Pompeii  was  explored.     The  bed  of  ashes 
was  about  eighteen   feet   in   depth.     The 
ruins  of  an  extensive  amphitheatre  and  of 


SOMNAMBULISM. 


565 


many  handsome  buildings  were  discovered. 
Twenty-seven  female  skeletons  were  found 
near  a  door,  and  many  ornaments  for  the 
neck  and  arms,  silver  and  bronze  vessels, 
and  other  works  of  art.  It  is  supposed  that 
most  of  the  inhabitants  had  time  to  save 
themselves  by  flight. 

Two  thirds  of  the  town  are  still  covered, 
but  it  is  estimated  that  it  was  originally 
three  fourths  of  a  mile  in  length*  by  nearly 
half  a  mile  in  breadth.  The  walls  are  from 
eighteen  to  twenty  feet  high,  and  contained 
many  main  gates,  of  which  six  have  been 
uncovered.  Twenty  streets,  fifteen  feet 
wide,  paved  with  lava,  and  having  foot-ways 
three  fe(!t  broad,  have  also  been  excavated. 
The  houses  are  joined  together,  and  have 
generally  only  two  stories,  with  terraces  for 
roofs.  The  fronts  are  often  shops,  with  in- 
scriptions, frescos  and  ornaments  of  every 
kind.  The  principal  rooms  are  in  the  rear; 
in  the  centre  is  a  court,  which  often  contains 
a  marble  fountain.  A  forum,  surrounded 
with  handsome  buildings,  two  theatres,  an 
arena,  tem))les,  baths,  fountains,  statues, 
urns,  utensils  of  all  sorts,  &c.,  have  been 


discovered.  Most  of  tJie  objects  of  curiosity 
have  been  deposited  in  the  museum  of 
Portici  and  Naples  ;  among  tliem  are  a  {jrcat 
number  of  manuscripts. 

The  history  of  some  of  these  manuscripts 
is  curious;  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
ninety-six  were  discovered  at  once  in  Hcr- 
culaneum,  and  the  expectations  of  antiqua- 
rians were  raised  very  high  as  regards  the 
discoveries  to  be  made  from  them.  They 
have,  however,  resisted  almost  every  at- 
tempt made  to  unroll  them  ;  and,  in  1S19, 
only  four  hundred  and  seven  out  of  the 
whole  number  had  yielded.  They  are  of  a 
cylindrical  form,  having  the  appearance  of 
tobacco  rolls,  and  are  very  much  charred  by 
the  action  of  the  hot  ashes.  Out  of  these 
four  hundred  and  seven  only  eighty-eight  arc 
legible  ;  twent)'-four  others  had  been  sent  as 
presents  to  foreign  princes,  and  only  about 
eighty  of  the  remaining  one  thousand  two 
hundred  and  sixty-five  presented  any  chance 
of  successful  unrolling  or  deciphering  them. 
The  contents  of  those  which  were  legible 
have  from  time  to  time  been  published  by 
learned  societies. 


MISCELLANEOUS    CURIOSITIES. 


Somnambulism.  —  Somnambulism   liter- 
ally means  sleep-walking,  but,  in  its  more 
extended    sense,   it    includes    all    the    phe- 
j   nomena   that   take    place,   when   a   person 
!   apparently    insensible    to    external    objects 
I  acts  as  if  he  were  in  a  state  of  conscious- 
l   ness.     Many  curious  accounts   have  been 
i   given    of   ii.dividuals    in    this    state,    from 
which  we  select  the  following  as  the  most 
remarkable.     It  is  given  on  the  authority 
of  the  Bisliop  of  Bordeaux. 

"  A  young  ecclesiastic  was  in  the  habit 
of  getting  up  during  the  night,  in  a  state  of 
somnambulism,  of  going  to  liis  room,  taking 
pen,  ink,  and  paper,  and  composing  and 
writing  sermons.  In  order  to  ascertain 
whether  he  made  any  use  of  his  eyes,  the 
I  bishop  held  a  piece  of  pasteboard  under 
5  his  chin,  to  prevent  him  from  seeing  the 
paper  upon  which  he  was  writing;  but  he 
continued  to  write  on  without  being  incom- 
moded in  the  slightest  degree.  The  paper 
he  was  using  was  taken  away,  and  another 
substituted  in  its  place,  but  he  immediately 
perceived  the  change.  He  wrote  pieces  of 
music  while  in  this  state,  and  in  the  same 
manner,  with  his  eyes  closed ;  the  words 
he  placed  under  the  music.  It  happened 
upon  one  occasion  that  he  wrote  the  words 


in  too  large  a  character,  so  that  they  did 
not  stand  under  the  corresponding  notes: 
he  soon  perceived  the  error,  blotted  out  the 
part,  and  re-wrote  it  with  great  exactness." 

Gassendi  tells  us  of  a  man  who  used  to 
rise  and  dress  himself  in  his  sleep,  in  order 
to  go  to  a  cellar  to  draw  wine  from  a  cask. 
He  appeared  to  see  in  the  dark  as  well  as 
in  a  clear  day  ;  b>it  if  he  awolce  in  the  cellar 
while  in  this  state,  he  was  obliged  to  grope 
and  feel  his  way  back  to  his  bed.  He  al- 
ways answered  as  if  awake,  but  in  the 
morning  remembered  nothing  of  what  had 
happened.  This  species  of  sonmambulism 
is  often  hereditary. 

In  this  country  there  have  been  several 
extraordinary  cases  of  somnambulism.  One 
of  the  most  remarkable  was  that  of  Rachel 
Baker,  at  Springfield,  who,  a  few  years  since, 
astonished  the  world  by  her  performances. 
In  her  sleep  she  could  read  books  placed 
behind  her  head,  could  read  scaled  letters, 
and  even  read  and  translate  languages 
with  which  she  was  entirely  ignorant  when 
awake.  There  have  been  many  well  at- 
tested instances  of  a  similar  nature.  Som- 
nambulism seems  to  be  closely  connected 
with  mesmerism,  of  which  we  sliall  here- 
after give  an  account. 


566 


CURIOUS    LETTER ANAGRAMS LAST    MOMENTS    OF    CELEBRATED    MEN. 


Curious  Letter.  —  The  following  letter 
is  said  to  have  been  written  by  a  newly- 
married  lady,  to  her  friend  and  confidant. 
Her  husband  was  a  jealous  old  curmudgeon, 
and  insisted  upon  her  showing  him  every 
letter  she  wrote. 

"I  cannot  be  satisfied,  my  dearest  friend, 
blest  as  I  am  in  the  matrimonial  slaie, 
unless  I  pour  into  your  friendly  bosom, 
which  has  ever  been  in  unison  with  mine, 
the  various  sensations  which  swell, 
with  the  liveliest  emotions  of  pleasure, 
my  almost  bursting  lieart.  I  tell  you,  my  dear 
husband  is  the  most  amiable  of  men. 
I  have  now  been  married  seven  weeks,  and 
have  never  found  the  least  reason  to 
repent  the  day  that  joined  us.  My  husband  is 
both  in  person  and  manners  far  from  resembling 
ugly,  cross,  old,  disagreeable,  and  jealous 
monsters,  who  think  by  confining,  to  secure 
a  wife,  it  is  his  ma.\im  to  treat  as  a 
bosom  friend  and  confidant,  and  not  as  a 
plaything  or  a  menial  slave,  the  woman 
chosen  to  be  his  companion.  Neither  party, 
he  says,  should  always  obey  implicitly, 
but  each  yield  to  the  other  by  turns. 
An  ancient  maiden  aunt,  near  seventy, 
a  cheerful,  venerable,  and  pleasant  old  lady, 
lives  in  the  house  with  us.  S.he  is  the  de- 
light of  both  young  and  old  ;  she  is  ci- 
vil to  all  the  neighborhood  around  — 
generous  and  charitable  to  the  poor. 
I  am  convinced  my  husband  loves  nothing  more 
than  he  does  me ;  he  flatters  me  more 
than  a  glass,  and  his  intoxication 
(for  so  I  must  call  the  e.Kcess  of  his  love,) 
often  makes  me  blush  for  the  unworthiness 
of  its  object,  and  wish  I  could  be  more  deserving 
of  the  man  whose  name  I  bear.  To 
say  all  in  one  word,  my  dear,  and  to 
crown  the  whole,  my  former  gallant  lover 
is  now  my  indulgent  husband  ;  my  fondness 
is  returned,  and  I  miglit  have  had 
a  prince,  without  the  felicity  I  find  in 
him.     Adieu!" 

N.  B.  We  give  our  readers  a  key  to  unlock  the 
secret  of  tliis  letter  ;  —  f;^  Read  the  first  and  every 
alternate  line  only,  and  the  trick  will  be  seen. 


Anagrams.  —  Amendment  —  Ten    mad 


Astronomers  - 


men. 

Moon  Starcrs. 

No  more  stars. 
Breakfast  —  Fat  Bakers. 
Democratical  —  Comical  trade. 
Encyclopedia  —  A  nice  cold  pie. 
Gallantries  —  All  great  sin. 
Lawyers  —  Sly  ware. 
Penitentiary  —  Nay,  I  repent  it. 
Potentates  —  Ten  tea-pots. 
Punishment — Nine  thumps. 
Revolution  —  To  love  ruin. 
Sovereignty  —  'T  is  ye  govern. 
Telegraphs  —  Great  helps. 


The  Last  Moments  of  Celebrated 
Men.  —  When  the  Roman  army  had  at 
length  become  masters  of  Syracuse  by 
stratagem,  which  the  tactics  of  that  con- 
summate engineer,  Archhnedes,  prevented 
them  from  taking  by  force,  he  was  shut  up 
in  his  closet,  and  so  intent  on  a  geometrical 
demonstration  that  he  was  equally  insen- 
sible to  the  shouts  of  the  victors  and  the 
outcries  of  the  vanquished.  He  was  calmly 
drawing  the  lines  of  a  diagram,  when  a 
soldier  abruptly  entered  his  room  and  held 
a  sword  to  his  breast.  "  Hold,  friend,"  said 
Archimedes,  "  one  moment,  and  my  demon- 
stration will  be  finished."  The  soldier,  sur- 
prised at  his  unconcern  at  a  time  of  extreme 
peril,  resolved  to  carry  him  toMarcellus;  but 
as  the  philosopher  put  under  his  arm  a  small 
box  full  of  spheres,  dials,  and  other  instru- 
ments, the  soldier,  thinking  the  box  to  be 
filled  with  gold,  could  not  resist  the  temp- 
tation, and  therefore  killed  him  on  the  spot. 

It  is  related  of  the  celebrated  French 
chemist,  Lavoisier,  that  when  he  was  con- 
demned to  death  by  Robespierre,  he  re- 
quested fourteen  days  in  order  to  mature 
some  important  discovery ;  but  the  monster 
refused  the  boon,  and  sent  him  to  the  guil- 
lotine. 

The  Emperor  Adrian,  at  the  point  of 
death,  made  that  celebrated  address  to  his 
soul,  which  is  so  happily  translated  by  Pope 
in  the  well  known  poem,  "  The  Dying 
Christian  to  his  Soul." 

Roscommon,  a  few  moments  before  he 
expired,  with  energy  of  voice,  uttered  two 
lines  of  his  own  version  of  '^  Dies  Irae"  — 
Waller  in  his  last  moments  repeated  two 
lines  from  Virgil ;  and  Chaucer  took  his 
farewell  of  all  human  vanities  by  a  moral 
ode,  entitled,  "  A  Ballad  made  by  Geoffrey 
Chaucer,  upon  his  Dethebedde  lying  in  his 
grete  anguysse." 

Philip     Strozzi,   when    imprisoned    by 
Cosmo  the  First,  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany, 
was  apprehensive  of  the  danger  to  which 
he  might  expose  his  friends,  from  the  con- 
fessions the   rack  might  extort  from   him. 
Having  attempted   every  exertion  for  the    ; 
liberty  of  his  country,  he  considered  it  no 
crime  therefore  to  die,  and  fell  by  his  own    ; 
sword,  he  having  previously  engraved  on    ' 
the  mantelpiece  of  the  chimney,  a  line  of 
Virgil,  which  may  thus  be  translated: 

"  May  an  avenger  rise  from  this  blood ! " 

When  Malesherbes  was  dying,  he  repri- 
manded his  nurse  for  making  use  of  a 
solecism  in  her  language  I  And  when  his 
confessor  represented  to  him  the  felicities 


OPTICAL    ILLUSIONS. 


567 


of  a  future  state  in  low  expressions,  the 
dyiny;  critic  interrupted  him  :  "  Hold  your 
tongue,"  said  he,  "  your  wretched  style 
only  makes  me  out  of  conceit  with  them." 

De  Lagny,  who  was  intended  by  his 
friends  for  the  law,  having  fallen  on  a  copy 
of  Euclid,  found  it  so  congenial  to  his  dis- 
position, that  he  devoted  himself  to  mathe- 
malics.  In  his  last  moments,  when  he 
retained  no  further  recollection  of  the  friends 
that  surrounded  his  bed,  one  of  them,  per- 
haps to  make  a  philosophical  experiment, 
tliought  proper  to  ask  him  the  s([uare  of  \2 ; 
the  dying  mathematician  instantly,  and 
perhaps  without  knowing  that  he  answered 
it,  replied,  "  144." 

Such  persons  realize  that  beautiful  fiction 
of  the  ancients,  wiio  represent  the  swans 
of  Caystcr  singing  at  their  death  ;  and  have 
been  compared  to  a  nightingale  singing  with 
a  thorn  in  its  breast. 


The  Mirage.  —  The  mirage  is  an  optical 
illusion,  which  often  takes  place  in  the 
deserts  of  Arabia,  Syria,  and  Persia.  The 
phenomenon  consists  in  the  fact  that  travel- 
lers, crossing  the  desert,  seem  to  see,  at 
some  distance  before  them,  a  transparent 
lake  or  flowing  river,  reflecting  on  its  glassy 
bosom  all  surrounding  objects.  The  travel- 
ler soon  finds  to  his  cost,  however,  that  he 
cannot  reach  the  water  for  which  his  parch- 
ing thirst  and  the  arid  heat  of  the  desert 
make  him  so  ardently  long.  The  shores 
of  the  lake  or  the  banks  of  the  river  recede 
as  he  approaches,  and  its  dimensions  are 
consequently  contracted  ;  sometimes  it  dis- 
appears bodily  from  before  his  eyes,  or 
forms  itself  anew  at  a  distance  beyond  him. 
The  closest  observation  will  not  enable  him 
to  detect  any  difference  between  the  exhi- 
bition before  him  and  the  apjiearance  of 
real  water.  The  illusion  is  altogetlier  so 
perfect,  that  the  Siraub,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  is  often  taken  for  real  water,  unless 
local  knowledge  or  the  circumstances  of  the 
place  lead  one  to  suppose  it  impossible  or 
unlikely.  This  phenomenon  is  not  confined 
to  land,  being  frequently  observed  at  sea. 

One  of  the  most  striking  instances  of  its 
appearing  at  sea,  is  that  which  was  observed 
and  recorded  by  Capt.  Scoresby,  in  1S20, 
in  the  Greenland  seas.  His  fleet  of  eiglit- 
een  or  nineteen  sail  were  navigating  at  a 
little  distance  apart,  when  they  appeared  to 
undergo  a  great  change  of  magnitude  and 
of  form,  and  when  examined  from  the  mast- 
head with  a  telescope,  appeared  to  undergo 


some  extraordinary  changes.  One  ship 
had  an  inverted  image  above  it,  another 
two  distinct  images  in  the  air,  a  thirJ  was 
distorted  by  elongation,  the  masts  being 
nearly  of  twice  the  proper  height,  while 
others  underwent  contraction.  This  form 
of  the  mirage  is  called  "  suspension." 

The  Fata  Morgana.  —  This  phenome- 
non may  bo  classed  among  the  same  species 
of  optical  illusions  as  the  mirage.  It  takes 
place  only  in  the  straits  of  Messina,  Sicily, 
and  is  regarded  with  superstitious  reverence 
by  the  inhabitants  of  that  region.  It  is 
thus  described  by  one  who  witnessed  the 
scene  some  years  since:  "When  the  rising 
sun  shines  from  a  point,  whence  its  incident 
ray  forms  an  angle  of  45°  on  the  Bay  of 
Rizzio,  and  the  surface  of  the  water  is  not 
disturbed  by  wind  or  by  the  current,  the 
spectator  being  placed  on  an  eminence  of 
the  city,  with  his  back  to  the  sun  and 
his  face  to  the  sea  ;  on  a  sudden  he  sees 
appear  in  the  water  before  him,  a  succession 
of  multiplied  objects;  i.  e.  numberless  series 
of  pilasters,  arches,  castles,  well-delineated 
regular  columns,  lofty  towers,  palaces  with 
balconies  and  windows,  extended  alleys  of 
trees,  delightful  plains  with  herds  and  flocks, 
&c.,  all  in  their  natural  colors  and  proper 
action,  and  passing  rapidly  in  succession 
along  the  surface  of  the  sea,  during  the 
whole  short  period  that  the  above-mentioned 
causes  remain."  Sometimes  these  objects 
are  again  represented  in  the  air,  higher 
than  the  first  scries,  but  less  distinctly ;  . 
sometimes  the  objects  on  the  sea  will  be 
vividly  colored  or  fringed  with  red,  green, 
blue,  and  other  prismatic  colors.  All  these 
appearances  are  derived  from  real  objects 
on  shore,  reflected  in  all  senses,  magnified, 
mingled,  and  multiplied.  Those  who  have  i 
seen  this  remarkable  phenomenon,  declare  |; 
that  its  beautj'  and  grace  far  surpass  any- 
tliing  which  it  is  possible  to  imagine.  It 
takes  place  rarely,  and  can  hardly  be  fore- 
seen or  predicted. 

The  Pole  and  Basin.  —  Dean  Swift's 
barber  told  him  one  day  that  he  had  taken 
a  public  house.  "  And  what 's  your  sign  ?" 
-saiil  the  Dean.  "  Oh,  the  Pole  and  Basin  ; 
and  if  your  worship  would  just  write  me  a  few 
lines  to  put  upon  it,  by  way  of  motio,  I  have 
no  doubt  but  it  would  draw  me  ])lenty  of 
customers."  The  dean  took  out  his  pencil 
and  wrote  the  following  couplet,  which  long 
graced  the  barber's  sign  : 

"  Rnvc  nol  from  pole  to  pole,  hul  step  in  here, 
Where  nouijlu  excels  the  shaving  hut  llic  beer." 


563 


REASONS    FOR    DRINKING BEDS GOSSAMER    VEIL AFFINITY. 


Reasons  for  Drinking.  —  Mr.  A.  Drinks 
because  his  doctor  lias  recommended  him 
to  take  a  little. 

Mr.  B.  Because  his  doctor  has  ordered 
him  not,  and  he  hates  such  quackery. 

Mr.  C.  Just  takes  a  drop  because  he  's 
wet. 

Mr.  D.  Drinks  because  he  's  dry. 

Mr.  E.  Because  he  feels  something  ris- 
ing in  his  stomach. 
\       Mr.  F.  Because  he  feels  a  kind  of  sink- 

<  ing  in  his  stomach. 

5       Mr.  G.  Because  he's  going  to  see  a  friend 

^  off  to  California. 

5       Mr.  H.  Because  he  's  got  a  friend  come 

I  home  from  California. 

i       Mr.  I.  Because  he  's  so  hot. 

<  Mr.  K.  Because  he  's  so  cold. 

5       IMr.  L.  Because  he's  got  a  pain  in  his 
i  head. 

Mr.  M.  Because  he  's  got  a  pain  in  his 
side. 

Mr.  N.  Because  he's  got  a  pain  in  his 
back. 

Mr.  0.  Because  he  's  got  a  pain  in  his 
chest. 

.  Mr.  P.  Because  he  's  get  a  pain  all  over 
him. 

Mr.  Q.  Because  he  feels  light  and  happy. 

Mr.  R.  Because  ho  feels  heavy  and  mis- 
erable. 

Mr.  .S.  Because  he  's  married. 

Mr.  T.  Because  he  is  n't  married. 

Mr.  V.  Because  he  likes  to  see  his  friends 
round  him. 

Mr.  W.  Because  he  's  got  no  friends,  and 
enjoys  a  glass  by  himself. 

Mr.  X.  Because  his  uncle  left  him  a 
legacy. 

Mr.  Y.  Because  his  aunt  cut  him  off 
with  a  shilling. 


BEDS. 


Strew  then,  oh  strew, 

Our  bed  of  rushes  ; 
Here  may  we  rest, 

Till  morning  blushes! 

In  the  days  of  Elizabeth,  the  peasants 
used  logs   of   wood   for   pillows.      In   the 
time  of  the  Hebrew  kingdom  the  bed  re- 
sembled a  divan ;  consisting  of  a  low  ele- 
vation, running  round  three  sides  of  a  srnall 
room,  and  stuffed  with  cushions.     In  the 
early  times   the  Romans  slept  on  leaves : 
afterwards  they  used  hay  and  straw.     Till 
the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century,  straw 
was  common  in  the   chambers  of  palaces. 
i   Rushes  were  also  sometimes  used  for  beds, 
i  as  the  preceding  extract  from  an  old  Eng- 
}   lish  song  shows.     To  the  English  belongs 


the  merit  of  having  brought  improvements 
in  beds  to  the  present  state  of  perfection. 


A  Gossamer  Veil.  —  An  ingenious  Ger- 
man succeeded  in  making  a  veil  of  spiders' 
webs.  He  placed  the  spiders  on  a  large 
glass  frame,  so  that  their  work  joined  to- 
gether in  every  direction.  By  inducing 
them  to  go  several  times  over  the  same 
place,  thick  spots  were  produced,  which 
resembled  embroidery.  The  whole  veil, 
though  of  large  size,  weighed  only  three 
grains  and  a  half.  A  breath  blew  it  up  in 
the  air,  where  it  floated  like  a  cloud. 


AFFINITY. 


Some  water  and  oil 

One  day  had  a  boil. 
As  down  in  a  i^lass  they  were  dropping. 

And  would  not  unite, 

But  continued  to  fisjht. 
Without  any  prospect  of  stopping. 

Sfjme  pcarlash  o'erheard. 

And  quick  as  a  word. 
He  jumped  in  the  midst  of  the  clashing,  ■ 

When  all  three  agreed. 

And  united  with  speed. 
And  soap  was  created  for  washing. 


A  Queer  Mouse -trap.  —  Some  time 
since,  two  or  three  young  men  of  this 
county,  belonging  to  the  same  house,  had 
stationed  themselves  around  a  cupboard  for 
the  purpose  of  despatching  all  the  rats  and 
mice  that  passed  out,  while  some  one  was 
punching  with  a  stick  behind  the  shelves 
and  in  the  cracks  of  the  house.  One  of 
the  fellows  had  a  wonderful  propensity  for 
holding  his  mouth  wide  open  whenever 
particularly  interested  in  any  matter.  He 
happened  to  be  in  this  condition  on  the 
occasion  alluded  to,  when  a  mouse,  seeing 
it,  and  taking  it,  as  we  suppose,  for  a  hole 
into  which  he  might  take  refuge  from  his 
pursuers,  ran  in,  and  was  actually  swal- 
lowed alive  by  the  man.  This  can  be  testi- 
fied to  by  several  respectable  citizens,  if 
disputed.  —  Sandersville  Telescope. 


Long  Imprisonment.  —  A  M.  Dussault 
was  immured  in  the  Bastille,  by  order  of 
Cardinal  Richelieu,  on  the  20th  of  Nov., 
1631.  Eleven  years  after,  the  cardinal  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Dussaulv  imploring  for 
deliverance.  The  letter,  it  is  supposed,  was 
never  read,  for  it  was  never  answered  ;  and 
it  was  not  till  the  20th  June,  1692,  that 
Dussault  was  set  at  liberty.  He  had  been 
si.\ty-one  years  a  prisoner ! 


CURIOSITIES  OF  GEOLOGY. 

In  another  part  of  our  work  we  have 
given  an  account  of  some  of  the  monstrous 
animals  which  geological  researches  assure 


us  once  dwelt  upon  the  earth.  But  there 
are  still  other  w^omlors  unfolded  by  geology, 
which  though  so  minute  as  to  elude  the  un- 
aided vision,  aro  not  the  less  amazing  to 
the  philosophic  mind  than  those  which 
astonish  us  by  their  magnitude. 

An  instance  of  this  kind  is  furnished  by 
silicioiis  marl,  which  is  a  deposit  much  re- 
sembling the  calcareous  marl,  both  of  which 
are  found  a  few  inches  thick  beneath  beds 
of  peat  and  mud  in  primary  regions.  The 
description  given  of  it  is,  that  wlien  pure  it 
is  white,  and  nearly  as  light  as  the  carbon- 
ate of  magnesia;  but  it  is  usually  more  or 
less  mixed  with  clay.  By  analysis,  it  is 
found  to  be  nearly  pure  silica;  and  what  is 
most  wonderful  is  the  discovery,  that  it  is 
almost  entirely  composed  of  the  silicious 
shields  or  skeletons  of  those  microscopic 
animals  called  infusoria  or  animalcula;, 
which  have  lived  and  died  in  countless 
numbers  in  the  ponds  at  the  bottom  of 
which  this  substance  has  been  deposited. 
The  animals  are  not  often  discernible  with- 
out tlie  aid  of  powerful  microscopes. 

To  a  Prussian  naturalist.  Prof.  Ehrenberg, 
belongs  the  honor  of  discovering  their  re- 
markable relation  to  geological  .science.  In 
the  course  of  his  investigations,  he  has 
described  seven  hundred  and  twenty-two  '• 
living  species,  which  exist  in  countless  num- 
bers  in   fluids,  and   even   in   the  fluids  of 


570 


CURIOSITIES    OF    GEOLOGY. 


living  and  healthy  animals.  These  crea- 
tures were  supposed  to  be  very  simple  in 
their  organization,  —  a  kind  of  animated 
atoms  ;  but  the  naturalist  just  mentioned 
has  discovered  in  them  mouth,  teeth,  mus- 
cles, stomach,  nerves,  glands,  eyes,  and  or- 
gans of  reproduction.  Some  of  the  smaller 
animalcule  are  said  to  be  not  more  than 
the  twenty-four  thousandth  part  of  an  inch 
in  diameter,  and  the  thickness  of  the  skin 
of  their  stomachs  not  more  than  the  fifty 
millionth  part  of  an  inch. 

The  infinitesimal  minuteness  of  these  an- 
imals may  be  seen  from  what  Leeuwenhoek 
states,  —  that  one  billion  of  the  animalcultE, 
such  as  occur  in  common  water,  would  not 
altogether  be  so  large  as  a  grain  of  sand  ; 
and  Ehrenberg  estimates  that  five  hundred 
millions  of  them  are  actually  living  in  a 
single  drop  of  water.  They  are  found  in 
the  red-colored  snow  of  the  Alps  ;  and  it  is 
very  curious,  that,  if  the  snow  has  been 
melted  but  a  short  time,  so  as  to  become  a 
little  warmer  than  the  freezing  point,  the 
animals  die  because  they  cannot  ejidure  so 
much  heat.  These  animals  are  of  various 
shapes,  and  bear  difierent  names.  Some 
of  their  shields  resemble  a  tubular  chain. 
But  the  most  wonderful  fact  relating  to 
them  is  the  incredible  number  of  their  skel- 
etons or  shields  found  in  a  fossil  state,  in 
various  districts,  actually  constituting  the 
whole  mass  of  soils  and  rocks,  several  feet 
thick,  and  many  acres  in  extent.  Many 
strata  are  entirely  composed  of  the  shields 
or  skeletons  of  infusoria ;  and  in  Sweden 
an  edible  earth,  which  is  used  with  flour 
for  bread,  resembling  fine  flour,  and  cele- 
brated for  its  nutritious  qualities,  wholly 
consists  of  the  shells  of  microscopic  animal- 
cules. This  earth  occurs  in  layers  nearly 
thirty  feet  in  thickness. 

Deposits  formed  by  the  infusoria  are  con- 
stantly in  process  of  formation,  wherever  a 
condition  suitable  to  their  economy  exists. 
In  lakes,  marshes,  and  peat-bogs,  the  an- 
imalcules which  inhabit  the  water  pass 
through  their  brief  period  of  existence,  and 
their  indestructible  skeletons  then  sink  to 
the  bottom  and  form  new  deposits.  Profes- 
sor Bailey  discovered  in  a  peat-bog,  near 
West  Point,  layers,  several  hundred  yards 
in  extent,  of  a  white  earthy  substance,  which 
is  wholly  made  up  of  the  silicious  shells  of 
these  animals.  The  polishing  slate  of  Bilin, 
in  Germany,  which  forms  a  bed  fourteen 
feet  thick,  and  the  eatable  earth  of  Lune- 
burg,  a  similar  bed  twenty  feet  thick,  are 
composed  of  these  animal  remains.  Vet  it 
would  take,  it  is  said,  forty-one  thousand 


millions  of  their  skeletons  to  make  a  cubic 
inch  ;  their  weight  being  only  two  hundred 
and  twenty  grains.  A  single  shield  or  skel- 
eton weighs  about  the  one  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  millionth  of  a  grain. 

Entire  masses  of  flint  are  thus  composed 
of  the  fossilized  remains  of  beings  as  won- 
derful in  their  structure  and  organization  as 
any  of  the  colossal  forms  of  animal  existence. 
Some  kinds  of  opal  appear  to  have  been 
formed  of  the  dissolved  silicious  skeletons 
of  animalcules  ;  and  the  more  durable  forms 
are  seen  preserved  in  it  like  insects  in  am- 
ber. The  well  known  bog-iron  ore  is  ascer- 
tained to  be  composed  of  the  thread-like 
carcasses  of  animalcules  so  inconceivably 
minute,  that  every  cubic  inch  contains  no 
less  than  two  millions  of  millions  of  these 
once  living  organized  forms;  in  other  words 
more  than  two  million  times  the  number  of 
the  whole  human  race  now  existing  over  the 
entire  face  of  the  earth.  The  fossil  animal- 
cula;  found  in  iron  ochre  is  only  the  one 
twenty-first  part  of  the  thickness  of  a  human 
hair ;  and  one  cubic  inch  of  this  ochre  must 
contain  one  billion  of  the  skeletons  of  these 
once  living  beings. 

The  deposits  of  which  we  are  speaking 
are  not  confined  to  one  country,  but  they  ap- 
pear to  be  common  in  all  parts  of  the  globe. 
They  abound  in  Massachusetts ;  and  speci- 
mens have  been  examined  by  Professor 
Hitchcock,  from  Barre,  Manchester,  Wren- 
tham,  North  Bridgewater,  Andover,  &c. 
It  may  be  proper  to  add,  that  some  of  these 
deposits  belong  to  the  tertiary,  and  some 
to  other  than  alluvial  formations ;  but  it 
seemed  proper,  while  treating  of  the  subject, 
to  introduce  them  here. 

Peat  may  also  be  mentioned  as  one  of 
the  curiosities  of  geological  investigation. 
This  is  a  substance  derived  from  the  mat- 
ter of  decomposed  vegetables.  It  can  be 
formed  only  under  a  particular  temjierature, 
and  to  this  effect  moisture  is  essential.  In 
hot  climates  it  can  be  formed  only  under 
water,  or  in  elevated  places,  as  otherwise 
the  decomposition  of  vegetable  matter  would 
be  too  rapid  ;  but  in  cold  climates  it  may  be 
formed  at  the  level  of  the  sea.  In  England 
it  is  formed  principally  from  a  species  of 
moss  growing  in  damp  situations.  Forests 
also,  which  have  been  overthrown  by  storms, 
often  contribute  to  form  peat.  In  some  in- 
stances, the  beds  are  said  to  be  more  than 
forty  feet  thick.  When  perfectly  formed, 
peat  is  destitute  of  a  fibrous  structure;  when 
wet  it  is  a  black  mud,  and  when  dry  it  be- 
comes a  powder.  It  is  chiefly  confisi^d  to  the 
colder  parts  of  the  globe,  and  is  used  for  fuel. 


MANIAS. 


As  there  are  many  instances  on  record 
in  which  the  bodies  of  men  have  been 
afllictcd  by  epidemic  dia?ases,  so  there 
are  many  in  which  their  minds  have  been 
afTectcd  by  pervading  delusions.  As  the 
horses  of  the  west  arc  said  to  be  sometimes 
beset  with  a  stamprdc,  so  human  society  is 
often  carried  away  by  manias.  Tlic  "  Mis- 
sissippi Scheme,"  tlie  "  South  Sea  Bubble," 
and  the  "  Tulip  Mania,"  arc  the  most  ex- 
traordinary instances  of  manias  on  record. 

The  Mississippi  Scheme  was  a  project 
started  in  France  in  1718,  by  John  Law,  a 
Scotch  financier.  A  company,  possessing 
lands  and  privileges  in  Mississippi  and  in 
Louisiana,  so  dazzled  tlic  minds  of  the  pub- 
lic with  their  description  of  the  sum  which 
might  be  realized  by  planting  and  com- 
merce, that  crowds  came  forward  to  make 
investment  in  the  stock  of  this  great  society. 
The  shares  were  greedily  bought  up,  and 
even  the  unimproved  parts  of  the  new  col- 
ony were  actually  sold  for  30,000  livres  the 
square  league.  The  company  promising 
an  annual  dividend  of  2000  livres  per  share, 
the  price  rose  from  550  to  8000  livres,  and 
the  mania  for  purchasing  the  stock  spread 
over  the  nation  like  a  tempest.  Every  class, 
clergy  and  laity,  peers  and  plebeians,  states- 
men and  princes,  nay,  even  ladies,  turned 
stock-jobbers,  and  outbid  each  other  with 
such  avidity,  that  in  Nov.,  1719,  the  stock 
sold  for  more  than  sixty  times  its  original 
price.     But  a  day  of  reckoning  soon  came  ; 


the  scheme  exploded,  and  the  institution 
became  bankrupt,  and  Law  was  obliged  to 
seek  safety  by  flight. 

The  South  Sea  Bubble  was  much  the 
same  sort  of  delusion  as  the  Mississippi 
Scheme.  It  was  no  less  a  project  than  i: 
discharge  the  national  debt  of  England  by 
the  instrumentality  of  the  South  Sea  com- 
pany ;  and  a  bill  was  passed  in  1720  to  au- 
thorize the  company  to  assume  this  debt. 
The  public  mind  was  acted  upon  by  various 
scandalous  deceits,  and  the  whole  nation 
soon  ])hmgcd  headlong  into  the  vortex  of 
stock-jobbing;  and  luxury,  vice,  and  extrav- 
asjance,  increased  to  a  fearful  degree.  The 
bubble  burst,  however,  in  due  time,  and 
hurried  thousands  upon  thousands  of  de- 
luded victims  into  ruin  and  despair.  The 
ministers,  the  Bank  of  England,  members 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  and  societies  of 
high  standing,  were  concerned,  and  deeply 
implicated  in  these  fraudulent  transactions. 
Years  passed  before  the  country  entirely 
recovered  from  the  shock. 

The  Tulip  was  introduced  info  Holland 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  great 
attention  being  paid  to  its  culture,  most  ex- 
traordinary speculations  were  entered  into 
with  respect  to  the  roots  of  these  plar.lj. 
They  were  sold  and  resold  at  enormous 
prices,  and  roots  of  favorite  species  were 
often  disposed  of  for  the  sum  of  $1000. 
The  speculation  raged  for  three  or  four 
years,  and  was  entered   into  by  all  classes 


572 


FATHER    JIATHEW. 


of  society ;  noblemen,  turf-dig^gers,  mer- 
chants, chimney-sweeps,  maid-servants,  sea- 
men, and  clothes-women.  Bonds  were  even 
given  for  imaginary  roots,  and  these  were 
bought  and  sold  to  an  immense  amount. 
While  the  prices  continued  to  rise,  every- 
body grew  rich ;  many  in  humble  circum- 


stances made  fortunes  in  a  few  months. 
No  less  than  10,000,000  florins  were  ex- 
pended on  this  delusion,  during  three  years, 
in  Holland.  The  government  suddenly  in- 
terfering to  check  these  speculations,  the 
bubble  burst  as  suddenly  as  it  had  been 
called  mto  existence. 


FATHER   MATHEW. 


Theobald  Mathew  was  bom  on  the  10th 
of  October,  1790,  in  the  county  of  Tippe- 
rary,  Ireland.  His  parents  dying  when  he 
was  quite  young,  he  was  adopted  by  Lady 
Elizabeth  Mathew,  and  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen was  sent  to  the  Academy  of  Kilkenny, 
where  he  remained  seven  years.  Feeling 
a  desire  to  enter  the  church,  he  was  re- 
moved to  Maynooth,  to  pursue  the  neces- 
sary studies.  He  was  ordained  on  Easter 
Sunday  in  1S14,  and  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  mission  to  Cork. 

From  the  moment  of  entering  on  his  du- 
ties, he  displayed  the  sincere  conscientious- 
ness of  his  character.  The  time  not  occu- 
pied in  the  sacred  office  was  devoted  to  the 
poor  and  to  the  management  of  the  temporal 
concerns  of  his  flock.  He  was  always 
prompt,  faithful,  and  sympathizing,  and 
rapidly  acquired  the  confidence  and  affec- 
tion of  those  about  him ;  orphans  were  com- 


mitted to  his  care ;  he  filled  the  office  of 
executor  for  hundreds  of  persons  who  left 
no  friends  behind  them.  He  acted  as  mag- 
istrate as  well  as  minister,  and  thus  com- 
posed feuds  and  settled  disturbances.  He 
purchased  the  Botanic  Gardens  of  Cork,  and 
converted  them  into  a  cemetery,  not  for 
Catholics  alone,  but  for  members  of  every 
Chi-istian  denomination.  He  also  com- 
menced the  construction  of  a  Gothic  church, 
on  which  he  has  expended  about  14,000Z. 
and  it  is  not  yet  finished. 

Thus,  Father  Mathew  had,  before  the 
commencement  of  his  temperance  career, 
risen  into  the  highest  estimation  amongst 
the  people.  The  affability  of  his  manners, 
the  self-sacrificing  tenor  of  his  life,  his 
readiness  to  assist  them  in  all  their  troubles 
and  sorrows,  were  eminently  calculated  to 
seize  upon  the  quick  sympathies  of  his 
countrymen,  and   make   his  word  a  law  to 


i 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


573 


(hem.  Ill  no  country  had  the  vice  of  intox- 
ication spread  to  such  a  degree  as  in  Ireland. 
The  poverty  of  the  people,  and  the  cheap- 
ness of  whi^skey,  were  the  principal  causes 
of  this.  Rev.  Mr.  Mathew  was  earnestly 
called  upon  to  undertake  the  mission  of 
reform  in  this  field;  he  responded  at  once, 
and  with  characteristic  zeal  threw  his  whole 
soul  into  the  cause. 

Though  meeting  with  discouraging  ob- 
stacles at  every  step,  during  the  first  year 
and  a  half  of  his  elTorts,  the  vices,  ignor- 
ance and  obstinacy  of  his  hearers  gave 
wav,  and  from  that  time  to  this  his  success 
in  reclaiming  the  vicious  and  abandoned 
has  had  no  parallel  in  ancient  or  modern 
history.  His  proselytes  were  not  to  be 
counted  by  dozens  or  scores,  but  by  tens  of 
thousands.  '  On  his  arrival  in  the  various 
villages,  where  be  was  to  preach  on  tem- 
perance, the  streets  became  filled  ;  myriads 
poured  in  from  the  surrounding  country  ; 
and  so  great  was  the  rush  of  temperance 
votaries,  that  fences  were  often  turned 
over,  and  railings  carried  away  ;  the  mass- 
es were  so  closely  crowded  together,  that 
the  most  eager,  in  their  desire  to  approacii 
Mr.  Mathew,  ran  along  quietly  and  securely 
on  tlie  heads  of  the  vast  assemblage.  It  is 
said  that  in  two  days,  in  Galway,  100,000 
persons  tonic  the  pledge ;  on  tlie  road  from 
Galway  to  Ln\ighroa,  180,000,  and  in 
Dulilin,  during  live  days,  about  70,000. 
There  arc  few  towns  in  Ireland  that  he  has 
not  visited  with  lilcc  success.  In  IS  14,  be 
visited  England,  and  the  thousands  who 
hastened  to  receive  the  pledge  testified  to 
the  need  and  progress  of  the  remedy. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1S49,  he  left  Cork 
for  the  United  States,  amid  the  acclamations 
and  blessings  of  an  immense  crowd  of  his 
parishioners  and  his  well-wishers.  He  ar- 
rived at  New  York  in  the  beginning  of  Ju- 
ly, where  he  was  received  with  attention 
and  respect  by  the  city  r.uthorities.  After 
spending  a  few  days  in  repose,  in  examin- 
ing the  institutions  of  the  city,  and  receiving 
visitors,  he  commenced  in  earnest  the  ob- 
ject of  his  visit — administering  the  pledge 
to  all  who  desired  to  receive  it  at  bis  hands, 
but  especially  to  his  own  countrymen.  The 
forjiiula,  as  given  by  him,  and  repeated  by 
those  whowere  tosignthe  instrument, wasas 
follows  :  "  I  promise,  with  the  divine  assist- 
ance, to  abstain  from  all  intoxicating  liquors, 
cordials,  cider,  fruit  liquors,  &c.,and  do  all 
in  my  power  to  prevent  the  spread  of  intem- 
perance." 

In  regard  to  his  success  in  Ireland,  it  may 
be  said  that  he  had  a  very  impulsive  people 


to  deal  with  ;  a  people  that  actually,  spite 
of  his  protestations  and  assertions  to  the 
contrary,  believed  that  he  could  perform 
miracles,  and  touched  his  clothes  in  the 
hope  of  obtaining  from  them  some  magi: 
virtue;  and  that  the  fire  once  kindled  in 
Irish  bosoms  will  burn  on  like  a  blaze  in  a 
tropical  forest.  But  it  must  be  remembered 
that  no  man,  or  combination  of  men,  or 
efforts,  had  ever  lieen  able  to  stir  this  mobile 
mass,  or  to  kindle  this  inflammable  mate- 
rial before.  The  most  extraordinary  in- 
stance of  the  success  of  Fatlier  Mathew  was 
in  the  case  of  the  fishermen  of  Cloddarrh,  a 
small  village  on  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic. 
This  colony  contains  about  1000  inhabi- 
tants, whose  habits  are  entirely  dillerent 
from  those  of  the  surrounding  population. 
They  live  by  themselves,  never  moving 
beyond  the  pale  of  their  own  community, 
speak  the  Celtic  tongue  only,  holding  the 
English  in  detestation  ;  the)' never  emigrate 
or  enlist  in  the  British  service.  The  barren 
shore  of  the  Bay  of  Galway  has  been  the 
home  of  their  fathers  for  centuries  back,  and 
continues  to  be  theirs,  while  the  ocean  that 
foams  before  them  is  the  field  of  their  enter- 
prise. Isolated  as  they  have  always  lieen, 
yet  they  early  contracted  the  habit  of  drunk- 
enness, and  intoxication  was  frequent  among 
them.  When  Father  Mathew  visited  this 
semi-civilized  community,  this  people  with- 
out sympathies  out  of  their  own  circle,  it  is 
described  as  having  been  a  most  impressive 
sight  to  see  them  taking  the  pledge  ;  it  was 
taken  by  every  individual  in  the  colony,  from 
the  child  of  three  years  old  to  the  grand- 
parents anil  great-grand-parents  in  their 
second  childhood. 

In  Father  Mathew  the  Catholic  priest  is 
completely  lost  in  the  Christian.  No  man 
ever  displayed  a  more  disinterested  zeal. 
He  has  spent  all  that  he  had  of  his  own, 
and  has  diminished  to  an  immense  degree, 
the  business  of  his  brother  and  brother-in- 
law,  wlio  were  distillers  and  dealers  in  spir- 
its. He  now  owns  the  distillery  of  his 
brother,  which  he  has  refused  to  let  for  its 
original  purposes  ;  hoping  to  rent  it  for  a 
cotton  or  carpet  manufactory. 

Father  Mathew  is  now  (1849)  59  years 
of  age.  He  is  straight  and  erect,  and  hardly 
appears  30.  His  complexion  is  sanguine 
and  indicative  of  rude  health;  he  himself  is 
as  good  an  argument  for  the  salutary  ctiects 
of  temperance  upon  the  constitution  as  can 
be  desired.  His  manner  is  kind  and  win- 
ning, his  patience  inexhaustible.  He  seems 
to  be  the  man  for  tlie  cause,  and  the  good 
he  has  done  cannot  be  calculated. 


ABD-EL-KADER. 


S:di-el-Haix3i  Abd-el-Kader  Ou.led  Ben 
Mahiddin  is  a  native  of  Barbary,  where  he 
was  born  in  1806.  He  received  from  his 
father  the  best  education  an  Arab  can  give, 
learned  the  Koran  by  heart,  expounded  its 
difliculties,  and  versed  himself  in  the  history 
of  his  country.  He  also  became  very  adroit 
in  corporeal  exercises,  and  it  was  said  of 
him  that  he  handled  the  yatarran  with  the 
same  facility  as  the  chaplet  of  Mohammed. 
He  made  two  pilgrimages  to  JNIecca  with 
his  father,  and  on  liis  return  from  the  sec- 
ond married  his  first  wife.  About  the  year 
1S32,  he  and  his  father,  who  probably  found 
their  life  too  inactive  for  their  disposition, 
travelled  about  the  country,  preaching  a 
crusade  against  all  Christians,  and  espe- 
cially against  the  French  settlements  along 
the  coast.  They  collected  together  10,000 
horsemen  and  made  an  attack  upon  the 
town  of  Oran,  but  were  routed  by  the  artil- 
lery of  the  French.  Abd-el-Kader  still 
sought,  however,  to  extend  the  circle  of  his 
influence,  and  to  centralize  the  forces  of  the 
Arabs.  About  this  period,  his  father  died, 
and  the  French  general,  Desmichels,  com- 
mitted that  grand  mistake  which  nearly  lost 
Algeria  to  the  French.  This  was  no  less 
than  to   constitute  Abd-el-Kader  sovereign 


or  Emir  of  the  province  of  Oran,  for  the 
purpose  of  throwing  on  him  the  difficulties 
of  occupying  the  country  and  civilizing  the 
natives.     The  result  was  that  the  newly- 
made  Emir,  confident  in   his   position  and 
power,  become  so  dangerous  and  annoying,   \ 
that  a  committee  was   sent  to  Algeria,  for  < 
the  purpose  of  consulting  on  the  spot  as  to   / 
the  feasibility  of  holding  the   country  and   J 
the   practicability  of  giving   it   up.      This   5 
committee  decided  upon  retaining  their  hold.   < 
At  last  Gen.  Trezel,  who  could   no   longer   > 
endure  the  impertinences  of  Abd-el-Kader,   j 
joined   battle   with   him   and   was   signally 
defeated :    he    was    followed    by    Marshal 
Clausel,  whose   campaign  was   also   disas- 
trous ;   finall}',  General   Bugeaud  was  sent 
against  the  Arab  horde,  and  after  gaining  a 
decisive  victory  over  them,  made  a  treaty 
with  the  Emir,  the  stipulations  of  which  were 
so  extraordinary  that  it  would  seem  that  the 
latter  was   the  victorious   and  not  the  con- 
quered  party.     Three  quarters  of  Algeria 
were  delivered   over  to  Abd-el-Kader,  the 
French  only  retaining  the  province  of  Con- 
stantine    and     the    provinces    immediately 
around  Oran  and  Algiers.     Up  to  the  year 
1839,  the  Arab  chief  continued  his  hostility 
to  the  French  settlers.     In   18-10,  General 


THIERS. 


576 


Bugeaud  was  commissioned  to  destroy  the 
power  of  Abd-el-Kader  in  Algeria,  and  the 
war  commenced  in  good  earnest.  In  three 
years,  he  had  lost  everything  he  possessed, 
his  forts,  ammunition,  magazine,  and  in- 
fantry. He  now  sought  refuge  among  the 
Moors,  where  he  excited  some  of  them  to 
take  up  arms  in  his  favor.  These  demon- 
strations were,  however,  calmed  by  Bugeaud 


ai  Isly,  and  by  the  Prince  de  Joinville  at 
Tangiers  and  Morocco.  Abd-el-Kader  was 
now  excommunicated  by  the  Emperor  of 
Morocco,  and  was  captured  by  the  French 
forces  late  in  the  year  1S47,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  their  prisoner ;  he  is 
treated,  however,  with  the  respect  and  at- 
tention due  to  his  rank.     (1S49.) 


THIERS. 


Louis  Adolphe  Thiers  is  a  native  of  Mar- 
seilles, where  he  was  born  on  the  16th  of 
April,  1797.  His  father  was  a  locksmith, 
and  in  humble  circumstances.  Thiers  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  school  by  his  applica- 
tion to  his  studies,  and  soon  went  to  Paris, 
where  all  the  talent,  wit,  and  wisdom,  of 
France  congregates,  from  the  four  corners  of 
the  kingdom.  He  obtained  employment  as 
assistant  editor  of  a  political  journal,  and  in 
process  of  time  became  a  leading  man.  He 
was  very  active  during  the  revolution  of 
1S30,  and  was  influential  in  bringing  Louis 
Philijjpe  to  the  throne.  Becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  he  dis- 
played wonderful  talent  for  debate,  and  was 
finally  made  prime  minister.  During  his 
administration  the  new  wall  and  fortifica- 
tions around  Paris  were  built  at  immense 
cost  —  a  measure  which  injured  the  reputa- 


tion both  of  the  king  and  M.  Thiers.  Gui- 
zot  became  prime  minister  in  1810,  and 
Thiers,  though  still  a  mcml)er  of  the  Cham- 
bers, spent  his  time  chiefly  upon  his  great 
work  —  the  Histories  of  the  Kevolution  of 
17S9  —  of  the  Consulate  and  the  Empire. 
Their  publication,  between  ISIO  and  lS-18, 
tixed  the  rank  of  the  writer  among  the 
greatest  men  of  the  age.  After  the  revo- 
lution of  1S48,  M.  Thiers  was  elected  to  the 
Constituent  Assembly,  where  he  rendered 
good  service  to  the  cause  of  order  and  prop- 
erty. He  is  a  short,  diminutive-looking 
man,  with  a  bright  countenance,  and  stiff 
gray  hair,  like  porcupine  quills  ;  ho  wears 
gold  spectacles,  and  is  very  plain  in  his  at- 
tire. Altogether  he  is  a  man  who  would  : 
pass  easily  in  a  crowd,  without  the  bystand- 
ers suspecting  that  one  of  the  greatest,  if  not 
the  greatest  man  in  France  was  before  him. 


THE    VULTURE. 


The  vulture  is  perhaps  entitled,  from  its 
size  and  strengtii,  to  the  first  rank  in  the 
history  of  birds  ;  but  from  its  cowardice  and 
indelicate  habits,  it  has  been  made  to  j'ield 
the  place  to  the  eagle,  who,  from  his  bold- 
ness, well  merits  the  title  of  king  of  birds. 
The  eagle,  unless  pressed  by  hunger,  will 
not  stoop  to  carrion,  and  never  devours 
but  what  he  has  earned  by  his  own  pursuit. 
The  vulture,  on  the  contrary',  is  indelicately 
voracious;  and  seldom  attacks  living  ani- 
mals when  it  can  be  supplied  with  dead. 
The  eagle  meets  singly  and  opposes  his 
enemy ;  the  vulture,  if  it  e.tpects  resist- 
ance, calls  in  the  aid  of  its  kind,  and 
triumphs  by  the  force  of  numbers.  Putre- 
faction and  corruption,  instead  of  deter- 
ring, only  serve  to  allure  it.  The  vulture 
seems  among  birds  what  the  jackal  and 
hyajna  are  among  quadrupeds,  who  prey 
upon  carcasses  and  root  up  the  dead. 

Vultures  are  easily  distinguishable  from 
birds  of  the  eagle  kind,  by  the  naked- 
ness of  their  heads  and  necks,  whicli  are 
entirely  destitute  of  feathers.  Their  eyes 
are  more  prominent ;  those  of  the  eagle  be- 
ing buried  in  the  socket.  The  inside  of  the 
wing  is  covered  with  a  thick  down,  which 
is  different  in  them  from  all  other  birds  of 
prey,  and  which  is  often  converted  by  the 
Asiatics  into  a  very  comfortable  kind  of  fur, 
and  sold  in  their  markets.  When  walking 
on  the  ground,  the  wings  are  pendent,  and 


the  tail  drags  along  the  ground  ;  the  pin- 
feathers  are  found  constantly  worn  away. 
Their  flight  is  heavy,  and  they  experience 
considerable  difficulty  in  taking  their  full 
soar.  They  are  the  only  birds  of  prey  which 
fly  and  live  gregariously. 

The  vulture  is  common  in  many  parts  of 
Europe,  is  extremely  abundant  in  America, 
and  certain  kingdoms  of  Africa  and  Asia,  but 
is  totally  unknown  in  England.  There  are 
large  flocks  of  them  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Grand  Cairo;  there  nobody  is  permitted  to 
destroy.  The  service  they  render  the  in- 
habitants is  the  devouring  of  all  the  carrion 
of  that  great  city,  which  might  otherwise 
corrupt  the  air.  They  are  commonly  seen 
together  with  the  wild  dogs  of  the  country, 
tearing  a  carcass  to  pieces  in  the  utmost 
harmony.  This  odd  association  seems  never 
to  produce  quarrels.  In  America,  the  vul- 
ture follows  the  hunters,  who  only  pursue 
wild  beasts  for  their  skins,  and  who  leave 
the  body  flayed  behind  them  ;  no  sooner 
does  a  vulture  perceive  an  animal  thus 
abandoned,  than  it  calls  out  to  its  fellows, 
who,  with  one  common  accord,  pour  down 
upon  the  carcass,  and  in  an  instant  pick  its 
bones  as  bare  and  clean  as  if  they  had  been 
scraped  with  a  knife. 

The  sloth,  the  filth  and  voraciousness  of 
these  birds  almost  e.xceed  credibility.  In 
the  Brazils,  where  they  are  found  in  great 
abundance,  they  often  gorge  themselves  to 


such  an  extent  that  they  are  unable  to  fly, 
but  keep  hopping  along  when  they  are  pur- 
sued. At  all  times  the}'  are  a  bird  of  slow 
flight,  but  when  they  are  over-fed  they  are 


Cleopatra's  keedle. 


677 


utterly  helpless.  In  case  of  hard  chase, 
however,' they  have  a  method  of  vomiting 
up  what  they  have  eaten,  after  which  they 
fly  more  easily. 


CLEOPATRA'S   NEEDLE. 


In  the  city  of  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  there 
existed,  many  years  ago,  two  obelisks,  like 
the  one  in  the  engraving  above.  One  of 
these  has  fallen  fo  the  ground,  while  the 
other  is  as  solid  as  when  first  erected,  al- 
though it  has  been  diminished  of  about  six- 
teen feet  of  its  height,  by  tlio  accumulation 
of  earth  about  the  base.  They  are  called 
CleopatraVNeedles.  The  whole  height  of 
the  west  obelisk,  including  the  pedestal  and 
the  throe  steps,  all  of  wliich  are  covered 
with  earth,  is  about  seventy-nine  feet ;  it  is 
eight  feet  square  at  the  base.  It  has  suf- 
fered considerably,  like  all  the  remains  and 


even  the  natural  rocks  of  Alexandria,  trum 
the  action  of  the  atmosphere  ;  the  west  side 
is  in  the  best  state  of  preservation,  and  the 
souih  the  worst  of  all.  These  two  obelisks 
formed  the  entrance  to  the  temple  or  palace 
of  Ca;sar,  as  it  is  called,  though  there  is  no 
douht  they  were  moved  from  some  of  the 
ancient  cities  of  Egj'pt  by  the  Ptolemies. 
Egj'pt  is  to  be  seen  more  in  the  past  tlian 
the  present;  in  the  vast  and  wonderful 
structures,  shaped  by  labor  and  art  into 
structures  that  defy  the  power  of  time.  All 
the  conceptions  of  this  country  were  "  those 
of  men  a  hundred  feet  high." 


WHALES 


The  Great  Greenland  Whale  is  about 
seventy  feet  long,  the  head  alone  maliing 
one  third  of  its  bulk.  The  tail  is  about 
twenty-four  feet  broad,  and  when  the  fish 
lies  on  its  side,  its  blow  is  tremendous. 
The  sliin  is  smooth  and  black,  and  in  some 
places  marbled  with  white  and  yellow.  The 
outer  or  scarf  skin  is  notliicker  than  parch- 
ment; but  this  removed,  the  real  skin  ap- 
pears, of  about  an  inch  thick,  and  covering 
the  bluViber  which  lies  beneath  ;  this  is  from 
eight  to  ten  inches  in  thickness,  and  when 
the  fish  is  in  liealth,  is  of  a  beautiful  yellow. 
The  cleft  of  the  mouth  is  about  twenty  feet 
long ;  the  upper  jaw  is  furnished  with  barbs, 
that  lie,  like  the  pipes  of  an  organ,  the 
largest  m  the  middle,  and  the  smallest  on 
the  sides.  These  compose  the  whalebone, 
the  largest  spars  of  which  are  found  to  be 
not  less  than  eighteen  feet.  The  tongue  is 
almost  immovably  fixed  to  the^lower  jaw, 
seeming  one  great  lump  of  fat :  and  in  fact 
it  fills  several  hogsheads  with  bluisber.  The 
eyes  are  not  larger  than  those  of  an  ox; 
and,  set  in  the  gigantic  mass  which  surrounds 
them,  appear  hardly  larger  than  a  pea.  The 
real  bones  of  the  animal,  very  different  from 
what    is    called  whalebone,  are    hard,  like 


those  of  land  animals,  are  very  porous,  and 
filled  with  marrow. 

The  whale  has  a  formidable  enemy  called 
the  sword-fish.  At  the  sight  of  this  little 
animal,  the  whale  seems  agitated  in  an  ex- 
traordinary manner,  leaping  the  water  as 
if  with  afl'right;  whenever  it  appears,  the 
whale  flies  in  an  opposite  direction.  It  has 
no  instrument  of  defence  except  the  tail,  a 
single  blow  of  which  would  destroy  its  ad- 
versary ;  but  the  sword-fish  is  as  active  as 
the  other  is  strong,  easily  avoiding  the 
blow;  then  bounding  into  the  air,  it  falls 
upon  its  enemy,  and  endeavors,  not  to  pierce 
with  the  point  of  its  beak,  but  to  cut  and  jag 
with  its  toothed  edges.  The  sea  is  soon 
dyed  with  blood,  while  the  enormous  animal 
vainly  endeavors  to  reach  its  antagonist, 
and  strikes  wiih  its  tail  against  the  surface 
of  the  water,  making  a  report  at  each  blow 
louder  than  the  explosion  of  a  cannon. 

Man,  however,  is  a  more  terrible  em  my 
to  the  whale  than  the  sword-fish ;  he  ajone 
destroys  more  in  a  year  than  the  rest  in  an 
age,  and  actually  has  thinned  their  number 
in  the  part  of  the  world  where  they  are 
chielly  caught.  The  fishery  begins  in  May, 
and  continues  all  June  and  July.    The  ships 


are  obliged  to  leave  tlie  northern  seas  and 
get  clear  of  the  ice  by  August. 

The  flesh  of  this  animal  is  a  dainty  to 
some  nations ;  and  the  i^avages  of  Green- 
land, as  well  as  those  near  the  South  Pole, 
are  fond  of  it  to  distraction.      They  cat  the 


.F.s.  .  579 

flesh  and  drink  the  oil,  which  to  them  is  an 
exquisite  delicacy.  The  linding  a  dead 
whale  is  an  adventure  considered  a?nongthe 
fortunate  circumstances  of  their  lives.  Tliey 
make  their  abode  beside  it,  and  seldom  re- 
move till  they  have  left  nothing  but  ihe  hones. 


The  sperm  whale  is  a  gregarious  animal, 

and  the  herds  formed  by  it  arc  of  two  kinds, 

the  one  consisting  of  females,  and  the  otiier 

of  young  whales  not   fully  grown.     These 

iierds  are  called  by  whalers  "  schools,"  and 

occasionally  consist   of  great  numbers  ;  as 

many  as  five  or  six  hundred  have  been  seen 

in  one  school.      With  each  herd  of  females 

are  always   from  one  to  three  large  bulls, 

the  lords  of  the  herd,  or,  as  ihev  are  called, 

the   "  school-masters."      The    full    grown 

whales  almost  always  go  alone  in  search  of 

food,  and  when  they  are  seen  in  company, 

they  are  supposed   to   be  making  passages, 

or  migrating   from  one  feeding  ground  to 

i  another.    The  large  whale  is  generally  very 

i   incautious,  and  if  alone,  lie  is  without  dllii- 

I   culty  attacked,  and  by  expert  whalers  very 

!   easily  i;illed  ;  as  frequently,  after  receiving 

>   the  first  plunge  of  the  harpoon,  he  appears 

j   hardly  to  feel  it,  but  continues  lying  like  a 

5   log   upon   the   water,   before    he   rallies   or 

J   makes  any  attempt  to  escape  from  his  enc- 

I   mies.     Large  whales  are   sometimes,  how- 

}   ever,  met  with,  remarkably  cunning  and  full 

<   of  courage,  when  they  will  commit  dreadful 

i  havoc  with  their  jaws   and   tail;  the  jaw 

I  and  head  appear,  however,  to  be  their  prin- 

S   cipal  ofil-nsive  weapons. 


The  females  are  much  smaller  than  the 
males.  They  are  remarkable  for  their  at- 
tachment to  their  young,  which  they  may 
be  frequently  seen  urging  and  as-sisting  to 
escape  from  danger,  with  the  most  unceas- 
ing care  and  fondness.  When  one  female 
of  a  herd  is  attacked  or  wounded,  her  faith- 
ful companions  will  remain  around  her  till  | 
the  last  moment,  or  till  they  are  wounded  \ 
themselves.  The  "  yomig  hulls,"  or  males, 
ditTer  strikingly  in  this  respect  from  the 
females,  inasmuch  as  they  make  an  im- 
mediate and  rapid  retreat,  upon  one  of  their 
nmnl>er  being  struck,  who  is  left  to  take  the 
best  care  he  can  of  himself.  They  are  very 
cunning  and  cautious,  keeping  at  all  times 
a  good  look-out  for  danger.  They  have  some 
mode  of  comm\micating  with  one  another 
in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time;  the 
distance  between  them  sometimes  amount- 
in"'  to  five  or  even  seven  miles.  The  means 
by  which  this  is  effected  remains  a  curious 
secret. 

About  three  tons  of  oil  are  commonly  ob- 
tained from  a  large  sperm  whale  ;  from  one 
to  two  from  a  smaller  one.  The  fish  is  less 
sought  after  for  its  oil,  however,  than  for 
two  very  valuable  drugs  which  it  yields, 
spermaceti  and  ambergris  ;  its  oil  is  also  con- 


vertible  Inio  spermaceti.  CanUes  are  made 
of  it,  which  are  pubstit\ited  for  wax,  and  are 
sold  much  cheaper. 

Tlie  eiifraviiig  represents  a  whale  recent- 
ly captured  oil'  Folkestone,  England,  in  the 


vicinity  of  which  he  was  driven  by  a  violent  , 

storm.'    He  measured  eighty  feet  in  length,  ( 

thirty  in  girth,  and  was  estimated  to  weigh  < 

twenty  tons.  J 


THE   ANT-EATER. 


There  are  three  species  of  this  curious 
animal  known  to  naturalists,  comprehended 
under  the  general  name  of  ant-beak.  The 
difference  between  these  species  is  only  one 


of  size  and  power,  —  their  habits  of  life, 
their  singular  appetites,  and  the  manner  of 
taking  their  prey,  being  alike  in  all.  The 
largest  species   is  four  feet  long,  from   the   | 


THE    PALACE    OF    FONTAINEBLEAU. 


581 


ti|i  of  the  snout  to  the  insertion  of  the  tail  ; 

while  the  shortest  is   hareiy  seven   inches. 

The  snout  is  formed   in  so  disproportionate 

J   a  manner,. that  the  length  of  it  makes  near- 

1   \y  a  fourth  of  the  whole  tijjure.    It  is  almost 

;   round  and  cyiindrii'al,extrenielyslender,and 

i  nardly  thlckerat  the  eyes  than  at  tiiee.xtrem- 

i   ity.    The  legs  are  very  short,  and  armed  with 

J    five  strong  claws.     The  mouth  is  vcrv  small, 

J   the    neck  short,  and  the  tongue  extremely 

i   long,  slender  and  flatted  on  Ijoth  sides;  this 

\   it  keoi)s  generally  doubled  up  in  the  mouth, 

J   and  is  the  only  instrument  by  which  it  finds 

J   subsistence  ;  for  the  whole  of  this  tribe  are 

^   destitute   of  teeth,  and   find   safety  only  in 

the  remoteness  and  security  of  their  retreat. 

It  may  well  be  supposed  that  an  animal 

so  helpless  as  the  ant-bear,  with    legs   too 

short  to  fit  it  for  flight,  and  unprovided  with 

teeth  with  which   to  make  resistance  when 

attacked,   is    neither    ilunicrous    nor   often 

seen  ;   its   retreats  are   in  the   most  barren 

and  uncultivated   parts  of  South  America. 

It  is  entirely  unknown   to   the   old   world. 

It  lives  chiefly  in  the  woods,  anil   conceals 

itself  under  the  fallen   leaves.     Its  manner 

of  procuring  its   prey  is  one  of  the   most 

singular  in  all  natural  history.    As  its  name 

implies,  it   lives  entirely  upon  ants  and  in- 


sects ;  and  these,  in  the  countries  where  the 
ant-eater  is  found,  are  produced  in  the 
greatest  abundance  —  often  building  bills 
five  or  si.x  feet  high.  When  the  animal 
approaches  an  ant-hill,  it  creeps  forward 
slowly  on  its  bellv,  taking  every  iirecautinn 
to  keep  concealed,  till  it  arrives  at  a  con- 
venient distance  ;  then,  lying  down  at  full 
length,  it  thrusts  forth  its  round  roil  tongue, 
which  is  often  two  ieet  long,  across  the  path 
of  these  busy  insects,  and  there  lets  it  lie 
motionless  for  several  minutes  together. 
The  ants  of  that  country,  some  of  wl-.ieh 
are  half  an  inch  long,  considering  it  as  a 
piece  of  flesh  accidentally  thrown  in  their 
way,  come  forth  and  swarm  upon  it  in  great 
numbers  ;  but  wherever  tl'.ey  touch,  they 
stick  ;  for  the  tongue  of  the  animal  is  cov- 
ered with  a  slimy  fluid,  which  entangles 
every  creature  that  lights  upon  it.  When 
therefore  the  ant-eater  has  entrapped  a 
quantity  suflicient  to  make  it  worth  its 
while  to  swallow,  it  draws  in  its  tongue 
and  devours  tliem  all  in  a  moment  ;  after 
which  it  still  continues  in  its  position,  prac- 
tising the  same  arts  till  its  hunger  is  ap- 
peased. Such  is  the  lu.xurious  life  of  a 
creature  whicli  .seems  of  all  others  the  most 
helpless  and  deformed. 


THE   PALACE   OF   FONTAINEBLEAU. 


This  celebrated  chateau  was  built  by 
Francis  I.,  and  all  the  art  and  decorative 
talent  of  the  age  was  called  into  requisition 
for  its  adornment.  The  structure  has  been 
since  embellished  by  the  taste  or  e.xtrava- 
gance  jf  succeeding  kings.  It  is  an  irreg- 
ular pile,  resembling  a  group  of  distinct 
edifices  rather  than  one  united  building. 
It  has  six  court-yards,  each  nearly  or  quite 


surrounded  with  three  or  four  buildings, 
and  combined  without  any  uniform  plan. 
It  is  adorned  with  numerous  statues  and 
paintings  ;  the  work  of  the  Italian  artists  and 
others,  whom  Francis  I.  engaged  for  its  dec- 
oration, have  almost  entirely  disappeared, 
some  from  the  rav.iges  of  time,  and  others 
from  the  rise  of  a  more  correct  taste,  with 
which  their    indelicacy  was    incompatible. 


582 


POPE    PIUS    IX. 


The  pnrk  and  gardens  are  in  a  style  of  mag- 
nificence corresponding  to  tiiat  of  the  cha- 
teau ;  tiiey  are  adorned  with  a  canal  and  cas- 
cade—  nearly  three  fourths  of  a  mile  long, 
and  above  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide 
—  several  smaller  canals,  and  a  variety  of 
jets  d'eau  and  statues  in  bronze  and  marble. 
Several  kings  of  France  have  been  born 
here,  and  others  have  died  here.  Christina, 
Q'  ;en  of  Sweden,  after  her  abdication,  re- 
sided here;  here  lived  for  eighteen  months 
Pope  Pius  VII.,  during  the  reign  of  Napo- 
leon;  and  here  Napoleon  himself  signed 


his  act  of  abdication  of  the  throne  of  France, 
in  181  i,  previous  to  his  retirement  to  Elba. 
Surrounding  the  town  of  Fontainebleau,  is 
an  extensive  forest,  occupying  aiT  extent  of 
over  forty-one  thousand  acres,  or  sixty-four 
square  miles.  Its  soil  is  sandy,  interspersed 
with  rude  blocks  of  sandstone,  wliich  are 
quarried  for  the  pavement  of  Paris.  The 
age  of  some  of  the  trees,  and  the  width  of 
the  avenues  which  pierce  the  forest  in  every 
direction,  impart  to  it  a  high  degree  of  pic- 
turesque beauty. 


POPE   PIUS   IX. 


The  present  Pope  of  Rome,  before  his 
accession,  bore  the  name  of  Cardinal  G.  M. 
M.  Ferretti.  He  was  elevated  to  the  papal 
chair  by  the  usual  vote  of  the  assembled 
cardinals,  in  1846.  His  installation  took 
place  in  June  of  that  year.  At  this  time 
he  assumed  the  name  of  Pius  IX.,  or,  as  the 
Italians  call  him,  Pio  Nono.  His  portraits 
represent  him  as  a  fine-looking  gentleman, 
of  a  pleasant  and  intelligent  countenance, 
indicating  a  good  degree  of  talent  and  char- 
acter. 

Iminndiately  on  his  accession  to  the  pa- 
pacy, Pius  IX.  showed  himself  aware  of 
the  demands  of  the  age  ;  and  commenced, 
at  once,  a  reform  in  the  temporal  affairs  of 
the   States  of  the  Church,  which  had  long 


disgraced  Italy  by  their  backwardness  in 
every  improvement.  As  the  popular  side 
seemed  likely  to  prevail,  he  appeared  to 
place  himself  at  the  head  of  the  party  of  | 
progress,  and  every  liberal-minded  man  '■ 
hailed  him  as  the  champion  of  popular 
rights.  But  the  events  of  1843  hurried 
him  on  so  fast,  that  he  lost  the  confidence 
of  his  people  and  of  the  friends  of  libertj, 
by  withholding  the  Roman  nation  from  re- 
sistance to  the  Austrian  invasion  of  Italy, 
in  1848.  His  people  rose  against  him,  de- 
posed him  from  all  temporal  power,  and 
established  a  republic.  The  Pope,  still 
choosing  to  take  the  kingly  side  in  the  great 
contest  of  power  against  right,  monarchs 
against  people,  fled,  in   the   latter  part  of 


THE    COLOSSUS    OF    RHODKS. 


6S3 


>  1S48,  to  Gatfa.     Here  he  placed    liinisclf  I  on  the  part  of  the  Romans,  under  Mazzini. 

(  under  the  protection  of  the  King  of  Naples,  '  which  was  worlliy  of  the   nohlest   of  their 

I  one  of  the  niost  hiaoli-henrted   of  tiie  ene-    ancestors.      The  excuse  the  French  repuhlic 

\  mies  of  popular  rights  !      Uiiaccountahly  to  ,  gives  for  this  interference  is  that,  in  conse- 

<  most  of  the  friends  of  the  French  repuiilic,    (picnce  of  the  wealincss   of  the  Roman   re- 

l  that   power  sent   an  army  of  20,000  men,  ,  puhlic,  Austria  and    Naples  would  be  para- 

J  under  Oudinot,  to  take  possession  of  Rome,  '  mount  in  Italy,  and  thus  France  would  have 

I  and  restore  the  Pope  I    They  entered  Rome    lost  the  weight  she  claims   in  that  country 
in  triuinjih,  July  2d,  1S49,  altera  resistance  '  and  Europe. 


THE   COLOSSUS   OF   RHODES. 


This  stupendous  statue  was  reckoned  one 
of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world,  and 
though  by  some  supposed  to  be  one  of  the 
fables  of  anticpiity,  yet  its  reality  is  too  well 
authenticated  by  historians  of  veracity  and 
authority  to  be  doubted  fora  moment.  The 
accounts  concerning  its  construction  are 
contradictory,  and  mixed  up  with  much 
fable.  The  following,  gathered  from  vari- 
ous sources,  is  not,  however,  devoid  of  in- 
terest. 

Demetrius  laid  siege  to  Rhodes  and  seri- 
ously threatened  its  destruction.  The  Rho- 
dians  besought  the  assistance  of  their  allies, 
and  implored  the  protection  of  Apollo,  their 
tutelary  god.  Being  vigorously  succored  by 
their  allies,  the  besiegers  were  forced  to 
abandon  the  enterprise.  The  Rhodians,  in 
recognition  of  these  services,  resolved  to 
erect  a  colossal  statue  of  Apollo,  at  the 
entrance  of  their  harbor.  Chares,  a  famous 
sculptor,  was  intrusted  with  the  work.  He 
had  scarcely  half  finished  it,  however,  when 


he  found  that  the  funds  had  given  out ;  this 
discovery  so  chagrined  him,  that  he  hanged 
himself  in  despair.  The  statue  was  finally 
completed  by  Laches,  and  was  placed  upon 
its  pedestal. 

Strabo,  Pliny,  and  other  ancient  authors 
who  lived  at  the  time  that  the  colossus  is 
said  to  have  been  in  existence,  give  its 
height  at  seventy  cubits,  or  a  hundred  Eng- 
lish feet.  Pliny  also  relates,  that  few  per- 
sons could  span  its  thumb,  ami  that  its  fin- 
gers were  as  long  as  ordinary  statues.  The 
statue  was  placed  across  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor,  with  its  feet  on  two  rocks ;  and 
the  Rhodian  vessels  could  pass  under  its 
legs.  It  remained  hardly  sixty  years,  how- 
ever, for  an  earthquake  threw  it  from  its  j 
pl.-ice,  breaking  it  ofl'  at  the  knees ;  it  re- 
mained in  this  condition  till  the  conquest 
of  Rhodes  by  the  Saracegs,  A.  D.  tiSJ,  when 
it  was  beaten  to  pieces  and  sold  to  a  Jew 
merchant,  who  loaded  above  iiine  hundred 
camels  with  its  spoils. 


584 


THE    EASTERN    WAB. 


THE    EASTERN    WAR. 


The  Eastern  War,  as  it  is  called,  is  now 
attracting  the  attention  of  the  civilized 
world;  we  therefore  give  a  brief  historical 
notice  of  it,as  belonging  to  our  Chronologi- 
cal View  of  remarkable  events. 

The  origin  of  this  war,  is  to  be  traced 
chiefly  to  the  position  of  Louis  Napoleon, 
as  Emperor  of  the  French.  This  individual 
had  obtained  the  sceptre  of  France,  by  one 
of  the  most  daring  and  atrocious  acts  within 
the  memory  of  man.  Having  sworn  fidelity 
to  the  Constitution,  to  which  he  owed  liis 
office  of  President  of  the  Republic,  he  set 
secretly  to  work  to  destroy  it,  and  to  erect 
upon  its  ruins  an  empire  of  which  he  was 
to  be  the  master.  He  gradually  seduced 
the  French  army,  secured  the  clergy,  and  in 
order  to  reconcile  the  mass  of  the  nation, 
and  esiiecially  the  men  of  property,  to  his 
plans,  he  caused  the  public  mind  to  be  filled 
with  fears  and  anxieties  about  a  meditated 
and  threatened  socialist  ex[)losion,  which,  it 
w,as  pretended  would  bring  down  the  very 
pill.ii's  of  law,  religion,  and  society.  He  was 
aided  in  this,  by  a  minister,  skilled  in  all 
the  arts  of  duplicity  and  fraud,  he  having 
at  his  command  the  whole  police  of  Franco, 
a  power  almost  omniscient,  onmipotent,  and 
onini|)resent. 

When  the  whole  plot  was  ready,  the 
great  blow  was  struck,  December  2,  1852, 
and  is  called  the  Coup  d'Etat.  By  this, 
the  Constitution  was  crushed,  the  i\ssembly 
of  750  members  declared  to  be  abolished, 
and  a  considerable  part  of  that  body — in- 
cluding^the  most  patriotic  and  eminent  men 
of  the  state — seized  at  night  by  armed  hire- 
lings, and  hurried  off  to  tlie  State  Prisons. 
Two  days  after,  the  Massacre  of  the  Boule- 
vards took  place — an.l  from  one  to  two  thou- 
sand persons  were  shot  down  in  the  streets 
of  Paris,  either  without  resistance  or  apology, 
or  upon  slight  pretext — it  being  deemed  ne- 
cessary to  inspire  the  country  with  horror 
at  the  socialist  and  republican  resistance, 
false.y  said  to  have  been  made  or  threaten- 
ed ;  and  at  the  same  time  to  inculcate  a 
salutary  dread  of  the  power  of  the  govern- 
ment. Soon  after,  all  or  )icarly  all  France 
was  declared  in  a  state  of  seige,  and  sus- 
pected persons,  in  every  part  of  the  king- 
dom, amounting  to  thirty  or  f)rty  thousand, 
were  jnit  in  prison. 

Then  followed  a  reign  of  terror,  during 


which  the  press  was  silenced,  and  various 
acts  took  place,  which,  though  within  the 
knov.'ledge  and  memory  of  many  persons 
in  France,  are  still  unrecorded  in  the  gen- 
eral history  of  the  times.  Among  these 
events,  the  banishing  to  distant  colonies  of 
some  thousands  of  persons,  without  trial, 
and  the  exiling  of  others,  g"uilty  of  no  crime 
except  their  genius,  their  patriotism,  and  the 
respect  of  their  countrymen  which  they  had 
acquired,  were  significant  and  suggestive. 

AH  this  was  done,  be  it  remembered,  in 
the  name  of  the  Republic,  for  beyond  all 
question,  at  this  time,  the  republican  senti- 
ment was  the  leading  political  element  in  the 
mind  of  the  nation.  But  gradually,  and  by 
a  series  of  intrigues,  unparalleled  for  their 
ingenuity,  their  audacity,  and  their  success, 
the  republic  was  obliterated  and  the  empire 
substituted.  Napoleon  being  at  the  head. 
By  the  use  of  the  almost  omnipotent  means 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  French  govern- 
ment through  its  absolute  and  universal 
centralization,  all  this  was  made  to  appear 
to  flow  froiri  the  spontaneous  will  and  wish 
of  the  people,  or  at  least,  to  have  its  sanc- 
tion. There,  was  however,  a  knowledge  on 
the  part  of  Louis  Napoleon,  that  he  was  not 
personally  loved,  that  there  was  no  loyalty 
to  him  or  his  fiimil}',  that  there  was  no  ten- 
dency, and  could  be  none,  in  the  hearts  of 
the  people  toward  a  consecration  of  his  sys- 
tem, and  the  conversion  of  it  into  a  settled 
dynasty.  He  knew  and  he  felt,  that  as  he 
had  gained  his  power  by  perjury,  blood, 
violence,  and  treachery,  such  as  the  darkest 
pages  of  history  could  scarcely  equal,  that 
lie  was  surrounded  with  danger,  and  diffi- 
culties, alike  from  the  shock  he  had  given 
to  the  moral  sense  of  mankind,  and  the  in- 
dividual enmity  he  had  incited. 

In  this  unsafe  and  unsteady  position  he 
naturally  cast  about  on  all  sides  for  support. 
His  chief  reliance  was  the  army  and  navy,  but 
these  he  had  run  the  risk  of  disgusting,  by  de- 
claring in  a  public  speech  at  Bourdeaux,  (hat 
the  Emjyire  was  peace.  It  is  well  known,  that 
as  soon  as  he  was  in  the  saddle,  as  emperor, 
seeing  that  the  military  spirit  was  rising  in 
the  army  and  navy  of  the  country,  and  that 
he  must  satisfy  this,  or  be  displaced,  he  be- 
gan to  ponder  tlie  map  of  Europe,  and  in- 
deed to  look  over  the  world,  to  discover 
some  field  of  conquest,  or  some  theatre  of 


THE    EASTERN    WAR. 


585 


war  that  might  suit  liis  purpose.  In  this 
state  of  tilings,  it  will  bo  reinenibered  that 
some  apprehended  he  would  strike  a  blow 
in  the  West  ludias ;  some  imagined  tliat  he 
would  attempt  to  carry  the  boundaries  of 
Franc*  back  to  the  Rhine:  while  others, 
and  a?  long  them,  many  of  the  British  edi- 
tors and  legislators,  apprehended  that  he 
would  attempt  an  invasiim  of  England. 

Another  sujiport,  which  Louis  Napoleon 
had  sedulously  sought  and  useil,  was  that  of 
the  Church.  Dissolute  as  he  was  in  private 
life,  and  dark  as  was  his  jiolitical  history — 
lie  found  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  favor 
and  the  inlluence  of  llic  priesthooil  in  France. 
Bat  one  thing  he  still  lacked,  and  that  was 
the  consecrating  oil  of  the  I'opc — which  had 
been  bestowed  upon  his  great  uncle — in 
whose  footsteps  by  this  time,  he  professed  to 
walk.  The  lloly  Father  wa.s  besought  to 
grant  this  boon,  but  he  feared  to  do  so,  le,st 
the  sovereigns  of  Europe,  who  held  Louis 
Napoleon  to  be  a  usurper  and  a  disturber  of 
the  monarchies  of  the  world,  should  take 
offense. 

In  this  state  of  things  it  was  suggested 
that  Louis  Napoleon  might  gain  favor  witli 
the  Catholics,  and  perhaps  even  win  the 
Pope,  if  ho  could  obtain  some  .advantages 
for  the  Latin  over  the  Oreek  Church,  in 
Jerusaiem  and  oilier  parts  of  I'alestine,  and 
thus  become   the  "Protector  of  the   Holy 


places 


M.  Lavalette,  w;is   therefore   dis- 


patclied  to  Constantinople,  .'is  the  emb.assa- 
dor  of  France,  to  pronjote  tliis  object;  but  in 
his  zeal,  ho  took  such  steps  that  the  Czar  of 
Russi.a,  seeing  what  was  going  forward,  and 
feeling  that  the  inlhienco  he  claimed  and 
had  exercised  over  the  Greek  subjcot-s  of  the 
Sultan  in  Turkey,  was  in  jeopardy,  sent 
Prince  Menchikofl'  March  1,  ISoS,  to' Con- 
stantinople, with  instructions  to  make  posi- 
tive and  decisive  remonstrances,  against 
these  schemes  of  France. 

Uere  then,  were  the  germs  of  the  war. 
Russi.a,  through  her  minister  demanded  an 
open  .acknowledgment  of  the  protectorate 
which  .she  insisted  was  conceded  to  her  by 
usage  and  seinired  by  treaty — over  the 
members  of  the  Greek  religion  in  Turkey. 
The  ambassadors  of  France,  Eiigl.and,  Aus- 
tria, and  Prussi.a,  at  Ccjnstantinople,  remon- 
strated .against  this,  and  after  long  negotia- 
tions, the  Sultan  rejected  the  ultimatum 
which  Russi.a  had  given.  News  of  this 
event  reached  St.  Petersburg,  26th  of  June, 
1853,  and  immediately  the  Czar  issued  a 
manifesto,  declaring  his  intention  to  occupy 
the     Danubian    provinces — Moldavia    and 


AV.allachia — claiming  to  do  so,  in  virtue  of  a 
provision  in  existing  treaties,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  holding  material  guarantees  from 
Turkey,  for  her  fidelity  in  the  performance 
of  her  obligations. 

A  state  of  things  had  now  arrived,  which 
afforded  pretext  for  what  Louis  N.apoleon 
needed — a  war,  and  he  was  not  slow  in 
seizing  the  opportunity.  It  appears  that  he 
succeeded  in  bringing  England  info  liis_ 
views,  and  believing  themselves  eipial  to  the 
task  of  speedily  humbling  Russia,  tJie  two 
countries — England  and  Franco,  prepared 
themselves  for  the  struggle.  It  is  true,  that 
in  doing  this,  many  things  were  to  be  accom- 
plished. England  w.as  to  desert  Russia, 
her  old  Ally ;  slie  w.as  to  treat  that  power 
with  duplicity  and  treachery,  and  was  to 
form  a  league  with  her  liereditary  enemy, 
France.  But  great  advantages  were  pre- 
sented to  her  far  seeing  and  greedy  vision. 
If  tho  Russian  naval  force  in  the  Bl.ack  Sea, 
could  be  annihilated  ;  if  Russia  could  be  hem- 
med in  and  confined  to  her  Eiiro])ean  domin- 
ions. Great  Britain  could  not  only  enjoy 
quiet  and  secure  possession  of  India,  w'lich 
had  been  disturbed,  if  not  threatened  by  the 
near  a]iproach  of  liussian  armies  and  diplo- 
macy in  that  (piarter,but  she  could  also  accpiire 
ascendency  throughout  the  whole  of  Centra} 
Asia,  aboundinir  in  rich  staples,  and  offerinnf 
an  almost  illimitable  field  for  British  coiu- 
merce.  The  borders  of  the  Black  Sea,  also, 
with  its  rivei's,  coursingthrough  extensive  re- 
gions, yet  hitherto  sealed,  would  be  0|iened  to 
British  trade,  and  become  markets  for  British 
manufacturers. 

Such  were  tho  inducements  offered  to 
England  as  direct  and  certain  consequences 
of  the  crippling  of  Russia,  and  :is  to  ulti- 
mate events,  it  was  anlicip.ated  that  so  soon 
.as  Russia  ceased  to  be  a  great  maritime 
power,  tlie  dominion  of  the  seas,  would, 
immediateh-  pass  into  the  hands  of  England 
anil  France,  whose  united  navies  would  be 
irresistil>le.  This  feeling,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, burst  forth,  at  the  time  Savastojiol 
was  supposed  to  have  surrendered  to  the 
Allies  in  the  autumn  of  1854, — soon  after 
the  battle  of  the  Alma.  ]>oth  in  England 
and  France,  it  was  then  said,  in  view  of  tho 
supposed  .aggressive  tendencies  of  the  Ameri- 
cans— "  as  we  shall  soon  have  settled  the 
affairs  of  the  E;ist ;  wo  shall  then  regulate 
those  of  the  West !" 

As  to  Louis  Na|ioleon,  his  whole  oliject  was 
to  establish  himselfupon  the  throne  of  France: 
every  thing  else  was  subsidiary  to  this.  At- 
tempts were  made,  though  with  little  suc- 


74 


5S6 


THE    EASTERN    WAR, 


cess,  to  show  that  tlie  safetv  of  Franco  de- 
inanJeJ  that  bounds  should  be  set  to  the 
aiTixressions  of  Russia:  that  unless  she  was 
resisted  and  punished,  she  would  speedily'  be 
in  possession  of  Constantinople,  and  holding 
that  master  Key  of  the  East,  she  would 
threaten  the  whole  of  Europe,  by  her  collos- 
sal  power.  In  the  ardor  of  the  argument,  to 
rouse  the  people  of  France  into  enthusiasm 
for  the  war,  forgetting  that  the  Mediterranean 
is  already  under  the  lock  and  key  of  Eng- 
land, at  Gibraltar,  it  was  even  maintained 
that  this  sea  was  in  danger  of  being  con- 
verted into  a  Russian  lake,  and  nothing  but 
immediate  resistance  could  prevent  such  a 
state  of  things  so  humiliating — so  fatal  to 
France. 

Peace  or  War,  is  easily  obtained,  when 
the  hearts  of  kings  desire  it.  The  latter, 
being  the  choice  of  the  two  leading  powi?rs 
in  Western  Europe,  of  course  soon  followed. 
On  the  2d  July,  1853,  the  Russian  army 
entered  the  Principalities  :  on  the  5th  of 
October,  the  Sultan  made  a  declaivation  of 
War,  gi\'ing  the  Russians  fifteen  days  to 
evacuate  these  provinces.  A  force  of  1 20,000 
Turks  was  raised  and  placed  under  Omer 
Pasha,  who  took  up  his  head  quarters  at 
Shunila.  We  have  not  space  to  detail  the 
events  which  ensued  ;  it  must  suffice  to  say 
generally,  that  both  powers  continued  to 
jiour  troops  into  the  disputed  territories,  and 
that  numerous  bloody  conflicts  followed. 
Among  these,  were  the  battle  of  Oltenit/^a, 
which  took  place  November  3d,  and  4th, 
1863,  in  which  the  Russians  30,000  strong, 
were  bravelv  and  successfully  resisted,  by  a 
smaller  number  of  Turks :  the  destruction  of  a 
considerable  number  of  Turkish  vessels  of  war, 
7  frii'ates,  1  steam  frigate,  and  5  smaller 
craft — in  the  harbor  of  Sinope,  November 
30th  ;  and  the  battle  of  Citate,  on  the  Cth 
January,  1854,  in  which  the  Turks,  after  an 
obstiintte  tight,  gained  a  brilliant  victory. 
To  this  we  may  add  the  seige  of  Silistria, 
which,  commencing  on  the  14th  April,  con- 
tinued till  about  the  1st  July,  when  the 
Russi.ins  in  consequence  of  the  threatening 
movemenis  of  the  Allied  armies,  now  ad- 
vancing toward  the  scene  of  warfare,  com- 
menced their  retreat,  which  ended  in  the 
final  ev.acuation  of  the  principalities. 

On  the  part  of  the  Allies,  the  chief  events 
were  as  follows:  On  the  27th  March,  1854, 
Q,U''enVictoriaannounced  to  Parliament,  that 
she  felt  bound  toaflbrd  active  assistance  to  the 
Sultan,  her  Ally,  against  unprovoked  aggres- 
sion. The  Emperor  Napoleon,  having  now 
become  the  A  \\y  of  England,  made  a  simi- 


lar announcement.  From  this  time,  the  ar- 
mies and  navies  of  these  two  powers,  have 
coojierated  as  well  in  the  Baltic,  as  in  the 
Hlack  Sea,  and  its  borders,  in  combatting 
Russia. 

On  the  23d  March,  1854,  Odessa  was 
bombarded  by  the  Allied  fleets,  and  the 
Russian  defenses  there  destroyed,  the  former 
losing  a  vessel  of  war,  the  Tiger,  of  18 
guns.  Admiral  Napier,  with  the  English 
fleet,  was  joined  in  the  Baltic,  by  the  French 
•squadron  in  April — tlie  whole  force  amount- 
ing to  sixtj'-seven  vessels  of  war.  On  the 
15th  of  August,  the  Bomarsund  forts  at  Han- 
go,  were  bombarded  by  the  Allies,  and  hav- 
ing surrended,  were  demolished. 

The  Russians,  having  evacuated  the  Prin- 
cip.alities,  various  negotiations  for  peace  took 
]ilace — which  however,  proved  fruitless.  In 
the  meantime,  Austria  marched  alargearmy 
into  and  occupied  these  territories,with  the  ap- 
probation of  the  Allies  and  the  secret  satisfac- 
tion of  Russia.  The  great  struggle  between 
the  Allies  and  Russia,  was  drawn  to  a  focus 
in  the  Crimea,  whither  the  former,  under 
Gen.  St.  Arnaud,  commander  of  the  French, 
and  Lord  Raglan,  commander  of  the  Eng- 
lish, were  conducted  in  September,  1854. 
On  the  19tli,  a  terrible  battle  took  place  on 
the  river  Alma,  the  Allies  being  40,000 
strong,  against  the  Russians,  with  an  inferior 
force.  The  latter  were  defeated  with  great 
slaughter,  and  then  retired  to  Sevastopol. 
The  Allies  marched  upon  the  latter  place, 
and  passing  round  it,  took  up  a  position  at 
Balai;lav;i,  on  the  south. 

Since  that  pr-riod  there  has  been  an  almost 
constant  conflict  between  the  besiegers  and 
besieged,  but  the  place  still  holds  out,against 
the  almost  unexampled  efforts  of  the  assail- 
ants.' The  Russians  have  displayed  extra- 
ordinary genius,  as  well  as  immense  re- 
sources in  men  and  ammunition,  in  the  de- 
fense. It  appears  probable,  however,  (Aug. 
1 855,)  that  Savastapol  must  ultimately  yield, 
though  this  is  not  likely  to  end  the  conflict. 
The  war  has  cost  the  lives  of  500,000  men, 
and  still  causes  an  expenditure  of  more  than 
a  million  of  dollars  a  day.  It  is  curious  to 
observe  with  what  horror  despots  cry  out 
against  the  blood  and  ruin  inflicted  by  repub- 
lican revolutions,  wdiich  are  usually  almost 
bloodless,  and  only  disturb  for  a  few  months, 
the  price  of  stocks;  while  a  quarrtl  among 
kings,  or  an  attempt  to  establish  an  emperor 
on  a  throne,  costs  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
lives,  and  imposes  an  expenditure  of  a  quar- 
ter of  a  million  of  dollars  a  day,  upon  a  single 
country  ! 


X 


THE    EASTERN    WAK. 


riST 


We  inav  ailJ  to  t.lie  startling;  events  con- 
[nected  wiili  this  war,  tli.-it  Marsli,-ill  St.  Ar- 
I  ii.-nul,  Lin'il  Raylan,  ami  tlie  0?.ai-  Nicliolas, 
Jail  living  ami  acting;  promim/iitly  in  the 
*  bei;'iiiiiiiig  of  this  coulliot,  are  now  dead, 
and  before  the  rage  of  the  combatants,  the 


sehemes  of  politicians,  and  the  ambition  of  ' 
kings  and  eni[)erors  can  be  appeased — still  i 
other  great  names,  as  w.  11  as  ihuusands  of 
liunibler  ones,  will  doubtless  be  inscribed  on  i 
their  tombs. 


l  Since  tlio  preceding  pages  were  written, 
^  the  mighty  struggle  between  Russia  and 
)  the  allied  powers  has  been  brought  to  a 
'  close. 

/  It  is  impossible  to  presr>nt,  within  the 
(space  we  can  assign  to  this  snbject,  full 
)  details  of  the  conflict.  All  we  can  attempt 
I  is  an  outline  of  leading  events.  While  the 
I  fleets  of  France  and  England,  as  well  in  the 
I  Baltic  as  the  l>laek  .Sea,  inflicted  some  rais- 
( chief  u[)on  the  Russian  towns  along  the  coast, 
[  Seb.istopol  was  the  focus  of  the  strit'e.  To 
» this  point  the  belligerents  had  drawn 
I  immense  armies,  supi>lied  with  every  known 
)  weapon  of  attack  and  defense ;  here  too, 
(they  collected  their  able-st  generals,  and  all 
j  put  forth  their  highest  efforts.  For  a  whole 
(year  the  siege  was  pushed  by  the  allie- 
'with  astonishing  vigor.  During  thisjieriod 
(several  bloody  Iwttles  took  place,  especiall}- 
those  of  l'>alaklava  on  tiic  25th  Oct.  1854, 

>  and  of  Inkerman  on  the  5th  of  November 
(following.  The  latter  took  place  on  the 
?  Saljbath,  and  converted  the  holy  day  into 

one    of  the    most    terrible   epochs    of  thi^ 
(sanguinary  war. 

During  the  winter  of  1854-5,    the   suf- 

>  ferings  of  the  besiegers  appear  to  have  been 
dreadful  Ijcyond  description.     The  climate 

[  of  the  Crimea  is  severe,  attended  by 
terrible  hurricanes,  .ind  frequent  storms  of 
(snow,  rain,  and  hail.  On  the  14th  of 
I  November,  one  of  the  tempests  occurred, 
J  which  are  pccidiar  to  this  region.  Early  in 
■  the  morning,  the  canvass  of  the  tents  of  both 
ifficiMS  and  men  of  the  liritish  army  were 
'  blown  away.  The  night  before  having  been 
I  rainy,  the  whole  plate.-iu  occupied  by  thi; 
[British  troops  was  covered  with  mire.  As 
I  the  soldiers  w.'re  left  exposed  to  the  gale, 
)  they  were  tumbled  into  the  slime,  and  covered 
J  over  with  it,  as  it  was  taken  up  and  dashed 
I  upon  them  by  the  raging  blast.  The  scene 
I  w:is     at    once     ludicrous      and     appalling. 


Officers  of  the  first  rank  were  seen  slrngglinof  i 
with  the  flapping canv.-vss,  or  rushing  wildlv  ' 
across  the  plain,  in  pursuit  of  their  flying  j 
clothes,  books  or  papers. 

While  these  scenes  were  taking  place  on 
the  lanil,  still  more  dreadful  spectacles  > 
were  exhibited  along  the  shore,  and  espe-  ] 
ci.ally  without  the  harbor.  Here  transport' 
after  transport  yielded  to  the  gale  ;  no  less  ( 
tli.an  eight  large  vessels  being  lost,  and  two  i 
seriously  dam.aged.  The  beach  for  miles  ( 
was  covered  with  inefchandise  and  frag- 
ments of  the  wrecks.  Among  the  vessels  < 
lost  was  the  Prince,  with  two  and  a  half; 
millions  of  dollars  worth  of  military  stores,  j 
and  IGO  persons — seven  only  of  the  latter  ( 
being  saved.  Such  are  some  of  the! 
shadows  in  the  dreadful  tr.-igedy  of  war. 

The  siege  of  Seb.istopol  was  begun  in  Sept. 
1854,  and  terminated  in  Sept.   1855.     On 
the  Olh  of  th.-it  month,  everything  being  in  i 
readiness,  Mar.shall  IVlissier,  u]'On  whom  the  j 
chief  command   had  devolved,  o|iened  his  ( 
batteries  along  a  line  of  four  miles.     The ' 
cannonading  w.as  continued  night  and  ilay 
until    the    9th.     At    the    same    time,    thei 
British,  Sardinian  and  Turkish  troops  m.ide  j 
attacks  in  ditl'erent  quarters.     The  resistance  ( 
of  the  Russians  was  heroic,  but  at  last  thej' 
were  comjKdled  to  retire.     They  crossed  to  j 
the  north  side  of  Sobastopol,  and  the  allies ' 
took   possession  of  the  fortifications,  which* 
had  so  long  withstood  them. 

This  event  led  to  negotiations  for  peace.  J 
Plenipotentiaries  met  at  Paris,  Feb.  ioth, 
lS5(i,  and  agreed  upon  a  treaty,  which  was  ] 
ratiliedand  went  into  operation  .\pril  27th.  i 
The  chief  stipulations  were  that  the  gov-  , 
ernment  of  'I'urkey  should  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  its  christian  sulijects,  that  the  ' 
Black  Sea  and  Danube  should  be  free  to  the  > 
commerce  of  the  world,  and  that  the  1 
|n-ineipa!itles  should  be  guaranteed  to  | 
Turkey. 


? 


1800. 

March.  14.  Pius  VII.,  (Chiuj.iinoiili,)  made  Pope, 
b  ;  French  influence. 

April  13.  Moreauopens  the  campaign  of  the  Rliine, 
an,l  enters  Germany  with  a  French  army. 

May  16—27.  Bonaparte  crossed  tlie  Alps  at  Mt.  St. 
BernaVtl,  wiiii  a  French  army  of  60,000  men.  Battle 
of  RIontehello. 

.Iniie  14.  Battle  of  Marengo,  gained  hy  Bonaparte, 
First  Consul,  over  the  Austrians,  who  evacuated  most 
of  Upper  Italy. 

Sept.  3.  "frealy  of  Peace  and  Commerce  concluded 
betweeji  France  and  the  United  States. 

Dec.  3.  BaltleofHohenlinden,  Bavaria,  g:iined  by 
the  French,  under  Moreau,  over  the  Austrians  : 

•*  Whpn  llie  <Inim  heal,  m  diad  orryigkt, 
CoinmandioT  fires  of  ■leath  lo  fijlit 


The  .li.rkn 


of  I 


Tii  morn,  hill  si-ane  ymi  liiml  sun 
Ci»n  pierce  llie  wiir-,-lou^i.  nilliii?  ilun, 
Where  furious  Frmil;,  an'i  fiery  //un, 
Shout  "neiilh  Ihcir  iiulphnroui  canopy.' 


Dec.  24.  The  Infernal  Machine  first  used,  in  an  at- 
tempt to  assassinate  Bonaparte. 

The  other  reniarkalile  events  of  this  year  v/cre  — 

An.\uchv  quelled,  and  order  restored  lo  Pi-ancf^, 
liy  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  Cic.ated  ihe  year  previous,  9ih 
iSov.,  First  Consul  for  len  years,  —  whose  governmeul 
rapidly  merges  into  a  mililary  despotism. 

Mal'ta  taken  by  the  English. 

Inoculation  with  the  kjnepiick  first  introduced  into 
the  Uniied  Slates,  by  Dr.  B.  VValerhouse. 

Ireland  united  to'England,  as  an  integral  partcf 
Great  Britain,  under  one  legislature. 

1801. 

March  4.     Thomas  Jefferson  President,  till  1809. 

March  24.  Alexander  I.,  on  the  stranding  of  his 
fallicr,  Paul,  becomes  Aulocral  of  all  the  Knssias. 

Other  famous  incidcnls  of  ibis  year  were  — 

Peace  of  Madrid,  between  Spain  and  Portugal;  and 
of  Paris,  between  Russia,  France  and  Spain. 

Revolution  in  Switzerland;  constitution  established. 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


5S9 


War  of  United  Slates  with  Tripoli. 
First  Imperial  l*;irliameut  of  Gri'at  Britain  lield  — 
Enfflaiul,  i^otland  and   Ireland,  represented   in  one 
>    body. 

1802. 

March  — .  Trcvcthick  and  Vivian  took  out  a  patent, 
in  England,  for  Locomotion  on  Railways  ;  but  i>ro- 
jwsed  nuts,  grooves,  &c.,  on  the  wheels,  to  ge*  a  pur- 
chase oil  the  rails.     Sec  1310. 

The  following  occurrences  also  mnrk  this  year  — 

Peace  of  Ainicns  ;  Ceylon  and  Trinidad  secured  to 
England. 

Servile  war  in  St.  Domingo,  ending  in  Haytien 
independence  of  France. 

Ilepulilic  of  the  Seven  Islands,  or  Ionian  Repuldic, 
acknowled'jed. 

Bonaparte  president  of  the  "Italian  R*'puMic." 

Ohio  admillcd  as  one  of  llie  United  Stales. 


1803. 

April.  From  one  to  three  in  the  morning,  starry 
Me)v.oks  fell  from  every  corner  of  the  heavens,  resem- 
lf!i:r^  a  shower  of  sky-rocki'is. 

The  oihiT  remarkaiJe  things  of  this  year  are  — 

[,oi;isiana  purcha-sed  from  France,  hy  the  U.  States, 
for  *i:>.i)00,000. 

Gorniany  cedes  France  25,000  sipiare  miles  and 
4,000.000  of  j)eople. 

Tlielast  of  the  "  Groni  ^Moguls'*  pensioned  offhythc 
British,  and  his  kingilnni  taken. 

The  Wau  with  Tkipoli  was  hronght  to  a  tri- 
umphant issue  l)y  I'roMe,  who,  with  one  frigate, 
three  brigs,  lliree  sehooaors,  six  gun-hoals,  and  lOGO 
men,  obliged  the  Hu-^haw  of  Tri])oli  U*  sue  for  peace; 
—  and  promise  that  no  piracies  should  be  atleinpied 
upon,  and  no  "  tribnte"  ever  be  exacted  of,  vessels 
oflhe  U.  Sla'os.  Eaton's  taking  the  town  of  Deru6, 
and  niarehing  on  Tripoli,  tended  to  nroeure  tliese 
terms.  The  bashaw  had  115  guns  in  nis  forts,  and 
23,000  men. 

1804. 

May  M.  Lewis  and  Clahk'.«  F.xPLoniSG  Expe- 
dition started  from  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  to  explore 
the  West,  to  the  Ocean.  On  the  12tli  Aug.,  1805,  after 
wintering  at  Mandau  Fort,  the  expedition  reached  the 
sources  of  the  Missouri.  Passing  to  tlie  Columbia, 
ihey  descended  it  to  its  numth,  where  they  first  saw 
thc'Pacdic,  Nov.  14lh,  1805,  after  4131  miles  of  travel, 
from  Si.  Loui.^.  Tliey  returned  by  a  route  3550  miles 
loii<?,  and  reached  St.  Louis,  Sept.  2:J,  ISOC. 

Dec.  2.  Napoleon  anointed  and  crowned  Emperor 
oflhe  French. 

Otiier  incidents  of  1301  are  — 

Conspiracy  against   Hfuiajiarte.     D'Enghien  shot. 

Kant,  the  great  German  metaphysician,  died. 

1805. 

Aucr-  12.  Sources  of  the  Missouri  discovered.  See 
May  14,  1844. 

Dec.  5.  Hattle  of  Ausierlitz  ;  7.3.000  Russians  and 
25,000  Austrians,  defeated  by  80,000  Frenchmen,  un- 
der NapoliMin,  who  saiil,  "  Never  was  a  field  of  battle 
more  dreadful''  than  this.  120  cannon  taken,  and  made 
into  the  column  in  Vendome  Square,  Paris  ;  30,000 
men  made  prisoners,  and  20  generals. 

Among  the  other  noticeable  things  of  this  year, 
were  — 

Coalition  of  Austria  and  Russia  a'.;ainst  France. 

The  battles  of  b'lchiugeu  and  Trafalgar  ;  French 
fleet  defeated  by  English. 

KingdcuTiof  Hayii  established.  Dessalines emperor, 
under  the  title,  James  I. 

The  great  German  dramatist,  Schiller,  died. 


1806. 


Jan.    3.     Pitt,  Lord  Chatham  died. 

Sept.  13.     C.  J.  Fox,  minister  of  G.  Rritain,  died. 

The  otiier  memoral  le  things  oflhe  year  are  — 

Battle  of  Jena,  and  Auersiadl ;  Prussians,  Slc.,  de- 
feated by  Frerjh. 

An  island  60  miles  m  circuit,  with  several  low  con- 
ical hills  upon  it,  rose  from  the  sea,  among  the  Aleu- 
tian Islands. 

Holland  made  a  kingdom,  and  Ijouis  I.,  Napoleon's 
brother,  put  upon  the  throne,  by  Napoleon. 

Kiugtbun  of  Naples  given  liy  Napoleon  to  his  broth- 
er Joseph. 

Faii^ene  Reanharnois  made  Viceroy  of  Italy. 

Roriin  ih'croe,  blockading  Eni;land,  Iiy  Napoleon. 

P.riiish  conquer  the  Cape  of  (tood  Hope. 

This  year  was  mnrkeil  in  the  V.  S.  by  the  Cos- 
ppiRACY  OF  Aaron  Bi'nn,  to  conquer  Spanish  terri- 
tory, detach  the  "South-West"  from  the  Union,  and 
found  an  empire  under  the  rule  of  Burr  &.  Co. 

1807. 

Juno  22.  [British  fri:;nte  Leopard  attacked  the  V .  S. 
friic'ile  Chcsaneake,  otf  llie  caj)cs  of  Va.,  killed  fuur 
ami  imjircsst*.!  three  seinnen. 

Doc.  M.  JMr/rcoKic  SrosEs,  or  Aerot-ites.  Hun- 
dreds of  instances  of  the  failing  of  stones  from  the  air, 
sometimes  in  showers,  are  recorded.  The  snbslance 
which  falls  is  h»und  to  be  mostly  iron,  alloyed  with 
three  or  fonr  jier  cent,  of  nickel.  At  six  and  a  half 
o'chtck  A.  M.,  a  shower  of  tlicse  stones  fell  at  Weston, 
in  Conned  ieut.  A  globe  of  fire,  iialf  the  size  of  the  full 
moon,  anil  supposed  to  be  a  mile  in  diameter,  passed 
across  llie  north,  as  if  it  look  three  successive  throes, 
or  leaps,  and  at  each  explosion  a  rushing  of  stones 
was  iK-ard  through  the  air,  some  of  which  struck  the 
ground  witli  a  heavy  fall.  One  <if  the  stones  fell  on  a 
nn-k,  split  it,  and  was  itself  shivered  to  pieces  ;  an- 
other made  a  hole  in  the  groumi  one  foot  in  diameter 
and  three  feet  deep,  and  weighed  35  pounds  ;  antl  an- 
(»lher,  —  which  siiivercd  on  a  rock,  ploughed  up  a  long 
extent  of  ground,  and  scattered  the  earth  and  st<)nes  to 
the  distam-c  of  50  to  100  feet,  with  frightful  noise, — 
was  estimated  to  weigh  200  pounds.  Some  suppose 
these  stones  are  made  by  condensation  of  gases  — 
oihers  that  tliey  are  portions  of  some  broken-up  planet, 
at  hist  brought  withm  the  sphere  of  the  earth's  allrac- 
lion. 

The  other  memoraldlia  of  this  year  are- 
War  I'ctwcen  Russia  and  France. 

The  Waiiabees  revolutionize  Aralda,  and  take  Mec- 
ca and  i\Icdina. 

Revoluti<m  in  Turkej'.  Selim  III.  dethroned  ;  Mus- 
tapha  IV.  sultan. 

Kingdom  of  Westphalia  created  ;  Napoleon  makes 
his  broliier  Jerome  king  of  it. 

Steam  Navigation.  Steam  Boats.  The  firsi 
was  built  by  Rnliert  Fulton,  of  but  13  horse  power; 
called  the  "  North  River."  and  made  the  passage  be- 
tween Albany  and  New  York,  on  her  first  trip,  in  33 
hours.  The  first  one  successfully  jhiI  into  use,  in  G. 
Britain,  was  by  Mr.  Bell,  at  Glasgow,  in  1312.  The 
use  of  stcandioats  has  brought  New  Orleans  to  within 
a  few  days  of  Pittsburg,  and  Europe  to  within  ten  tlays 
of  America.  It  bids  lair  to  bring  China  within  sixty 
days  of  Europe,  and  Ity  the  help  of  tlie  Pacilic  Rail- 
roa.I,  to  within  20  daysiif  N.  V.  The  inventor,  Fulton, 
fell  a  victim  to  ins  etrorts  to  secure  the  merits  and  a 
share  of  the  profits  of  his  priceless  discovery.  When 
making  his  i^xpcriment  on  the  Hudson,  liie  language 
of  all,  who  snoKC  of  him  or  iiis  enterprise,  was  uni- 
formly liiat  of  scorn,  sneer,  or  ridicule.  "  Never,"  adds 
Fulton,  "did  a  single  encouraging  remark,  a  bright 
Iiopc,  or  a  warm  wisli,  cross  my  solitary  path.''  Since 
benefactors  of  their  race  are  generally  treated  thus,  can 
we  wonder  that  human  progress  is  so  slow  ? 

Copenhagen  bombarded  by  the  English,  and  her 
fleet  taken. 

Battles  of  Eylau,  and  of  Friedl4.ad. 


d\)0 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


1808. 

July  29.     Selim  III.  heconies  Sultan  of  Turkey. 

The  other  chief  historical  facts  of  lliis  your  are  ^ 

War  hctweeii  Russia  and  Sweden. 

Napoleon  i)nis  his  hroilier  Joseph  on  the  throne  ol 
Spain,  and  makes  his  brollier-in-la\v,  Joacliiiii  Mnrat, 
King  of  Naples. 

Revolution  in  Constantinople;  Mahnioud  II.  Sul- 
tan. 

The  Spauisli  Inquisition  aholished  l)y  Napoleon. 
See  a  description  ol  it  under  date  of  July  15,  iciJj. 

Z809. 

March  4.  James  Madison  made  President  of  the 
United  Slates. 

Oct.  G.  Missions.  First  meeting  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board  of  Commissioners  for  l'\)icia;n  Missions. 
Commencing  with  feelile  lieginniui^s,  Imi  l.oundlcss 
hopes,  the  *' Missionary  Enterprise"  has  steadily  in- 
creased its  operations,  till,  liy  (lie  niilille  of  the  cen- 
tury, it  has  a  hoard  of  missions  helon'4:in!?  to  every  seel 
in  UhrislfUilom,  and  mure  than  Ti'iU  nii->si(inary  sta- 
tions. Ont'  ot"  tliese  hnarJs  alone  spends  annually 
over  300.000  dollars,  has  hun.lrcds  of  slalions,  and 
employs  linn  Ireds  of  missionaries,  teachers,  physi- 
cians, and  printers.  Its  mis.sionarles  iiave  j»riiile;l  the 
Bilde  in  3.5  hinfjua^es,  spidcen  iiv  -iriJ.OJO.OOO,  and 
gaihered   myriads  of  heathen  iatoChristian  churches. 

Other  famous  events  are  — 

Anslria  declares  war  against  France.  Napoleon 
occupies  Vienna,  and  is  the  arhiler  of  Iilnrope. 

Battles  of  F.elcniuhl,  an.l  Asjjern. 

Ratile  of  Waijram  •  Austrians  defeated  hy  French. 

Battle  (if  Talavera ;  English  and  S])anish  against 
the  i'^rench. 

Revolution  in  Sweden  ;  the  nohles  dethrone  Gusta- 
vus  IV.,  and  enthrone  Charles  XIII. 

Temporal  power  of  the  I'ope  aljolished. 

1810. 

Nov.  10.  A  tremendous  storm  at  Boston,  which 
deluged  the  country  all  around. 

Other  events  of  the  year  were^ 

First  Locomotive  Steam-engine  made  hyTreve- 
thick,  England.  Previously  it  had  heen  denied  that 
turned  wheels  would  give  locomotion  without  racks, 
nuts,  grooves,  &.c. 

Battle  of  Btisaco. 

Josephine  divorced  from  Napoleon,  who  marries 
Maria  F^ouisa,  of  .\nstria. 

Revolutions  In  Mexico,  Buenos  Ayres,  South  Peru, 
and  Caraccas. 

1311. 

May  16.  Rencontre  hetween  U.  S.  frigate  Presi- 
dent, Capt.  ]?o(iijers,  and  British  sloop  Little-Belt. 

Dec.  -iii.  Richmond  theatre  burnt  ;  Gl  persons  per- 
ished —  chietly  through  a  lack  of  presence  of  miiul. 

Some  pthers  of  the  most  striking  events  of  this  year 
were  — 

Battle  of  Fuenle  d'Onoro. 

Earlhipiako  in  Soutli  Carolina,  and  in  the  valley  of 
the  Missi>sippi  ;  the  latter  was  co  ivutsed  to  such  a 
degree,  hetween  the  mouths  of  the  Ohio  aril  St  Fran- 
cis, as  to  create  lakes  and  istariU  ;  and  deep  cliasrns 
were  formed  in  the  gronad,  from  which  vast  vohiiiies 
of  water,  sand  and  coal,  were  thrown  up  lo  the  height 
of  61  or  70  feet. 

Napoleon's  son  born. 

IMelicmet  .Ali  becomes  Viceroy  of  Egypt. 

Louisiana  maile  a  state  of  the  Union. 


1812. 

June  18.  War  declared  between  the  U.  Slates  and 
Great  Britain. 

Aug.  13.  U.  States  frigate  Essex,  Capt.  Porter, 
took  British  sloop  Alert. 


Aug.  19.     British  ship  Guerriere  captured  by  Hul!. 

in  the  Constitution,  alias  "  Old  Ironsides." 

Sept.  IG.  Moscow,  capital  of  Russia,  takci  by  Na- 
poleon, is  lliis  day  burnt  ny  the  Russians. 

Oct.  Id.  U.  States  sloop  Wasp,  Jones,  capares 
British  brig  Frolic  ;  Wasp  and  Frolic  taken  by  British 
7  4,  Poietiers. 

Nov.  25.  U.  Stales  frigate  U.  Staics,  Decclur, 
captures  British  frigate  Macedonian. 

Dec.  2' .  U.  States  ship  Constilalion,  l^ainbridge, 
captures  British  frigate  Java. 

The  other  most  noted  events  of  1312  are  — 

Napoleon  invades  Russia,  with  half  a  million  men. 

Battle  of  Smolensk. 

Canada  invaded  by  the  U.  States. 

Earthquake  at  Caraccas,  S,  America;  that  city  was 
destroyed,  and  10,000  persons  perished. 

Bolivar  victorious  in  Caraccas,  against  'he  Sj)anish. 

1813. 

Feb.  25.  U.  States  ship  Hornet  captures  British 
sloop  of  war  Peacock. 

June  1.  U.  States  frigate  Chesapeake,  Lawrence, 
taken  by  the  British  ship  Shannon. 

July  3.  U.  States  vessels  Growler  and  Eagle  taken 
liy  liritislrgun  boats. 

Aug.  14.  U.  States  sloop  Argus  taken  by  British 
sloop  Pelican. 

Sept.  4.  U.  States  ship  Enterprise  takes  British 
ship  Boxer. 

Sept.  1.3.     Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie. 

Oct.  IG,  17,  13,  19.     Battle  of  Leipsic,  &.C. 

During  this  year  also  occurred  — 

The  hatlles  of  Lutzen,  Bautzen,  Dresden,  Vitloria, 
Culm,  &,c. 

1814. 

March  20.  U.  S.  fritrale  Essex  taken  by  British 
vessels  Pheelie  and  ChtTuli. 

April  21.  U.  S.  ship  Frolic  taken  by  a  Britis"" 
squadron. 

April  29.  U.  S.  ship  Wasp  takes  the  British  ship 
Epervier. 

Sept.  1.  U.  S.  ship  Wasp  takes  the  British  ship 
Avon. 

Dec.  4.  Treaty  of  Ghent;  peace  between  the  U. 
Stales  and  Englami. 

Dec.  Ij.  The  Hartford  Convention  met  at  Hart- 
ford, Conn. 

Dec.  17.  A  violent  gale  did  much  damage  in  Great 
Britain  ami  Ireland. 

The  other  con'ipicuous  events  of  this  year  were  — 

The  qiiailruple  alliance  —  Great  Britain,  Austria. 
Russia,  and  Prussia  —  drive  Napoleon  into  exile  at 
Elba.  Europe  is  restored  to  its  old  condition,  mostly, 
after  having  been  parcelled  out  hy  Napoleon  to  whom 
he  would. 

The  Creek  war  in  Florida. 

The  battles  of  Brienne.  Monimirail,  .Monterean, 
Lake  Erie,  Lake  Champlain,  Plaltsliurgh,  Baltimore. 

1815. 

Jan.  3.  Battle  of  New  Orleans;  Gen.  Jackson 
beats  the  Enirlish. 

Jan.  13.  U.  S.  frigate  President,  Decatur,  captured 
by  a  British  squadron  of  three  frigates  and  a  razee. 

Feb.  20.  U.S.  frigate  Constitution  takes  the  Brit- 
isii  sliips  Cyane  and  Levant. 

Marcli  1.  Napoleon  returns  from  Elba;  20lh,  he 
enters  l*aris.     His  "  'lundred  Days"  Em|)ire. 

March  23.  U.  S.  ship  Hornet  takes  the  British  ship 
Pcnirnin. 

■May  20.  Decatur  sails  from  New  York  lo  fiirKt  ihc 
Barbary  powers,  with  3  frigates,  2  sloops,  and  4  schoon- 
ers. 

June  15 — 13.  Battle  of  Waterloo;  Europe  against 
France  ;  mouarchs  against  the  people.  Paris  taken  ; 
Louis  XVni.  again  resioreil  ;  he  pays  the  allies 
700,000,000  francs.  Napoleon  is  imprisoned  in  St. 
ll.dena. 

June  23.     Decatur  arrives  otf  Algiers,  after  capturing 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


591 


Iwo  Al^rrine  corsairs,  and  soon  compels  the  piratical 

Males  lo  rr'ipctl  ihc  Uniled  Slates  tiasj. 

Sept.  The  cheat  Septf.miik.r  Gale.  A  Iremen- 
ilous  i;:ilc,rr6miliesouili-rasi,sw.M)i  ihe  Ailanlict-oasl, 
and  did  ^rcal  damage,  parlicularlv  in  New  England. 
The  sea-walsr  was  carried,  in  the  fiirni  of  spray,  23 
miles  i^dand. 

Oct.  -Ji;.  Holy  Alliance  fnrnieil  in  Europe;  kinsjs, 
I  lider  llie  gnrli  of  religion,  unite  againsl  hnni,an  riglus. 

Oilier  occurrences  worthy  of  record  were  — 

llnenos  Ayres  declared  ils  indejicrnience  of  Spain. 

rvevoluliori  in  China,  suppressed  after  much  Wood- 
shed. 

EAirruQUAHE.  An  eruption  of  tlie  volcano,  Tom- 
boro,  in  ilie  island  of  Siunhawa,  ailended  hy  whirl- 
winds, comniitled  great  r.ivag.'s ;  ihc  snildeu  rising 
of  ihe  sea  suhinergeil  the  town  and  ccnisiderahlc  tracts. 
Uf  the  l-2,ni)il  islanders  only 'JO  survived. 

AiiiKuLSK  Waii.  Decal'ur  forces  Algiers.  Tri|inli 
and  Tunis,  to  make  peace  with  the  United  Stales,  and 
abstain  Ironi  j)iiacy. 

1816. 

April  .0.  The  rSauk  of  ihc  Uniled  Slates  eslal.Iished 
for  Jii  yearj. 

May  S.     The  American  Hihle  Socicly  was  formed. 

Olher  uoteri  occurrences  were  — 

A  irem.unlous  gale  of  wind  dhl  much  damage  on  the 
English  coast. 

The  "Colli  Glimmer  ;"    every    miHilli  of  ihi 
frost  occurred  in  ihe  norihern  United  Slates. 

Peace  Society  founded. 

Ciiloni/.aliou'  Scieieiv  founded,  to  colonize  Africa 
Willi  native  .Vmerican  iilacks. 

Indiana  received  inlo  ihe  Union  as  one  of  ihe  Uni- 
led Siales. 


1819. 


year, 


1817. 

March  4.  James  Monroe  made  Prcsiilcnt  of  the  U. 
States,  till  1S33. 

Aug.  .^siATicCHOiEnAoriginali.l  at. lessorc,  north- 
east of  Calcutta,  in  August,  1817.  In  Sept.  it  went  to 
Calcutta,  thence  lo  many  cities  in  Hindoslan,  and  over 
Asia.  During  11  years,  it  carrieil  off  i3,nuu,uou  in 
Hiudostan,  and  ils  ravages  were  still  grealer  in  Tar- 
tary  and  pans  of  the  Chinese  enijiire.  In  1830,  it 
inva.led  European  Russia,  ami  alierwards  Poland, 
Hungary,  Germany,  Austria,  and  olhcr  countries  of 
Europe.  In  Oct.  1831,  il  hrolic  oul  al  Sunderland, 
England  ;  in  Feb.  1832,  at  London  ;  so.)n  alier- 
wards, in  various  places  of  Great  lirilain  ;  near  the 
last  of  March,  al  Paris  ;  in  .lune,  al  Quebec  and 
Montreal  ■,  and  at  New  Vorli,  in  Julv.  In  Erance, 
"n.ODtf  ha.l  died  up  to  the  first  of  August  ;  in  New 
York,  3107,  up  lo  Sept.  8,  oul  i>f  38  ri  allacked  ;  in 
England  and  .Scoiland,  17,iH4  died,  oul  of47,8s)l  at- 
tacked. In  Ireland,  onl  of  a-'.SGj  cases,  there  were 
7,118  deaths.  In  Hungary,  of -133,330  attacked,  18^,- 
000  died.  The  disease  uowoi  curs  yearly  wilhmoreor 
less  virulence.  Al  |iresenl,  1.840,  i'l  rages  iii  various 
parts  of  the  Union  ;  hut  in  the  North,  al  least,  llieav- 
cra'.;e  i>r deaths  is  but  4  or  3,  and  so  on  up  lo  M  or  30, 
oul  of  I  on  persons  taken.  It  seems  to  yield  lo  incdical' 
skill  as  readily  as  any  violent  disease. 

Olher  remarkable  things  were  — 

Mississippi  became  a  state  of  iho  Union. 

tallies  of  Chacabueo  and  Maypn. 

Charles  .Kill.,  King  of  Sweden,  died;  Charles 
John  I  IJernadoUe)  made  king. 

Chili  declared  her  independence  of  Spain. 

1818. 

The  chief  even's  nfiliis  year  were  — 

A  most  destructive  storni  raged  in  Hindoslan. 

The  Tongres.s  of  Ai.\-la-Cliapclle  coiilirmed  ihe 
Holv  .\lliance. 

The  Rrilish,  by  sul>jecling  HidcaT  anil  .Scindia,  now 
possess  all  India,  except  Sciiide,  the  .Nepaul  and  the 
Silch  country. 

The  .Sininole  war,  couducted  by  General  Jackson. 

Illinois  comes  into  ihe  Union. 


June.  Steam  Na^'igation  or  the  Atlantic. 
The  .steamship  Savannah,  Capl.  Rogers,  330  tons,  went 
from  New  York  lo  Liverpool,  and  crossed  the  ocean 
iwice.  Hercinmnander  visited  l.oih  Europe  and  Asia, 
receiving  nresenls  from  ihc  King  of  Sweden,  the  Em- 
jieror  ol  Russia,  and  the  Sultan  of  Turkey.  See 
-•Vpril,  1838. 

Other  evenis  of  ihe  year  are  — 

An  eailliipiake  in  'Culch,  Hindoslan,  destroying 
many  towns  and  villages  ;  it  dee|iened  ilio  caslern  arm 
ol  the  river  Indus  from  one  to  <  iglucen  feel,  and 
submerged  some  tracts,  while  it  elcvalcd  others. 

Bolivar,  Presidcnl  of  Colombia. 

Alabama  enters  our  Union. 

1820. 

Sept.  A  severe  gale  from  llie  soulh-easl  rased  along 
lhecoa.st  of  New  England  and  the  Middle  Stales. 

Sepl.  a.  TaouKwang  succeeded  his  brother,  Kia- 
King,  as  Emperor  of  China. 

Oilier  nolalde  occurrences  were  — 

The  Cniislimiiou  id  iheCorlesof  1812  proclaimed 
in  Spain,  and  King  Eerdiuaiiil  obliged  lo  acicpl  it. 
Inqnisiiioii  again  abolished  ;  liberty  of  ihc  press  cslab- 
li>hed  ;  ihc  monkish  order  dissolved  ;  schools  attend- 
ed lo. 

Hatlle  ol  Carabolio. 

George  III.  died,  and  his  son,  George  IV.,  a-sccnded 
llie  throne. 

Maine  became  a  incmbcr  of  ihe  Union. 


1821. 

March  23.  Orrek  Revolutiov.  The  revolulion 
in  the  Morea,  which  rcMilled  in  ihe  independence  of 
Greece  and  Turkey,  broke  onl  al  a  village  of  Acliaia, 
March  2:l,  \Sil.  I'umi  ihal  lime  forward  the  Cireel's 
never  relinipiishcd  llieir  warlike  weapons.  They  s  if- 
fercd  everyihing,  and  fought  nobly,  both  on  sea  ad 
on  shore.  They  slruggleiragaiusl  ferocilv,  ninrilero  a 
brulalily,  bravery,  weallh  and  |iower  ;' while  ihev 
themselves,  although  the  svmpatliv  of  llie  liberal  por- 
lion  of  ilic  world  was  theirs',  not  onl'y  received  no  assisl- 
ance,  but  even  experienced  checks,  frcun  the  cabinets  of 
Europe.  Al  length  England  look  ihe  part  of  the 
Greeks,  private  individuals  in  the  roiled  Slates  sent 
.some  slight  contribntions,  and  a  liussian,  French,  and 
Hritish  squadron,  under  Admiral  Sir  F.d«  anl  Codring- 
1011,  deslroyed  the  Turkish  Egyptian  armada  of  lio 
ships,  in  the  I'.ay  of  Navariuo,  Oct.  20,  1327.  In  1S28, 
Russia  and  Turkey  went  lo  war,  ami  foreign  inler- 
leience  caused  ihe  pacilicaiiou  of  Greece,  in  1829.  The 
Turks  were  compelled  lo  evaciiaic  llie  connlry.  a  lim- 
ited monarchy  was  eslablished  ;  Prince  Olho,  of  l!av,a. 
ria,  still  king  in  1840,  then  IS  yeorsold,  was  pul  al  the 
head  of  government.  Si  hools  have  been  eslablished,— 
and,  freed  al  lasl  from  Ihe  oppression  which  |iroslraied 
its  energies,  the  Greek  chaiacler  appears  in  a  happier 
light. 

May  5.     Napoleon  died  at  St.  Helena. 

Olher  events  of  the  year  were  — 

Peru  achieved  her  independence  of  Spain. 

Florida  was  ceded  to  Ihe  U.  S.  by  Spain. 

Missouri  was  admilted  into  the  Onion. 

1822. 

May  and  June.    Conspiracy  of  ihe  Blacks  in  Charles-    ; 
ton,  Siiilh  f'arolina  ;  33  executed. 

.Among  the  remarkable  events  of  this  year  are  — 

Panic  of  Pichincha. 

.All  eruption  of  Vesuvius. 

Scio  devastaled  by  llie  Turks. 

This  year  is  alsii  disliugnished  for  the  discnvevy, 
by  Chainoollion,  of  ihe  key  lo  the  F.gvplian  hieroglyph- 
ics, which  have  so  lung  set  al  faull  llic  sagac.ty  of  ihe 
learned.  This  piclure  writing  is  more  llnin  4000  years 
old.  Il  is  fnund  ihal  the  system  is  quite  simple.'  ijy 
ascerlaining  the  O./i/iV,  thai  is,  mode  rn  Esvj.li&n 
words  for  ihe  objects  represented,  and  taking  tlie  first 


592 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


letters  of  the  same,  we  are  enabled  to  spell,  letter  hy  let- 
ter, the  old  Eivptian  word  intended.  This  word  will 
generally  be  ifound  to  be  a  Coptic  one  ;  and  thus  we 
have  the  ancient  meanins;,  as  the  Coptic  is  well  under- 
stood. Thns,  suppose  tlie  priest,  or  workman,  pann- 
ing orcarvina;  upon  stone,  wishes  to  spell  Boston.  He 
looks  round  for  some  object  whose  name  begins  with 
the  sound  B;  he  finds  bi-rbc,  a  censer,  and  he  imme- 
diately adopts  this  word,  because,  the  censer  being 
used  in  worship,  it  will  be  an  appropriate  emblem  of 
the  religious  capital  of  the  Puritans.  He  makes  the 
picture  of  a  censer,  and  that  slands  for  B.  For  O,  he 
takes  okc,  a  reed,  and  as  pens  were  made  of  this,  it  is 
a  fitting  hieroglyphic  in  the  name  of  so  literary  a 
city,  kor  S,  he  takes  the  first  letter  of  Sion,  a  star, 
which  prettily  represents  the  intellectual  and  moral 
light  that  Hoston  sheds  around  it.  Tut,  a  hand,  will 
re'prescnt  the  letter  T,  and  the  inonied  power  of  the 
city.  In  finding  a  character  for  the  second  O,  instead 
of  repeating  the  reed,  he  will,  for  variety,  use  a  curved 
line  as  an  abbreviation  of  it.  For  N,  the  vulture, 
(nourc,  in  Coptic;)  this  symbol  of  maternal  solicitude 
aptly  records  the  care  of  Boston  for  the  education  of 
her  oflspring  —  her  schools  being  her  glory.  To  spell 
Boston  we  have,  tlicn,  arran.,!:.!  in  any  form  we  choose, 
a  picture,  or  hieroglyphic,  made  up  of  a  censer,  a  reed, 
a  star,  a  liand,  a  curved  line  and  a  vulture. 

1823. 

Among  the  occurrences  of  this  year  we  record  the  fol- 
lowing— 

Pojie  Pius  VH.  died.  Cardinal  Genga  succeeds,  as 
Pope  Leo  Xn.  ,     . 

Puerto  Cabello,  the  last  hold  of  the  Spaniards  m 
Colombia,  is  taken  by  the  patriots. 

Tlie  Mexican  stales  confederate  into  one  Federal 
Union. 

1824. 

August.  Lafayette's  Visit.  He  landed  at  New 
Fork^  on  a  visit  to  the  United  States,  by  invitation 
of  the  president,  John  Q.  Adams  ;  passed  through  the 
24  states,  and  was  received  everywhere  with  the  great- 
est enthusiasm,  which  never  flagged  ;  war-worn  veter- 
ans, companions  of  his  in  the  Ijatllcs  of  freedom,  em- 
braced him  with  tears  of  joy  ;  he  was  proclaimed  by 
the  popular  voice,  "  the  nation's  guest ;"  celebrated, 
at  Bunker  Hill,  the  5i)th  anniversary  of  the  fir.st  battle 
of  the  revobilion  ;  and  at  Vorktown  its  closing  tri- 
umph ;  took  leave  of  the  four  e.x-presidents  ;  received 
a  valedictory  address  from  the  president,  J.  Q.  Adams, 
and  sailed  from  Washington  to  France  in  the  frigate 
Brandywine,  Sept.  23,  1S23.     See  May  20,  1834. 

Dec.  Congress  granted  Lafayette  8200,000,  and 
a  township  of  land,  as  a  gratuity  in  acknowledgment  of 
his  services  and  sacrifices  in  the  Revolution. 

Dec.  9.  Spaniards  defeated  at  Ayacucho,  in  Upper 
Peru. 

In  this  year  Iturbide,  Emperor  of  Mexico,  banished 
in  1823,  returns,  and  is  executed. 

1825. 


March  4.  John  Quincy  Adams  made  6th  President 
of  the  United  Slates. 

May  29.  Charles  X.  crowned  King  of  France  at 
Rheiins. 

Dec.  1.  Alexander  I.  died  at  Taganrog.  Constan- 
tino declared  emperor,  but  resigns  lo  Nicholas  I.  _ 

This  year  occurred  also  a  great  Money  Crisis. 
Trade  very  much  disturbed  throughout  the  world. 

Upper  Peru  declares  itself  independent,  and  takes 
the  name  of  Bcilivia. 

1826. 

Febnary.  The  American  Temperance  Society 
formed,  on  the  total  abstinence  basis.  Great  temper- 
ance reformation  commenced. 

April  23.  Missolonghi,  after  a  brave  defence  by  the 
Greeks,  falls  into  the  hands  of  the  Turks. 

July  4.     John  Adams  and  Thomas  Jefferson  died, 


just  60  years  after  they  had  assisted  in  the  Declaration 
of  American  Independence ! 

During  this  year  the  following  events  .ilso  hap- 
pened — 

John  VI.,  King  of  Portugal,  died. 

Great  conflagration  at  Constantinople. 

The  Tartars  of  Mongolia  revolted  from  the  Chinese. 

Lord  ByroD,  the  poet,  died,  in  Greece. 

1827. 

Aug.  28.  A  broad  arch  of  boreal  light  seen  at  night 
to  span  the  heavens  ;  the  bow  gradually  passed  the 
zenith,  and  vanished  towards  the  south. 

Oct.  20.  Battle  of  Navarino.  Britain,  Russia,  and 
France  destroy  the  Turko-Egyptian  fleet  of  110  sail. 

Among  the  other  occurences  of  this  year  were  — 

The  Quincy  Granite  Railroad,  the  oldest  railroad 
in  the  United  Slates,  3  miles  long,  completed  at 
Quincy,  Mass.,  in  this  year. 

Pers'ians  defeated  at  all  points  in  the  war  with  the 
Russians. 

Capo  d'Istria  elected  President  of  Greece. 

Canning,  prime  minister  of  England,  died. 

1S28. 

Jan.  Count  Capo  d'Istria  entered  on  the  presidency 
of  Greece  ;  633,000  inhabitants  in  that  republic. 

Feb.  Don  Miguel,  the  usurper,  proclaimed  absolute 
monarch  of  Porlugal. 

March.  War  breaks  out  between  Russia  and  Turkey. 

."Ipril  26.     Russia  declared  war  against  Turkey. 

June  13.     Bolivar  made  dictator  of  Colombia. 

Oct.     The  Egyptian  Turks  evacuate  Greece. 

1829. 

Feb.  18.     Pope  Leo  XII.  died. 

Feb.  27.  Battle  of  Tarqui ;  6000  Colombians  de- 
feat 8000  Peruvians.  Differences  referred  to  arbi- 
tration of  the  United  States. 

March  4.  Andrew  Jackson  inaugurated  President 
of  the  United  States. 

March2l.  Great  earthquake  in  Spain.  4000  houses, 
20  churches,  and  many  people  destroyed. 

March  22.  Greece.  The  government,  boundaries, 
&c.,  settled  by  Great  Britain,'France,  and  Russia. 

March  31.     Pius  VIII.  (Castiglioni)  elected  Pope. 

.\pril  9.  Destructive  inundation  of  the  Vistula,  Eu- 
rope ;  10,000  cattle,  6000  houses,  and  many  people  lost. 

April  22.     Lepanti  capitulates  to  the  Greeks. 

May  2.  Dreadful  hail-storm  in  Tuscaloosa,  Ala- 
bama. It  averaged  12  inches  in  depth,  and  destroyed 
a  great  amount  in  gardens,  orchards,  windows,  file, 
killing  some  animals. 

May  14.  Missolonghi  and  Anatolico  capitulate  to 
the  Greeks. 

May  17.  John  Jay  died.  Two  severe  battles  be- 
tween the  Russians  and  Turks. 

May  24.  Nicholas,  Emperor  of  Russia,  crowned 
King  of  Poland,  at  Warsaw. 

May  29.  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  commenced. 
Sir  Humphrey  Davy  died.  ,    ,    .         ,, 

June  4.  Steam  frigate  Fulton  txploded  at  New 
York.     26  killed.  „.  ^ .      ,     ,   . 

June  11.  The  Russian  general,  Diebitsch,  defeats 
the  Grand  Vizier,  near  Schumla,  annihilating  his 
army,  killing  6000,  and  taking  60  cannon. 

June  27.     Erzerum,  Armenia,  taken  by  Russia. 
Juno  30.     Silistria  surrendered  to  Russia  by  the 

July  17—22.  Russians  pass  the  Balkan,  defeating 
the  Turks  twice. 

July  23.  Greek  National  Assembly  opened  at  Argos  j 
Capo'D'Istria,  president. 

Au".  20.  After  several  brilliant  successes,  the  Kus- 
sians,°2300  strong,  under  Diebitsch,  take  A.lrianople, 
with  100,000  garrison;  on  the 25th,  Diebitsch  marches 
towards  Constantinople. 

Aug.  24.  Reuben  Kelsey,  Vt.,  died.  He  had  lived 
52  days  on  water  alone. 

Sept.  12.  Spanish  invading  army  at  Tampico  sur- 
.  render  to  the  Sleiican  General  Santa  Anna. 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


593  ■ 


Sept.  14.  Treaty  of  peace  between  Russia  and 
Turkey. 

Sept.  15.     Slavery  abolished  in  Mexico. 

Oct.  17.     Ciiesapcake  and  Delaware  Canal  opened. 

Nov.  9.  Yucatan  separates  fromMexico,  ana  joins 
Central  America. 

Nov.  26.  30,000  people  perish  by  an  extraordinary 
inundation  of  the  Nile. 

Dec.  4.  Abolition,  by  the  British,  of  the  voluntary 
burning  of  widows,  in  India,  on  the  corpse  of  the  lius- 
band. 

1830. 

Feb.  27.  Elias  Hicks,  founder  of  the  Hicksile 
Friends,  died,  aj^cd  82. 

March  26.  High  tide  in  New  England  ;  water  rose 
I6J  feet. 

June  28.    William  IV.  proclaimed  King  of  England. 

July  5.  Algiers  snrrenders,  after  six  days'  siege, 
to  the  French,  under  Count  de  Bourmont. 

July  23,  2(1,  30.  The  second  French  revolution, 
called  the  "  Tliree  Glorious  Days  of  July." 

Sept.  15.  Liverjiool  and  Manchester  Railroad  opened. 

SejJt.  17.  Second  centennial  anniversary  of  the  set- 
tlement of  Boston  celebrated. 

Oct.  4.  Belgium  declares  its  iadependence  of  Hol- 
land. 

Oct.  8.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Brunswick  obliged  to 
abdicate  Iiy  a  mob  who  fired  his  palace. 

Nov.  30.  The  two  Landers  tfe.scend  the  Niger  to 
the  sea,  discovering  that  Benin,  Nun,  and  New  Calabar 
rivers  are  mouths  of  the  Niger,  and  that  it  communi- 
cates with  Tchad  Lake. 

Dec.  7.  Pope  Pius  VHL  died,  and  is  succeeded  by 
Gregory  XVI. 

Dec.  17.  Simon  Bolivar,  the  patriotic  liberator, 
died. 

Dec.  31.     Madame  deGenlis  died  at  Paris,  aged  86. 

Amcng  the  other  events  of  this  year  — 

The  first  passenger  railroad  was  opened,  on  the  Bal- 
timore and  Ohio  line,  from  Baltimore  to  Ellicotl's 
Mills,  13  miles. 

1831. 

Jan.  24.     The  Polish  diet  revolt  from  Russia,  and 

declare  the  throne  of  Poland  vaeant.     See  Fob.  25. 

Feb.  12.  Great  eclijisc  of  Ibe  sun,  total  in  the 
Southern  States.  At  Cape  Cod,  the  formation  nnd 
rupture  of  the  rins^  presented  a  most  splendid  specta- 
cle, and  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  anytiiin^  more 
beautiful  or  sublime.  Venus  was  visilile  for  more 
than  an  hour,  and  Jupiter  for  a  less  time.  Fowls  were 
observed  rolurnintj  to  their  roosls,  and  cattle  to  their 
stalls;  the  color  of  tlic  sky  became  an  indigo  blue; 
the  tliermometer  fell  from  Vp  to  29^  in  the  Sim,  and 
from  27°  to  2:\P  in  the  shade. 

Feb.  25.  Tlic  Poles  were  defeated  near  the  wails 
of  Warsaw,  after  a  skirmish,  on  the  14th.  5500  Poles 
and  4500  Russians  killed. 

Rlarch  31.  Tiic  Poles  tjain  a  splendid  victory  over 
the   Russians  at  Praya,  killina;,  in  two  ilays,  12,000. 

April  9.     Rattle  of  .Siedler  ;   Poles  def.  Russians. 

April  27.     Dwernicki  and  5000  Poles  surrender. 

Mav  9.  Ten  or  twelve  inches  of  snow  fell  in  west 
New  Vork. 

May  IS.  Temperance  reformation.  Meeting  of 
American  Temperance  Society.  3000  auxiliary  so- 
cieties; 300,000  memliers;  loo'o  distilleries  stopped; 
3000  traders  ceased  to  deal  in  spirits. 

May  2G.  Bloody  battle  of  Ostrolcnlca  ;  55,000  Rus- 
sians defeat  20,000  Poles. 

June  4.  The  Reli;;ian  Contrrcss  chose  Prince  I<eo- 
pohl  of  Saxe  Coburi;  Kina;  of  the  Pclirians,  and  he 
look  the  oath  to  the  Constitution,  on  the  21st  July. 

July  4.     Ex-president  James  Monroe  died,  aged  73. 

July  14.  Russians  repulsed  by  Poles,  5  miles  from 
Warsaw. 

Auj.  2.  Great  fire  at  Constantinople  ;  1800  houses 
burnt. 

Au£j.  11.  A  tremendous  hurricane  crosses  Rarba- 
docs,  greatly  damaging  jiroperty,  and  destroying  manj' 
lives. 


Aug.  17.     The  steam-packet  Rothsay  CastJe  lost, 

near  Liveroool.     More  than  100  drowned. 

An?,  slave  insurrection  at  Southampton,  Virinnia. 
60  killed.  ^       '        ^ 

Sept.  7.  The  Poles,  after  a  sanguinary  contest  of 
2  days,  in  which  20,000  Russians  are  killed,  surrender 
Warsaw  to  Paskewitsch,  who  is  made  governor  of  Po- 
land, the  Russian  authority  being  reestablished. 

Sept.  14.  Riot  at  Pernambuco  ;  $2,000,000  worth  of 
properly  destroyed. 

Sept.  20.  Anti-masons  hold  a  convention  in  Balti- 
more, and  nominate  Wm.  Wirl  for  president. 

Sept.     Riot  in  Providence.     Several  killed. 

Oct.  1.  Free  trade  convention  meets  at  Phila- 
delphia. 

Oct.  3.     Brazil  becomes  a  constitutional  monarchy. 

Oct.  30.  Nat  Turner,  the  ringleader  of  the  slave 
insurrection  in  Southampton  county,  Virginia,  taken  ; 
executed,  Nov.  I  Ith. 

Oct.  29,  30,  31.  Dreadful  riots  in  Bristol,  England, 
because  the  Lords  rejected  the  Reform  Rill.  30  killed  ; 
5  executed.  Similar  riots  at  Nottingham,  on  the  8lh, 
resulted  in  the  burning  of  Nottingham  castle. 

Dec.  15.  Hannah  Adams,  the  authoress,  died,  aged 
7G,  at  Brookline,  Mass. 

Dec.  26.  Stephen  Girard,  the  millionaire  banker, 
died,  aged  84. 

Dec.  2S.  Slave  insurrection  in  .Jamaica;  5^15,000,- 
000  worth  of  property  destroyed  ;  4000  blacks  killed. 

Dec.  30.  Great  hre  at  St.  Thomas,  West  Indies; 
1200  houses  burnt.     Loss,  52,000,000. 

1832. 

Jan.  26.  The  thermometer  falls  55  degrees,  in  18 
hours,  at  Boston. 

Feb.  6.  The  frigate  Potomac  batters  do^vn  Qualla 
Baltoo,  to  punish  piracies  and  murder  of  Americans. 

F'cb.  10.  Great  freshet  on  the  Ohio.  Water  65 
feet  above  low  water  mark. 

Feb.  16.  Jonathan  Russell,  a  commissioner  at  the 
treaty  of  Ghent,  died,  aged  60,  at  Milton. 

March  3.  The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
decide  in  the  case  of  the  imprisoned  missionaries, — 
sentenced  Sept.  icth,  I63I,  —  that  the  law  of  Georgia 
is  null  and  void. 

March  13.  ClmmpoUion  died  at  Paris,  aged  42. 
See  Hieroglyphics,  lt^22. 

March  22.  Goethe,  the  great  German  writer,  died 
at  Weimar,  aged  83. 

March  29.     Poland  made  an  integral  part  of  Russia. 

April  1.     War  between  Turkey  and  Eg\'pt. 

Cuvicr,  llic  celebrated  natura'list,  died  at 


Sir  James  Mackintosh  died  in  London, 


May  15 
Paris. 

May  30, 
aged  06. 

June  4.  The  Reform  Rill,  equalizing  the  repre- 
sentation in  the  Rriitsli  itarliamcnt,  is  passed. 

June  6.  Died  in  London,  Jeremy  Rcntham,  the 
distinguished  utilitarian. 

June  S.  Cholera  breaks  out  at  Quebec,  Canada  ; 
27lh,  at  New  Vork.     See  its  history,  under  Aug.  1S17. 

July  10.  President  Jackson  vetoes  the  hilJ  rechartcr- 
ing  the  LTniled  States  I'nnk. 

July  20.  Naiiolenn's  only  son,  the  Duke  of  Reich- 
stadt,  died  at  the  aije  of  21,  of  consumption. 

Aug.  27.  Rbuk-hawk  gives  himself  up  to  the  U. 
S.  government.  In  1833,  be  and  seven  more  arc  sent 
round  the  country  to  see  its  power. 

Sept.  21.  Walter  Scott,  the  "  Wizard  of  the  North," 
(Tie  most  successful  of  novel-writers,  and  a  celehrate  1 
poet,  died. 

Oct.  8.  Olho  proclaimed  and  installed  King  of 
Greece,  at  the  palace  of  Preysing,  in  Ravaria. 

Nov.  10.  Spurzheim,  the  founder  of  Phrenology, 
died.  This  is  one  of  those  sciences  whose  birth  has 
taken  place  in  the  iClh  century.  It  finds  a  use  for  the 
brain,  which  it  states  to  be  a  congeries  of  organs  neces- 
sary to  the  manifestation  of  inlelleet,  sentiment,  and 
propensity.  To  each  generic  sentiment,  projiensity, 
and  mental  faculty  it  gives  its  appropriate  organ,  map- 
ping out  the  surface  of  the  brain  into  portions  corre- 
sponding to  the  larger  ends  of  lobes,  which  have  a 


594 


TEN   THOUSAND  FACTS. 


common  centre  in  the  base  of  the  brain.  Moral  and  in- 
tellectual philosophy  have  been  much  modified,  and 
rendered  more  practical,  by  these  discoveries. 

Nov.  13.  Remarkable  shower  of  shooting^  stars, 
seen  at  Mocha,  in  Arabia.  On  the  19lh,  a  similar  one 
was  seen  in  Eugland. 

Nov.  19.  Nullification  ordinance,  declaring  certain 
United  States  laws,  imposing  duties  on  imports,  null 
and  void,  passed  in  9  •^'.nvenlion  of  delegates  of  South 
Carolina. 

Nov.  21 .  Great  battle  of  Konieh,  (Iconium  ;)  75,000 
Turks  defeated  by  40,000  Egyptian  troops. 

Dec.  First  railroad  iiioperalion  ou  thecontinent  of 
Europe,  120  miles,  from  the  Moldau  to  the  Danube. 

Dec.  10.  President  JauUsou  issues  his  proclamation 
against  the  NuUitiers. 

Dec.  24.     Antwerp  citadel  evacuated  by  the  Dutch. 

1833. 

Jan.  14.  The  Missionaries  discharged  from  the 
Georgia  penitentiary. 

March  11  —  13.  South  Carolina  Convention  pass  a 
nullification  ordinance,  declaring  the  United  States 
Enforcing  Bill  null  and  void. 

April  6.  The  war  between  the  Sultan  and  Mehemet 
Ali  concluded. 

May  11.  Ship  Lady  of  the  Lake  lost,  on  an  iceberg, 
in  the  Atlantic  ;  215  persons  drowned. 

May  6.  llev.  E.  K.  Avery's  trial  for  the  murder  of 
Sarah  Cornell. 

June  6.  President  Jackson  commenced  his  north- 
eastern tour. 

July  3.  Napier,  with  Dftn  Pedro's  fleet,  defeats  the 
fleet  of  Don  Miguel,  the  usurper,  of  Portugal. 

July  27.  Commodore  Wm.  Bainbridge,  the  naval 
hero,  died,  aged  60. 

Aug.  i.  Slavery  abolished  in  the  British  W.  Indies 
by  paying  the  planters  SlG3,000,ono  ;  more  than  300,000 
human  beings  gloriously  freed!  The  apprenticeship 
commenced, but  was  soon  abandoned  for  entire  freedom. 

Aug.  29.  Died,  of  apoplexy,  Ferdinand  VII.,  King 
of  Spain,  in  his  49lh  year.  The  q_ueen  dowager  ap- 
pointed regent,  till  Isabella  II.  attains  the  age  of  IS. 

Sept.  7.  Hannah  Moore,  the  distinguished  author- 
ess and  philanthropist,  died  in  England,  aged  S3.  A 
million  copies  of  some  of  her  works  have  been  sold. 
She  earned  by  her  writings  SloO.OOO,  and  gave  away 
$50,000. 

Sept.  27.  The  distinguished  Christian  Brahmin, 
Rajah  Rammohun  Roy,  a  Hindoo,  died  in  England, 
where  he  acted  as  agent  for  the  King  of  Delhi,  Hin- 
dostan.  He  understood  ten  languages.  His  life  was 
chiefly  spent  in  etforts  to  reform  the  religion  of  his 
countrymen  from  idolatry. 

Oct.  1.  Removal  of  the  deposites  of  the  U.  States 
from  the  U.  Slates  Bank  to  various  other  banks,  by  R. 
B.  Taney,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  on  President  Jack- 
son's order,  *' to  preserve  the  morals  of  the  people,"  as 
he  alleged,  "  the  freedom  of  the  press,  and  the  purity 
of  the  elective  franchise." 

Oct.  12.  A  destructive  tempest  in  North  Carolina, 
by  which  trees,  fences,  chimueys,  and  houses  are 
prostrated. 

Nov.  13.  Meteors,  or  Falling  Star.'?.  An  ex- 
traordinary shower  of  these  took  place,  about  this  date, 
for  several  years.  They  lasted  from  9  o'clock,  P.  M., 
till  after  sunrise,  and  probably  longer.  Their  appear- 
ance was  that  of  sky-rockets;  luminous  bodies  long 
stationary;  phosphoric  lines;  and  fireballs,  soma  as 
large  as  the  full  moon.  In  Ohio,  one  was  seen  in  the 
shape  of  a  pruning  hook,  20  feet  long,  and  U  wide, 
for  an  hour.  The  shower  is  thus  described,  by  one  who 
saw  them,  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning,  from  a  position 
five  miles  south-west  of  Boston. 

The  scene  was  indeed  beautiful,  and  almost  fearful. 
On  all  sides,  nearly  without  cessation,  the  meteors 
were  streaming  through  the  heavens  ;  sometimes  one 
alone,  sometimes  two,  or  three,  or  more  together.  Some 
of  them  were  small,  and  soon  disappeared;  others 
were  more  brilliant,  and  had  a  longer  and  more  glori- 
ous career,  brilliantly  illuminating  the  heavens,  so  as 
to  cast  strong,  black  shadows  from  the  wintry  trees 


among  which  we  were  standing.  "See  there!  seel 
see!"  said  a  boy  with  us,  in  expressions  natural,  and 
at  the  same  time  amusingly  graphic,  "there  goes  a 
whole  handful  !  There's  one,  cracked  all  to  pieces! 
Look!  look!  that  one 'smadealongchalkon  the  sky." 
So  wonderful  an  exhibition,  however,  constantly  in- 
creasing in  interest,  soon  produced  emotions  amount- 
ing to  awe.  This  meteor  was  seen  over  nearly  all 
North  America  and  far  out  to  sea.  As  it  recurred  in 
subsequent  years,  at  the  same  dale,  a  theory  was 
broached  that  they  fell  from  a  body  of  small  density, 
revolving  in  six  months  round  the  sun,  and,  at  that 
time,  at  the  height  of  2233  miles  from  the  earth. 

Dec.  17  Died,  Caspar  Hauser,  at  Anspach,  Bavaria, 
of  wounds  inflic'ed  by  an  unknown  assassin.  His 
history  is  a  mystery.     [See  page  319.] 

1834. 

Jan.  10.  Died  in  Maury  county,  Tennessee,  Mrs. 
Betsey  Tranlhnm,  aged  154  years!  She  was  born  in 
Germany.  At  the  age  of  120  her  eyesight  became  al- 
most extinct ;  but  for  20  years  before  her  death  it  was 
as  good  as  at  the  age  of  20.  For  many  years  previous 
to  her  death  she  was  unable  to  wall;,  and  required 
great  attention  in  her  friends  from  year  to  year,  to  pre- 
vent her  body  from  falling  Ijelow  the  temperature  nec- 
essary to  sustain  life.  She  had  utterly  lost  the  senses 
of  taste  and  hearing,  and  for  20  years  could  not  tell 
sugar  from  vinegar.  At  G5  years  of  age  she  bore  her 
ordy  child,  who  was  living  at  her  death,  and  promised 
to  reach  an  uncommonly  advanced  age.  We  know  of 
no  parallel  to  this  case,  m  history,  except  it  be  perhaps 
that  of  Old  Parr  ! 

Feb.  2.  Died,  Rev.  Lorenzo  Dow,  a  celebrated  but 
eccentric  Methodist  preacher.  He  wore  a  long  beard 
and  presented  quite  a  patriarchal  appearance.  A  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  he  travelled  over  England  and 
Ireland,  and  many  parts  of  the  U.  States,  for  30  years, 
preaching  probably  to  more  different  inJividuals  than 
any  other  person  of  his  times. 

Feb.  18.  William  Wirt,  the  celebrated  writer, 
orator  and  statesman,  died. 

Feb.  2G.  Aloys  Senefelder,  inventor  of  lithography, 
died  at  Munich,  aged  63. 

April  20.  Died,  Samuel  Slater,  aged  67,  in  Mass. 
The  father  of  cotton  spinning  in  the  U.  States. 

April  27.  Temjierance  relbrmalion  ;  7000  societies, 
1,250,000  pledges  ;  1000  ships  sailing  without  spirit 
rations. 

May  1.  A  National  System  of  Railboads  in- 
stituted by  Belgium.  The  first  instance;  and  the  first 
also,  in  which  a  nation  has  erected  a  monument  to  her 
independence,  which  was  not  a  useless  show,  or  a  mili- 
tary trophy. 

May  20.  General  Lafayette  died  at  Paris,  aged  77. 
Gilbert  Motier  Lafayette,  (formerly  Marquis)  was 
born  at  Chavagnac,  in  Anvergne,  France,  Sept.  6,  1757. 
Liberally  educated,  of  vast  fortune  and  high  rank,  and 
an  officer  of  the  guards  of  honor,  at  ihe  age  of  17  he 
married  the  Duke  de  Noailles'  grand-daughter.  In 
1777,  at  the  age  of  19,  he  fitted  out  a  vessel,  and  on  the 
25th  April,  arrived  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  He  at  once 
raised  and  equipped  a  body  of  men,  and  joined  the 
Americans,  as  a  volunteer,  without  pay.  Washington, 
who  loved  and  trusted  him  greatly,  made  him  major- 
general  in  July  ;  in  Sept.  he  was  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  the  Braiidywine.  Going  to  France  for  America's 
sake,  in  1779,  he  returned,  and  took  part  in  the  siege 
of  Yorktown,  in  1780.  He  returned  to  France,  but 
again  visited  America  in  1734  ;  in  1789,  acted  a  con- 
spicuous part,  in  France,  in  her  first  revolulion,  when 
he  was  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  national 
guards  of  Paris;  in  1790,  he  renounced  his  title.  In 
1792,  an  Austrian  patrol  captured  him,  and  he  was 
carried  secretly  to  Olmutz,  in  Moravia,  and  detained 
there  a  prisoner  lill  Aug.  25,  1797.  He  now  retired 
to  his  estate,  La  Grange,  and  ^ave  himself  entirely  to 
farming  ;  nor  took  much  part  in  public  affairs  till  the 
revolulion  of  1330.  In  1624,  he  made  a  triumphal 
progress  through  our  Union;  a  rare  spectacle,  honora- 
ble alike  to  guest  and  host.  JSee  Aug.  1S24  ;  Dec. 
1824  ;  July  23,  29,  30,  1330.]     He  was  appointed,  in 


1830,  to  command  the  national  guards  again  ;  but  soon 
became  opposed  to  Louis  Philipue's  policy.  [See  May 
30,  xa-.a.]  Few  men  have  acted  a  consiiicuous  part  so 
Innof  as  he,  and  both  France  and  America  lamented 
him  with  distiuKuishcd  funeral  honors.  The  scenes 
he  saw  were  among  the  most  remarkable  that  ever  oc- 
curred upon  the  earth  ;  and  history  in  all  her  records 
posses.<.es  not  a  name  which  has  passed  through  the 
searcliing  ordeal  of  public  opinion,  —  and  too,'n  the 
darkest  and  most  temjjcstuous  limes,  —  more  pure  and 
unsullied  than  his. 

June  9.  WilliamCarey.D.  D.,(thcmissionary,  and 
lather  of  modern  missions,)  died,  aged  73,  at  Seram- 
porc.  India. 

July  C  Died,  in  Philadelphia,  Chief  Justice  Jt)lm 
Jtlarshall,  aged  SO. 

_  Julys,  9.  Eight  persons  died  in  N.Y.  from  drink- 
ing cold  water,  an.l  two  by  sun  strokes;  heat,  94  to  loo'^. 
July  lu.  Abolition  riots  conmiencc  in  N.  York,  to 
put  down  discussion  in  the  free  states,  as  to  slavery. 
July  25.  S.  T.  Coleridge,  the  poet  and  writer,  died 
near  London,  aged  Gl.  Frederick  ILappdied  at  Econ- 
omy, I'.Minsylvania,  aged  CO  :  he  was  the  leader  of  the 
Ilnriiioinsls,  a  .sect  who  aim  at  a  social  as  well  as 
ccelesia^tical  organization  in  their  church. 

Aug.  1.  Kev.  Dr.  Uobcrt  Morrison,  missionary  and 
Chinese  scholar,  died,  aged  ,'',3,  at  Canton. 

Aug.  18.  Tremendous  eruption  of  Vesuvius  ;  1500 
houses  destroyed. 

Nov.  30.  Total  eclipse  of  the  sun,  in  South  Caro- 
lina, Georgia,  Mississippi. 


1835. 

Feb.  Tremendous  eruptions  of  volcanoes,  with  de- 
struclivo  earthquakes,  in  Central   America,  siiikiu" 

f^uM-"'  'i"""^-  ■'^'"''-  '^  <remendous  earthquake  in 
Chill  ;  ihc  city  of  Concepcion  reduced  to  a  heap  of 
rums,  and  most  of  the  province  destroyed,  and  many 
towns  and  villages. 

March  2.  Francis  IL,  Emperor  of  Austria,  died, 
aged  67.  ' 

March  13.     Remarkable  eruption  of  Vesuvius. 

March  14.  Clierokees  cede  their  territory  east,  and 
p)  west  of  the  Mississippi.  The  United  Slates  pay 
8  5,20-2.251.  '    ■' 

April  24.  Great  foot-race  on  Long  Island  race- 
course. Henry  Slannard,  of  Killingworth,  Ct.,  won  • 
he  ran  ten  miles  in  59' 43".  ' 

May  13.  Great  hailstorm  in  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia. 

May  16.  Mrs.  Hcmans,  the  famous  poetess,  died 
at  Dublin. 

June  2.  The  cars  first  passed  through  the  whole 
length  of  the  Boston  and  Proridence  railroad  •  27th 
ditto,  on  the  Lowell  railroad.  ' 

June  18.  The  reinarkaldc  William  Cohbet  died  in 
England,  aged  73  ;  a  self-taught  peasant,  he  shook  the 
loundations  of  Ihrones  and  the  million  abuses  piled 
around  them,  by  indefatigable  writing. 

June  20.  French  defeated  by  Abd-cl-Kader,  the 
Arab,  near  Algiers. 

June  23.  Died,  in  England,  Charles  Mathews,  the 
eminent  comedian.  Not  merely  mimickingvoice  and 
manner,  this  rare  genius  had  the  unique  power  of 
copying  the  minds  of  the  persons  he  imitated,  and  his 
imaginary  conver.sations  depicted  with  a  master  hand 
their  minds,  char.iclers,  and  dispositions.  He  siioke 
all  the  dialects  of  Ireland,  England,  Scotland  and 
\\  ales,  with  a  fidelity  jicrfccilv  mirnenlous  ;  could 
dlsmniinale  the  pronunciation  of  the  dilferenl  ridings 
of  \  orkshire,  and  spoke  French  with  the  Parisian 
accenl,  the  iwtas  of  the  south,  or  the  guttural  tone  of 
the  Memisli. 

July  15.  The  Inquisition,  which  had  been  restored 
by  Ferdinand,  was  finally  abolisheil  in  Spain,  where 
It  had  existed  since  1173.  Some  300,000  persons  are 
known  to  have  suffered  by  this  horrible  instrument  of 
ecclesiastical  and  iwlitical  tyranny  ;  the  record  of 
vast  numbers  more  is  doubtless  hidden  with  other 
terrijjle  secrets  of  the  grave. 

Na^iolciin  abolished' it  when  he  was  mastcrof  Spain 
but  Ferdinand   VII.  restored  it.      Latterly  the  vio- 


lins have  decreased  to  veq'  few  per  annum.  Without 
being  permitted  to  know  who  accused  him,  a  man  was 
suddenly  seized  by  the  oHicers  of  the  inquisition  ■  his 
dearest  frrends  abandoned  him  at  once  ;  no  one  dared 

o  speak  to  him.  From  the  midst  of  the  luxuries  of 
ble,  Irom  all  his  social  prospects  and  plans  in  busi- 
ness from  the  bosom  ol'nn  agonized  litmily,  he  was 
hurried  to  a  loathsome  dungeon.  On  the  slightest 
pretence,  the  torture  was  aj.plied,  and  many  an  inno- 
cent pcTsm^in  the  pangs  ol  ilealh,  was  forced  to  accuse 

w  u  1  T^"  ^''"''"^'  ''''"'""'  i"liniidated  any  who 
would  1, lead  lor  the  accused,  and  the  life  of  the  lawyer 
liimsell  hiing  on  the  shghlest  word  that  could  be  turned 
against  him.  I'he  punishments,  besides  torture,  death 
111  prison,  and  by  burning,  were  excommunication, 
deprivation  of  Christian  burial,  and  of  right  to  hold 
o  hce  ;  deprivation  of  eharire  of,  .and  disinherilance  of 

children  ;   desniiili, '  nil  properly,  and  power  over 

servants  and  even  children  ;  mitlawry,  also,  which 
gave  up  the  victim  to  the  evil  passions  of  any  and 
every  one,  without  re.lress  or  protection;  and  these 
punishments  extended  to  any  who  should  attempt  to 
ilelend  an  accused  person. 

.■Several  kinds  of  torture  were  used,  viz.,  threatenine 
with  torture  till  the  mind  was  unnerved  by  unccrlainl'v 
and  (ear ;  hoisting  on  the  rack,  a  conirivance  by  which 
llie  body  was  laid  over  wheels,  so  that  when  they  were 
turned  with  great  force,  the  limbs  and  every  muscle 
tendon,   liganienl,  joint  and   nerve  were  strelched  to 


their  utmost  tension,  jirodncing  inconceivable  agony, 
yas  nraclised,  thus  :  —  the  victim's  hands 


Squassalion  wa.. , ,..,,,.,  >„>,»;- ,„e  viciims  nanus 

were  lied  behind  his  back,  and  heavy  weights  attached 
to  his  feet ;  by  a  rope  running  over  a  pullv  above  and 
altached  to  the  wrists,  we  believe,  he  or  she  was  then 
suddenly  jerked  no.  once,  twice,  or  thrice  an  hour  to  a 
great  liei<'lit,  and  allowed  to  foil  down  by  the  run 
with  a  sudden  check,  wrenching  and  crackiu"  every 
joint,  and  horribly  crippling  for  life.  All  thes'e  fiend- 
ish cruellies  were  infiicted  to  root  out  Judaism,  Prot- 
estantism and  other  heresies,  besides  panderiu"  to 
pohiical  or  private  malice.  On  f.-siival  ilnys  the  cruel 
inquisitors  feasted  themselves  with  a  biirnin"  nlive 
or  auto  da  fe,  "  act  of  faith,"  that  is,  the  jirocecdings 
ol  the  tribunal  and  its  results  in  respect  to  the  accused. 
Such  were  the  iierversions  of  a  religion  sent  to  make 
men  better,  more  cheerful,  happy  aiid  kind  I 

The  stake  at  which  heretics  were  burnt,  was  about 
four  yards  high,  surrounded  with  a  pile  of  furze,  with 
a  seat  for  the  victim  upon  a  board  within  a  yard  of  the 
top.  The  "  negative"  and  relapsed  prisoners  were  first 
strangled  and  burned;  the  "professed"  then  ascended 
the  ladder,  with  a  Jesuit  on  each  side,  urging  confession 
and  recantation.  If  these  were  refused,  theeieeutioner 
went  up  and  chained  the  wretched  man,  woman  or 
child,  to  the  slake.  The  furze  was  then  lighted  about 
the  slake,  and  as  the  Hre  reached  no  higher  than  the 
knees,  the  victims  were  literally  roasted  to  death  ; 
.sometimes  in  a  half  hour  of  agony,  sometimes,  if  the 
wind  yy.as  high,  in  two  hours. 

July  29.  Nine  hundred  convents  suppressed  in 
S|iain,  the  property  to  pay  the  slate  debts. 

July  29.  Infehnai.  Machine,  Paris.  Fieschi,  by 
arranging  many  mnsket-barrels  in  a  window,  at- 
tempted to  shoot  Louis  Phili|ipe  and  bis  family.  An 
aid-de-camp  was  shot  at  the  king's  side,  and  several 
others;  and  30  woumled. 

Aug.  4.  The  Jesuits  suppressed,  and  Iheir  property 
confiscated  in  Sjiaiii. 

Aug.  11.  The  Ursuline  Convent,  Charlestown, 
Mass.,  burned  by  a  mob. 

Aug.  25.  An  earthquake  destroys  2000  houses,  at 
Cesarea,  Asia  Minor. 

Oct.  12.  An  earthquake  in  Calabria  destroys  100 
peo]de,  in  Castiglione. 

Oct.  21.     Female  Anti-slavery  Society  mobbed  in 
Boston. 
Nov.  7.     N.  York  and  Erie  railroad  commenced. 
Nov.  II.     Destructive  tempest  on  Lake  Eric  — ves- 
sels wrecked,  lives  lost,   liufl'alo  flooded,  and  much 
jiropcrty  destroyed. 

Nov.  17,  18.  AuBOBA  BoREALis.  Thls  was,  in  ex- 
tent and  magnificence,  one  of  the  grandest  forms  undei 
which  this  mysterious  phenomenon  ever  displayed  it- 


596 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


self;  resembling  however,  somewhat  that  of  Aug.  19, 
1726.  It  was  widely  diffused,  exeeediiigly  lirilliant 
and  beautiful,  the  colors  various,  mingled  with  purple 
and  vermilion,  and  at  limes  of  a  deeper  red.  VVhen  it 
first  appeared,  near  the  close  of  twilight,  the  eastern  sl;y 
was  in  an  apparent  glow,  like  that  produced  by  a  dis- 
tant conHagration.  Soon  this  extended,  in  a  broad  belt, 
over  to  the  western  and  north-western  horizon,  exhib- 
iting the  appearance  of  a  flanie-colored  band,  verging 
into  deep  crimson  at  the  zenith.  In  a  few  minutes 
was  seen  a  semi-transparent,  whitish  belt,  spanning 
the  heavens  in  a  line  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the 
magnetic  meridian,  and  moving  towards  the  southern 
horizon,  near  which  it  melted  away.  It  made  all  the 
sky  south  of  it  appear  of  a  dark  slate  color.  Then 
succeeded  columns  of  light,  flame-colored  and  of  a  sil- 
very hue,  rising  from  every  part  of  the  northern  sky. 
Meanwhile,  various  parts  of  the  north  were  tinged 
with  red  and  crimson,  while  in  the  south-east,  from  15 
to  30  degrees  above  the  horizon,  large  semi-transpa- 
rent masses,  of  a  silvery  hue,  were  forming  and  spread- 
ing irregular  strata  in  every  direction. 

At  half  past  six,  after  an  apparent  cessation  of  ac- 
tion for  15  or  20  minutes,  it  commenced  again  with  a 
lurid  glow  of  the  sky  in  the  north-east,  and  with  the 
formation  of  silvery  clouds  in  the  south-east ;  these 
were  soon  followed  by  corruscations  of  light,  shooting 
up  from  all  quarters,  and  uniting  in  a  beautiful  crim- 
son corona,  near  the  zenith.  At  eleven  o'clock  the 
spectacle  was  splendid  beyond  description.  The 
corona  on  the  north  side  was  of  a  bluish  tinge,  on  the 
south  of  a  bright,  deep,  changeable  crimson  and  red,  in 
portions  varying  to  purple.  Streamers  were  rising  from 
every  point  of  the  norizon,  and  there  was  a  rapid  and 
beautiful  rushing  of  light,  in  undulatory  flashes, 
called  Merry  Dancers^  by  the  northern  nations,  like 
the  waving  of  banners  over  a  red  and  purple  sky. 

Nov.  21.  Died,  James  Hogg,  the  poet,  and  Ettrick 
Shepherd,  aged  63. 

Nov.  22.  Great  fire  in  Canton,  China  j  1400  houses 
burned. 

Nov.  23.  First  battle  in  the  war  of  Texan  Indepen- 
dence, near  Bexar. 

Dec.  10.  Be.xar  (San  Antonio)  surrendered  by  the 
Mexicans  to  the-Texans,  under  Milam. 

Dec.  16.  Great  fire  in  New  York.  Weather  ex- 
tremely cold.  The  fire  began  at  nine,  P.M.,  and  raged 
16  hours,  destroying  17,1  Ts, 092  dollars'  worth  of  prop- 
erty, 4,000,000  of  it  in  buildings,  of  which  529  were 
burnt,  including  the  Merchants'  Exchange. 

Dec.  28.  Troops  under  Major  Dade,  and  Captains 
Fraser  and  Gardner,  eight  officers  and  102  noncommis- 
sioned officers  and  privates,  attacked  between  Tampa 
Bay  and  Camp  King,  by  the  Seminoles,  and  all  slain, 
except  three  privates. 

Dec.  31.     Buttle  of  Withlacoochee,  Florida. 

1836. 

Feb.  3.  Died,  Madame  Maria  Letilia  Bonaparte, 
\  al  Rome,  aged  S5.  She  was  llic  mother  of  ihe  Einpe- 
\  ror  Napoleon,  and  of  the  kings  of  Holland,  Wurtein- 
5    burg,  Spain  and  Naples. 

Feb.  7.  Salavery  defeated  by  Santa  Cruz,  near 
Arequipa;    the  civil  war  in  Peru  tcrminaicd. 

Feb.  23.     4000  Mexicans  repulsed  from  fort  Alamo. 

Feb.  29.  A  second  battle  at  Withlacoochee,  in 
Florida. 

March  6.  Bexar  taken  by  the  Mexicans,  and  Cols. 
David  Crockett  and  James  Bowie  killed  ;  1000  Mexi- 
cans, and  180  out  of  187  of  the  garrison,  slain. 

March  19.  Colonel  Fanning  and  300  Texans  con- 
quered by  900  Mexicans,  after  a  bloody  battle  ;  Colonel 
F.  and  520  Texans  surrendered  prisoners  of  war. 
Nine  days  after,  they  were  massacred,  in  cold  blood, 
except  SIX. 

April  1 1 .  Victory  of  San  Jacinto,  Texas  ;  Houston 
over  Santa  Anna,  President  of  Mexico,  who  is  taken 
prisoner. 

May  15.     Great  Solar  Eclipse. 

Roanoke  tillage  burnt  by  the  Seminoles  ;  15  killed. 

May  23.  Died,  Edward  Livingston,  in  his  72d  year. 
He  prepared  the  Penal  Code  for  Louisiana. 

May  26.     Creek  Indians  defeated  at  Tushlaluchie. 


June  1.  A  Severe  Frost, doing  considerable  damage 
to  gardens,  vegetables  and  fruit,  in  New  England. 

June  9.  Indians  defeated  at  Micanopy,  by  Heil- 
man. 

June  28.  James  Madison,  fourth  president,  died, 
in  Va.j  in  his  SGth  year. 

July  17.  Bp.  Win.  White,  D.  D.,  died  al  Philadel- 
phia, in  his  84th  year.  Long  the  senior  bishop  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  the  U.  States  ;  he  con- 
secrated all  but  six  of  its  32  bishops. 

July  19.  Bp.  Cheverus,  Cardinal, and  Archbishopof 
Bordeaux,  died,  aged  69. 

July  27.     Gen.  Jesup  announces  the  termination  of 
the  Florida  war. 
July  30.     Mob  destroy  Birnev's  press,  Cincinnati. 
Sept.  7.     A  Severe  Frost  in  New  England  ;  garden 
vegetables  and  Indian  corn  killed. 

Sept.  8.    Grand  bicentennial  celebration  at  Harvard 
University;  1300  alumni  and  guests  dined  together. 
Sept.  14.     Died,  Aaron  Burr,  aged  81. 
Sept.  23.     Died,  the  wonderful  vocal  actress,  Mali- 
bran,  aged  28,  in  England. 

Oct.  5.     An    unparalleled    snow-storm ;    24    or  26 

inches  fell,  melting  as  it  fell  ;  and  the  next  morning 

measured  13  or  14  inches;  20  inches  in  Pennsylvania. 

Oct.  29.     Louis  Napoleon    Bonaparte  attempts,  al 

Strasburg,  to  revolutionize  France. 

Nov.  4.  Died,  Charles  X.,  ex-king  of  France,  at 
Gorilz  in  Illyria,  in  his  80th  year. 

Nov.  7.  A  great  balloon  journey  of  600  miles,  two 
miles  high,  was  made  from  Lundoo  to  Weilburg, 
Nassau,  in  18  hours. 

Nov.  26.  Died,  in  Scotland,  Macadam,  the  road- 
maker,  aged  80. 

Nov.  29.  The  most  violent  gale  for  50  years,  in  Eng- 
land ;  many  vessels  wrecked  and  much  damage  done. 
Dec.  15.  An  influenza,  attended  by  inflammation 
of  the  throat  and  lungs,  with  violent  spasms,  sickness 
and  headache,  and  frequently  fatal,  raged  in  G/eat 
Britain  and  Europe. 

Dec.  28.  Great  fall  of  snow  in  England  ;  30  to  40 
feetdeep  —  intercourse  between  London  and  the  south- 
ern counties  stopped  for  several  days. 

Dec.  30.  The  plague  carried  off  1 00,000  persons  dur- 
ing summer  and  autumn,  at  Constanlinople. 

Animal  Magnetism  first  introduced  to  the  United 
Stales,  at  Boston,  by  Charles  Poyen  de  St.  Sauveur, 
and  A.  Hewins.  This  science  was  first  brouglit  into 
public  uoiice  by  Mesmer,  a  German,  at  Paris,  in  1773  ; 
l)is  plan  was  to  cure  disease  by  "  the  universal  fluid," 
and  his  patients,  arranged  in  concentric  circles,  and 
excited  by  music,  grasped  iron  rods  whiclicame  from 
an  oaken  drum  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  while  Mes- 
mer touched  them  with  a  metallic  rod,  and  they  were 
soon  thrown  into  convulsions.  All  this  apparatus  was 
soon  rejected,  and  now,  simple  passes  belbre  the  face 
are  made  by  the  magnetizer,  at  first,  and  after  the 
magnctizee  has  been  used  to  the  influence,  the  mag- 
netizer produces  the  elTect  by  simjile  volition.  11 
aflecls  nervous  and  diseased  persons  more  than  others. 
Good  subjects  are  made  insensible  to  any  other  ideas 
than  those  of  the  magnetizer,  and  insensible  lo  pain  ; 
are  thrown  into  a  state  in  which  they  sometimes  per- 
ceive what  is  jiassing  at  hundreds  of  miles  ofi";  enter 
into  the  ihought  of  another;  indicate  a  person's  cliar- 
acler  on  taking  in  hand  a  scaled  letter  or  anything 
that  has  heen  worn  ;  describe  exactly  organic  diseases 
and  indicate  the  cure  ;  in  fine,  can  almost  pass  through 
the  portals  of  the  spiritual  world. 

1837. 

Jan.  16.  The  "  Expunging  Resolution"  passed  in 
the  U.  S.  Senate. 

Jan.  30.  Jaffa,  (Joppa,)  in  Palestine,  destroyed  by 
an  earthquake  ;  13,000  out  of  15,000  inhabitants  de- 
stroyed. 

Feb.  7.  Died,  GustaTus  Adolphus  IV.,  ex-king  of 
Sweden,  aged  53.  In  1S19,  he  was  deposed  by  the 
diet  for  his  violent  and  impolitic  conduct.  His  last 
years  were  spent  in  poverty,  ill  fed,  ill  dressed,  his 
annual  stipend  about  S480. 

March  4.  Martin  Van  Buren  inaugurated  presi- 
dent. 


■'^^^^»'V^JV%*'%^%^»v^i^i^^%/v%^^i^v^i^^vvvv'V^v'VNfv^i'v^^.'vv^^.^'%*%*%^^fc^^^»^i^^^i^»^^%/%'^^t^^'x^i'Si'V'v^/vv'%^i^^i^^t'\i^^i'%^/v  ^'»^^v^t^  ff 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


597 


April  3.  Snow  al  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  lo  the  depth  of 
17  inches  ;  a  lliin^  unknown  iiefore  al  any  seoson. 

April  23.  Sinking  of  Land.  On  ihc  shores  of  the 
Bailie,  a  hill  more  than  lOu  feet  hi^h  and  covered  with 
furze,  suddenly  sunk,  wiih  a  noise  reseniMin^  tliun- 
'    der  ;  and  adjojnin*;  hills  were  raised  20  lo  30  leet. 

May  1  — 12.  Hard  Times — Paxic.  Unprece- 
dented emharrassnients  have  been  felt  anion;;  husi- 
ness  men  for  two  months  hack',  in  all  the  ctMiimer- 
cial  towns  of  the  Union.  In  New  VurV,  2G0  heavy 
suspensions  liad  occurred,  besides  couniless  smaller 
ones.  In  New  Orleans,  in  two  liays,  houses  stopped, 
owing:  in  the  aggrejattT,  &.*7,00i),000.  Among  iheiii 
were  three  whose  liabilities  arc  stated  at  31,000,000 
each,  one  at  two  and  a  lialf  millions,  one  at  three,  and 
one  at  15,000,000!  in  Boston,  from  Nov.  I,  iy;ir.,Io 
May  12,  1837, 1G3  failures.  Real  estate  in  New  York 
depreciated  310,000,000  in  six  months  ;  250  failures  of 
houses  doing  extensive  business  ;  In  the  same  i)eriod 
slocks  declined  820,000,000;  the  merchandise  here 
depreciated  30  percent.  ;  within  a  few  weeks  20,000 
laborers  have  been  discharged.  May  10,  all  tlie  New 
York  banks  suspend  specie  payments,  and  on  the  1  llh 
those  of  Boston  and  elsewhere. 

June  11.     Broad  street  riot  in  Boston. 

June  20.     William  IV.,  King  of  England,  died. 

June  21.  Victoria,  proclaimed  Queen  of  Great 
Britain. 

Aug.  4.  Discovery  of  the  "North-west  Passage," 
along  the  north  shore  of  America,  comjileled. 

Sept.  29.  Sioux  treaty  to  go  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. 

Oct.  1.     Winnebago  treaty. 

Oct.  20.     Osceola  and  Coc  Haje,  captured. 

Oct.  30.  Cholera  in  Catania,  Sicily,  carried  off 
40,000  out  of  60,000  people  of  the  city. 

Nov.  7.  Alton  riots.  Lovejny's  press  destroyed 
a  tliird  lime  ;  himself  and  one  of  the  mob  killed. 

Nov.  23.  Battle  at  St.  Dennis,  L.  C;  regulars  de- 
feated by  "  patriots." 

Nuv.  25.  St.  Charles,  Canada,  taken  from  the  Pa- 
triots. 

Nov.  30.  Great  mortality  among  the  Indians  of  the 
Upper  Missouri. 

Dec.  4.  Mackenzie  takes  Montgomerj'  House,  near 
Toronto.  The  governor  takes  1000  volunteers  and 
routs  him  on  the  6lh.  On  the  5th  viartial  law  is  de- 
clared in  Montreal. 

Dec.  14.  Insurrectionists  in  Canada  defeated  at  St. 
Enstache.  St.  Benvit,  the  "  focus  of  the  insurrection," 
burnt  liy  the  loyalists. 

Dec.  25.  Battle  between  Pease  Creek  and  Big  Cy- 
press Swamjt,  in  Florida. 

Dec.  29.  The  Imperial  Palace  burnt,  at  St.  Peters- 
burg. 

Dec.  30.  About  two  o'clock,  A.  M.,  100  Canada 
loyalists  attacked  the  Caroline  at  Schlosser,  and  of  31 
Americans  on  board,  22  lost  tlieir  lives.  The  boat 
was  fired,  toweil  into  the  current  with  part  of  the  men 
t)n  board,  and  precipitated  down  the  falls. 

First  rail-road  in  Russia,  from  St.  Petersburg,  17 
miles,  towards  Moscow. 

1838. 

Jan.  10.     Royal  Exchange,  London,  burnt. 

Jan.  23 — 26.  Eartliquakes  in  eastern  Europe  ;  300 
houses  destroyed  in  Bucharest,  and  GO  persons  killed. 

Jan.  24.  Jesup  defeats  the  Seminoles  at  Loche 
Hatohee. 

Jan.  31.  Died  at  Fort  Moultrie,  Osceola,  or  Powell, 
the  celebrated  Seminole  chief.  Fromavagaliond  child 
he  became  the  master  spirit  of  a  long  and  desperate 
war.  With  the  feeblest  means  he  produced  the  most 
terrible  effects. 

Feb.  1.  Peace  between  France  and  Hayti  ;  the  lat- 
ter to  pay  60,000,000  francs. 

March  I.  Patriots  surrender  to  United  States  Gen. 
Wool,  in  Vt.,  and  the  frontier  is  quieted. 

March  16.  Died,  Nathaniel  Bowditch,  the  famous 
malhcmatician,  aged  65. 

March  26.     Great  law  case  in  England,  Alwood  vs. 


Small,  decided.  The  hearing  occupied  80 days,  50  »l 
the  bar  of  the  House  of  Lords.  Expenses  more  than 
three  quarters  of  a  million  of  dollars  ;  the  printed  pa- 
pers amounled  to  30,000  folio  pages;  and  the  notes 
took  10,000  more. 

April  4.  The  fir?^t  Stkam  Packet  Ship,  the  Sirius, 
left  Cork,  Ireland,  for  New  York,  and  arrived  April 
23  ;  on  the  same  day  the  Great  Western  arrived, 
wliich  left  Bristol,  England,  on  ihe  8th. 

April  17.  The  Fifteen  Gallon  Law  passed  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, 

April  20.  A  meteoric  shower  at  Knoxville,  Ten- 
nessee. 

April  23.  The  English  steam-jackets.  Great  Wes- 
tern and  Sirius,  arrived  at  New  "\  ork,  forming  a  new 
era  in  navigation. 

April  27.  Great  fire  in  Charleston;  $-1,000,000 
lost,  1153  buildings  burnt. 

May  17.  Died,  al  Paris,  Prince  Talleyrand,  in 
his  S4th  year  ;  the  most  accomplished  of  diplomatists, 
and  ill  public  life  for  half  a  century,  as  bishop,  cleri- 
cal deputy,  president  of  the  States  General,  member 
of  the  directory,  secret  envoy,  exile,  minister  of  foreiim 
airiirs.  Prince  of  Benevcnto,  and  grand  chamberlam 
of  the  Empire,  president  of  the  provisional  govern- 
ment, French  commissioner  at  the  Congress  at  Vien- 
na, minister  for  foreign  affairs,  president  of  council, 
and  ambassador  to  England.  He  was  of  rare  firmness 
and  imperturbable  sang  froid  ;  looked  on  mankind  as 
puppets  for  his  moves,  was  infinite  in  resources,  ele- 
gant in  language,  and  of  unbounded  influence. 

May  17.      Pennsylvania  Hall,  Philadelphia,  burnt 


The  Specie  Circular  rescinded. 

Great  flood  of  rain,  in  Central  Pennsyl- 


by  a  mob. 

May  29. 

June  19. 
vania. 

June  23.  Died,  aged  64,  in  Ml.  Lebanon,  Syria, 
where  she  had  liveil  20  or  30  years.  Lady  Hester 
.Staidiope,  called  by  the  Arabs  Uueen  of  Palmyra,  and 
possessing  unbounded  influence  over  them. 

June  2S.     Coronation  of  Uueen  Victoria,  England. 

July  1.  Died,  Mahmoud  U.,  Sultiu  of  Turkey,  in 
his  r.iih  year. 

July  8.  Treaty  of  Peace  between  Russia  and 
Turkey. 

Aug.  I.  Apprenticeship  abolislied  in  the  British 
West  Indies,  and  entire  emancipation  of  the  slaves, 
800,000  and  more,  decreed. 

Aug.  18,  19.  Exploring  Expedition,  under  Wilkes, 
sailed  from  Hampton  Roads  ;  it  returned  to  N.  York 
lOth  June,  1S42. 

Oct.  31.  Died,  Noah  Worcester,  D.  D.,  aged  79, 
founder  of  the  Mass.  Peace  Society. 

Nov,  13.  Insurgents  defeated  at  Prescct,  in  Can- 
ada. 

Nov.  27.  The  castle  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa,  at  Vera 
Cruz,  taken  by  the  French. 

1839. 

Jan.  11.  Drendful  earthquake  at  JIartinique  ;  at 
P.>rt  Royal,  KOO  houses  destroycJ,  and  500  people 
killed. 

Jan.  20.  Battle  of  Vungay  ;  Chilian  army  victo- 
rious. 

Jan.  21.  Great  conflagration  at  Constantinople. 
Vizier's  Palace,  called  Bnlia  Humayroon,  (that  is, 
lofty  i^te,  suhlime  porte,)  includiiig  thcddferent  min- 
isterial and  administrative  offices,  destroyed.  Loss 
estimated  at  about  $4,000,000. 

Jan.  26.  Tremendous  gale  in  the  U.  States;  much 
of  New  York,  Alhany,  Philadelphia,  &c.,  overflown. 

Jan.  26.  Died,  in  his  75th  year,  "  the  Patroon," 
Major  General  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer. 

Feb.  12—27.  Troubles  on  the  north-eastern  boun- 
dary. 

March  2.  Died  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  in  his  33th  year. 
Rev.  Zerah  Colburn  ;  from  the  ai»e  of  C  to  13,  he  had 
an  astonishing  faculty  for  arithmetic. 

March  17.  Confiscation  of  Opium  in  China. 
The  Chinese  imperial  com.,  Lin,  sent  from  Pekin,  is- 
sues at  Canton  a  proclamation  notifying  foreigners  thai 


598 


TEN    THOCSAJ<D    FACTS. 


the  Chinese  laws  against  the  opium  trade  are  to  be 
enforced. 

27lh.  All  ihe  opium  belonging  to  British  subjects, 
amounting  lo  20,283  chests,  valued  at  810,000,000, 
■was  surrendered  to  Capt.  Elliot,  superintendent  of 
the  traile  of  British  subjects  in  China. 

April  1.  Carrera  usurps  the  government  of  Central 
America. 

April  2.1  Died,  General  Samuel  Smith,  a  benefac- 
tor of  Balliniore,  in  his  87th  year. 

June  9.  War  is  declared  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey 
against  Mehemct  Ali,  Pacha  of  Egypt. 

June  15.  Grand  Chartist  Petition,  signed  by 
1,230,000  persons,  praying  for  a  written  constitution, 
universal  suffrage,  vole  by  balloi,  annual  parliaments, 
abolilion  of  the  properly  qualification  for  membership 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  and  that  members  be  paid 
for  their  services,  —  presented  in  the  Parliament  of 
Great"  Britain  by  Mr.  Altwood. 

June  24.  Grand  battle  of  Nezib,  near  Bir,  in  Syria. 
The  Turks,  70,000  strong,  defeated  by  Egyptians,  or 
Arabs,  80,000.  25lh.  The  commander  of  the  Turkish 
fleet  treacherously  surrenders  it  lo  Mehemel  Ali. 

July  11.  The  British  House  of  Lords  proceed  in 
state,  in  court  dresses,  to  the  Queen's  Palace,  and  ask 
her  to  rescind  ihe  grant  of  150,000  dollars  made  by 
the  House  of  Commons,  for  National  Etlucalion  ;  on 
June  24lh,  Victoria  "duly  appreciates  their  zeal  for 
religion  an<l  the  established  church,  but  regrets  they 
should  have  thought  it  necessary  to  take  such  a  step.'' 

July  15.     Chartist  riots  at  Birmingham. 

July  31.  Avery  extraordinary  hurricane  at  New 
Haven,  Ct. 

Aug.  5.  Cabul,  the  Afghan  capital,  taken  by  the 
English  ;  Ghizni  taken  July  22. 

9lh.  Conflagralion  ;  3700  houses  burnt  in  Constan- 
tinople; 824,000,000  loss. 

Aug.  28.  Grand  Tournament  at  Eglintoun  Castle, 
Scotland  ;  80,000  people  assembled.  The  Earl  of 
Eglintoun  got  up  this  splendid  pageant,  to  exhibit  the 
scenes  of  the  nays  of  chivalry.  Everything  was  in 
keeping;  arms,  armor,  dress,  exercises,  manners;  —  all 
were  according  to  the  fashions  of  the  middle  ages. 
The  age  of  Romance  was  reproduced  in  the  age  of 
Trade. 

Sept.  3.  A  brilliant  and  remarkable  Aurora  Borea- 
lis.  14th.  The  long  civil  war  in  Spain  closed  by  the 
retreat  of  Don  Carlos  into  France. 

Nov.  5.  Two  English  vessels  of  war  wantonly  fire 
on  29  Chinese  junks,  and  kill  900  men. 

1840. 

Jan.  10.     Penny  postage  commences  in  England. 

Jan.  13.  The  steamboat  Lexington  burnt ;  140  lives 
lost,  in  Long  Island  Sound. 

Jan.  19.  Antarctic  continent  discovered  by  the  U. 
S.  Exploring  Expedition,  and  coasted  for  1700  miles. 

Feb.  10.  Victoria,  Queen  of  England,  married  to 
Prince  Albert,  of  Saxe  Coburg  Gotha. 

Feb.  11.   City  Ex.,  N.  Orleans,  cost  S800, 000,  burnt. 

Feb.  12.  Died,  the  famous  surgeon.  Sir  Astley  P. 
Cooper,  aged  72.  His  professional  income  was  from 
890,000  to  SI03,000  per  annum.  For  a  single  opera- 
tion he  once  received  aliout  S5,200. 

April  30.  Died  at  Caen,  in  France,  George  Brum- 
mell,  aged  62,  better  known  as  ihe  famous  "  Beau 
Brummell,"  the  companion  of  the  dissipations  and 
follies  of  George  IV.,  when  he  was  prince. 

May  3.  Died  at  Paris,  aged  70,  James  Morrison,  of 
London,  vender  of  "  Morrison's  Pills."  In  10  years  he 
paid  the  English  government  8300,000  for  medicine 
stamps  alone,  such  was  the  success  of  his  quackery! 

May  4.  Grand  Young  Men's  Whig  Convention  at 
Baltimore,  to  nominate  General  Wm.  H.  Harrison  for 
president.     15  to  20,000  present. 

May  7.  A  tremendous  tornado  passes  over  the  city 
of  Natchez.     Loss,  81,500,000  ;  317  killed. 

June  7.  Frederick  William  III.,  King  of  Prussia, 
died  in  his  70lh  year,  falher  of  the  Prussian  common 
school  system. 

June  29.  Died,  near  Rome,  Lucien  Bonaparte,  next 
brother  to  Napoleon,  in  his  66lh  year. 


June  30.     Independent  Treasury,  or  Sub-Treasury 
Bill  passed. 

July  18.  Cunard  steam-packets;  first  arrival  in 
Boston. 

Aug.  5.  The  British  take  the  city  and  island  of 
Chusan  from  the  Chinese. 

Aug.  6.  Louis  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  at  Boulogr  e, 
attempts  lo  revolnlionize  France,  but  is  imprisoned 

Aug.  14.  Passage  from  Liverpool  to  Halifax  made 
in  10  days  by  the  Britannia  steam-packet. 

Sept.  3.  Grand  Harrison  Convention  of  30,000 
Whigs  at  Wheeling,  Va. 

Sept.  10.  Bunker  Hill  Conventionof  20,000  Whigs 
to  elect  Harrison. 

Oct.  7.  William  I.  resigns  the  throne  of  Holland 
to  hisson,  William  II.,  to  marry  the  Catholic  Countess 
D'Oultremont.     His  private  fortune  was  $31,243,000. 

Oct.  10.  Battle  near  Beyroot.  The  Turks  and 
their  allies  defeat  the  Egyptian  army. 

Oct.  18.  Napoleon's  embalmed  body  was  removed 
from  St.  Helena,  and  on  Dec.  15lh,  deposited  at  the 
magnificent  Hospital  of  the  Invalides,  Paris.  The 
countenance  was  still  perfect.  600,000  people  were 
present ;  60,000  national  guards. 

Nov.  3.  Acre  (Piolemais)  stormed  by  the  allied 
fleet  of  Turks,  English,  and  Austrians.  600  barrels 
of  powder  exploded,  burying  2000  soldiers  in  the  ruins 
85,000,000  worth  of  materials  found  in  the  fort. 

Nov.  30.  A  tremendous  earthquake  in  Zante. 
Damage,  $2,500,000. 

Dec.  1.  Bailie  in  Scinde  ;  4000  Belooches  defeated 
by  Lieut.  Col.  Marshall. 

Dec.  4.     Great  snow  storm  in  the  middle  stales. 

MoRMONisM.  This  sect  commenced  in  1830,  through 
the  barefaced  imposture  of  one  Joe  Smith,  in  Palmyra, 
in  West  New  York,  where  this  vulgar  and  ignorant 
person  pretended  thai  he  had  found  in  ihe  ground  cer- 
tain gold  plales  in  an  unknown  language,  which  was 
revealed  lo  him,  and  ihe  plales  proved  lo  be  a  lost  part 
of  the  Bible,  the  book  of  ibe  prophet  Mormon,  an  ante- 
diluvian or  some  laler  seer  !  On  these  assertions  he 
persuaded  some  silly  people  lo  believe  cerlain  doctrines 
therein  taught,  and'lnc  sect  called  itself  Latter  Day 
Saints.  Their  first  mission  from  Palmyra  arrived  at 
Mentor,  Ohio,  in  Oct.  1830.  They  built  a  temple  at 
Kirlland,  Ohio.  Holding  the  doclrine  literally,  thai 
"the  wealth  of  the  sinner  is  laid  up  for  the  just,"  and 
drawing  ihe  fanatical  conclusion,  that  therefore  it  was 
for  tlicm,  they  ivere  troublesome  to  their  neighbors, 
who  accused  Ihcm  of  stealing.  They  consequently 
became  subjects  of  dislike,  which  amounted,  in  time, 
to  persecution.  This  persecution  fell  on  many  of  them 
as  much  for  their  wickedness'  sake  as  for  righteous- 
ness' sake.  Nevertheless  it  had,  of  course,  the  efiecl 
to  increase  their  number.  They  were  no  doubt  shame- 
fully, wickedly  treated  ;  and  being  successively  driven 
from  Michigan,  Missouri,  and  Illinois,  where  Joe  was 
killed,  they  at  last  started  for  Oregon  and  California, 
but  stopped  half  way  in  the  norlh-east  corner  of  Cali- 
fornia. At  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  ihey  had  built  a  city,  in 
the  centre  of  which  was  a  vast  and  costly  temple,  and 
some  nine  or  ten  thousand  Mormons  were  gathered 
here,  from  Europe  and  America. 

They  are  said  lo  be  enclosing  a  city  of  twelve  miles 
square  with  a  wall,  not  far  from  the  borders  of  Salt 
Lake,  in  the  valley  of  Bear  River.  Here  some  seven 
or  eight  thousand  are  said  to  be  collected,  who  have 
opened  the  virgin  soil,  made  themselves  homes,  and 
have  already  a  surplus  lo  sell  lo  the  emigrants,  who 
have  started  in  such  improvident  numbers  lo  Cali- 
fornia, by  the  land  route.  This  may  save  many  from 
famine.  It  is  said  there  are  50,000  belonging  to  the 
sect,  who  are  all  converging  to  the  grand  centre  on 
Bear  river.  The  tenets  of  the  Mormons  are  uncertain, 
as  Joe  Smith  was  in  the  habit  of  pretending,  like  Ma- 
homet, a  constant  succession  of  revelations,  to  suit  his 
purposes.  Their  bible,  published  in  1830,  contains 
590  pages,  mostly  nonsense,  interlarded  with  scrip- 
ture phrases.  He  has  been  heard  lo  say.  The  Lord 
says  so  and  so,  and  "  if  it  does  not  come  right  we  '11 
fix  it,"  —  that  is,  another  revelation  shall  mend  the 
matter!  It  would  seem  incredible  that  mere  impu- 
dence should  acquire  such  power,  did  we  not  know 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


599 


jow  r.ot  only  the  ignoranl  and  siiperstUious,  hut  wise 
and  learned  men  have  been  befooled  by  fanaticism,  in 
sU  ages  and  couulries. 

1841. 

Great  thaw,  and  freshet,  and  fall  of  rain. 

Feb.  5.  Pennsylvania  Bank  of  the  United  Slates, 
after  paying  out  six  millions  of  specie  in  20  days,  sus- 
pended specie  payments,  as  did  the  other  hanks  iif  Phil- 
adelphia ;  and  also  those  of  Baltimore,  &c.  Those  of 
New  Vork  and  New  England  cnniinueil  to  pay  specie, 

Feb  22.  An  avalanche  of  soil  destroys  113  lives  at 
Gragnano,  in  Italy.  Keggio,  in  Calabria,  is  nearly 
destroyed  by  an  earthquake. 

Feb.  25.  The  Canton  and  the  Bogue  forts  captured 
by  the  British,  with  great  slaughter. 

March  4.  William  Henry  Harrison  inaugurated 
president  before  a  concourse  of  30  to  60,000  persons. 

March  11.  The  English  steiiin.])aeket  ('resident, 
109  souls  on  board,  sails  from  New  York  for  I/iver- 
pool,  and  is  never  heard  of  more!     Loss  S3U4,0fln. 

March  15.  Great  rise  of  the  streams  of  North  and 
South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Alabama. 

March  27.  Tremendous  hail-storm  at  St.  Louis, 
for  15  minutes. 

April  4.  President  Harrison  dies,  and  his  remains 
are  honored  with  an  imposing  funeral.  A  fast  day  is 
observed  on  the  14lh  in  consequence. 

May  16.  Yucatan  declares  its  independence  of 
Mexico. 

IMav  17.  At  Quebec,  some  30  persons  are  killed  by 
the  falling  of  250  feet  of  the  cliff. 

.Tune  15,  Praia,  in  the  island  of  Terceira,  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  an  earlhnnake. 

June  13.  The  stale  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  con- 
stili.ted. 

July  13.  Affairs  of  Turkey  and  Eg>'pt  settled  by 
the  allied  powers  of  Austria,  France,  Great  Britain, 
Prussia  ana  Russia. 

Aug.  9.  Awful  burning  of  the  steamboat  Erie  on 
the  Lake.  172  persons  perished,  mostly  Swiss  and 
German  emigrants. 

Aug.  16.     President  Tyler  vetoes  the  fiscal  Bank. 

Aug.  20.  A  horrible  explosion  of  640  pounds  of 
powder,  at  a  fire  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  kills  25  persons. 

Aug.  20.  Steam-power  applied  with  success  to  car- 
riages on  ordinary  roads,  in  London  ;  speed  obtained, 
18  miles  an  hour. 

Sept.  3.  Great  anti-abolition  mob,  which  ruled 
Cincinnati  for  24  hours,  killed  several  persons,  and 
wounded  20  or  30  others. 

Sept.  9.  President  Tyler  vetoes  the  fiscal  corpora- 
lion  bill ;  this  is  the  14th  tiine  the  veto  power  has  been 
exercised,  viz.,  twice  by  Washington,  4  times  by  Mad- 
ison, once  by  Monroe,  5  limes  liy  Jackson,  twice  by 
Tyler. 

Oct.  4.     Great  storm  of  rain,  snow,  and  wind. 

Oct.  12.  McLcod's  trial  for  burning  the  Caroline; 
TerJict,  not  guilty. 

1842. 

Fob.  1 .  General  United  States  Bankrupt  Law  went 
into  operation. 

May  16.  Dorr  Insurrection  in  Rhode  Island  ;  16th, 
Dorr  entered  Providence  with  1300  followers,  300  of 
them  armed.  On  the  l.Stli,  he  attempted  to  take  the 
arsenal.  June  2Sth,  he  entrenched  himself  at  Clie- 
pachet.  June  25th,  1S44,  he  w:is  sentenced  to  hard 
labor  in  the  state  prison  during  life,  for  treason  ;  hut 
released  on  June  27lh,  ls-15. 

July  20.  The  city  of  Chin  Keang  taken  by  the 
English. 

Aug.  29.  Treaty  of  Peace  concluded  between  China 
and  Britain.  The  Chinese  to  pay  S21,non,ooo  ;  open 
five  chief  ports,  and  cede  the  island  of  Hong  Kong  to 
the  British. 

Sept.  13,  16.  Afghans  defeated  by  the  British,  and 
Cabul  taken. 

Oct.  2.  Rev.  Dr.  Channing  died,  aged  62.  —  Cro- 
tch Water  Celebration  in  New  York. 

Nov.  30.  Violent  storm  of  wind  and  rain  on  the 
coast. 


Dec.  1.  Conspiracy  on  board  the  United  S'ttes 
brig  Somers  ;  Philip  Spencer,  midshipman  and  two 
accomplices,  hung  at  the  yard  arm. 

1843. 

Jan.  9.  Dreadful  fire  at  Port  au  Prince,  Hayti ; 
600  buildings  burnt.     Loss,  S4 ,000,000. 

Jan.  13.  Great  hurricane  on  the  coasts  of  England 
and  France  ;  ISO  vessels  wrecked,  430  persons  killed. 

Feb.  25.  A  pork-)iacking  house  at  Cincinnati  took 
fire,  exploded,  and  killed  8  persons. 

March  21.     Soutlicy,  the  poet,  died,  aged  63. 

June  1".  Bunker  Hill  Monument  completed ; 
grand  celebration  ;  50,000  present. 

July  9.  Washington  Allston,  the  artist,  died  in 
Cambridge  in  his  64lh  year. 

Sept.  15.  Revolution  in  Greece.  King  Otho  com- 
pelknl  to  give  his  people  a  conslitulion. 

.r^ept.  15.     Destructive  hurricane  in  Florida. 

Oct.  24.     Fire  at  Canton  ;  1400  houses  burnt. 

Nov.  10.  Col.  John  Trumbull,  painter,  a  compan- 
ion of  Washington,  died  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  aged 
S7. 

1844. 

Feb.  12.  Daniel  O'Connel,  the  Irish  patriot,  tried, 
and  found  guilty  of  conspiracy. 

Feb.  27.  Nicholas  Biddle,  the  financier,  died, 
aged  58. 

May  I.  Great  Whig  Convention;  50,000  people,  at 
Baltimore,  nomin.ite  Clay  and  Frelinghuyscu  for  Pres- 
ident and  Vice-President. 

May  6 — 8.  Native  American  and  Irish  riots  in 
Philadelphia  ;  30  houses  burned  ;  14  persons  killed  by 
a  mob.  The  foreigners,  wlio  attempted  lo  prevent  a 
citizens'  meeting,  were  awed  down. 

June  27.  Joe  Smith,  the  Mormon  impostor, and  his 
brother  Hiram,  murdered  by  a  mob,  at  Carthage,  II.. 

July  7.  Riots  in  Philadelphia;  40  or  60  killed  ; 
quelled  by  a  force  of  5000  troops. 

July  17.  Bushyhead,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Chero- 
kees,  died. 

July  25.  Meliemet  Ali  abdicated  the  sovereignty 
of  Egypt,  in  favor  of  his  son  Ibrahim,  and  went  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca;  but  changed  his  mind,  and  re- 
turning, took  the  government  again  in  four  days  ! 

Aug.  15.  The  French  destroy  several  towns  and 
defeat  an  army  in  Morocco  ;  peace  is  made  Septem- 
ber 10. 

Sept.  19.  Great  Whig  Mass  Convention  at  Bos- 
ton, of  25,000  persons. 

Oct.  18.  Great  gale  at  Buffalo;  fifty  persons 
drowned, 

Dec.  3.  J.  d.  Ada.. IS  carries  his  motion,  in  Con- 
gress, to  rescind  the  rule  against  receiving  .Abolition 
petitions. 

Dec.  5.  Hon.  Samuel  Hoar,  public  envoy  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  driven  from  South  Carolina. 

Other  events  of  1844  were  — 

First  Magnetic,  or  Electric,  Telegraph.  Il  was 
erected  between  Baltimore  and  Washington.  There 
were,  on  September  Isl,  1348,  6679  miles  of  telegraph 
wires  in  the  United  States. 

Santa  Anna  deposed  by  Paredes  ;  and  Herrera  made 
President  of  Mexico. 

1845. 

Jan.  4.     Hon.  Benjamin  Russell,  printer,  died  at 

Boston,  aged  33. 

Jan.  16.     Treaty  with  China  ratified  by  Congress. 

March  1.     Texas  annexed  to  the  U.  States. 

April  7.     Earthquake  in  Mexico. 

April  10.  Tremendous  conflagration  at  Pittsburg, 
Pa.  ;  1000  buildings  burned  ;  loss  $6,000,000. 

iMay  3.  Ex-President  Andrew  Jackson  died,  at 
Nashville,  aged  78. 

May  25.  Theatre  and  thirty  other  buildings  burnt 
in  ("Canton,  China,  and  1300  lives  lost. 

May  23.  Dreadful  fire  in  Quebec  ;  1500  buildilv^ 
burnt;  loss,  several  millions  of  dollars.     June  23,  an 


600 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


Other  fire  occurred  in  Quebec,  deslroying  1300  build- 
ings, and  some  lives. 

July  12.  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Ware  died  at  Cambridge, 
aged  81. 

July  19.  Destructive  conflagration  in  New  York  ; 
loss,  86,000,000. 

Sept.  10.  Judge  Joseph  Storj'  died  at  Cambridge, 
aged  65. 

Oct.     The  potato  Disease  excites  general  alarm. 

Dec.  A  revolution  iustals  Paredes  as  President  of 
Mexico. 

Dec.  II.  Lord  John  Russell  forms  a  new  ministry 
in  England. 

Dec.  21.  Battle  in  North-west  India;  British  de- 
feat 30,000  Sikhs. 

1846. 

Feb.  10.  In  N.  W.  India  20,000  British  aeieal  3C,- 
000  Sikhs  ;  losing  2333,  and  killing  10,000. 

Feb.  15.  Severe  snow  storm  and  gale  along  the 
Atlantic  coast. 

Feb.  23.  Rebellion  in  Poland  ;  insurgents,  40,000 
strong,  take  Gallicia  and  march  on  Cracow  ;  quelled 
in  a  few  days. 

Feb.  23.     English  Corn  Law  Relorm, 

March  28.  Taylor,  with  3300  men,  takes  post  on 
the  Rio  Grande,  opposite  Malainoras. 

April  5.  Hon.  John  Pickering,  a  distinguished 
scholar,  died,  aged  69. 

April  24.  Hostilities  commence  with  the  Mexicans, 
who  surround  and  kill  Thornton's  troop  of  observa- 
tion. 

Mav  8,  9.  Taylor,  with  2000  Americans,  defeats 
5000  Mexicans  who  attack  him  between  Matamoras 
and  Point  Isabel.  (Battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca 
de  la  Pahna.) 

Mny  12.  Congress  declares  that  war  exists  by  the 
act  of  Mexico,  and  authorizes  the  raising  of  50,000 
volunteers  and  810,000,000. 

June  1.  pope  Gregory  XVI.  died  at  Rome,  after  a 
reign  of  15  years. 

June  12.  Great  fire  at  St.  Johns,  N.  B.  ;  6000  ren- 
dered homeless. 

Jine  14.  Theatre  Royal  burnt  at  Quebec  ;  46  per- 
sons burnt  to  death. 

June  IS.  Oregon  treaty  with  Britain  ratified,  mak- 
ing the  49th  parallel  the  boundary. 

June  21.  Pope  Pius  IX.  enthroned  at  Rome  ;  for- 
merly Cardinal  Mastai  Ferreli. 

July  6.  Capt.  Sloat,  of  the  United  Stales  squadron, 
took  Monterey,  California,  and  proclaimed  that  the 
whole  eounlrv  was  ann^'^ed  to  the  U.  States. 

July  24.  The  Ex-Kin-  "f  Holland,  Louis  Bona- 
parte, died  at  Florence,  aged  t>' 

July  23.     New  laritTbill  passed. 

Aug.  3.  President  Polk  vetoes  the  river  and  harbor 
bill ;  and,  on  the  8lh,  the  French  spoliation  bill. 

Aug.  18.  Biig.  Gen.  Kearney  takes  possession  of 
Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  absolves  the  people  from  alle- 
giance to  Mexico,  and  administers  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance to  the  U.  States,  to  the  public  officers. 

Aug.  19.  Com.  Stockton  blockades  the  western 
coast  of  Mexico. 

Sept.  19,20,21.  Disastrous  gale  in  Newfoundland; 
very  destructive  to  life  and  property. 

Sept.  21,  22,  23.  Battle  of  Monterey,  fought  by 
Taylor;  4700  Americans  against  10,000  Mexicans 
posted  behind  strong  defences. 

Sept.  26.  California  expedition,  under  Stevenson, 
sailed. 

Sept.  23.  The  new  planet,  predicted  by  LeVerrier, 
was  discovered   by  Dr.  Galle  of  Berlin. 

Oct.  2.  Dr.  Benjamin  Waterhouse  died  at  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  aged  92. 

Oct.  25,  26.     Tabasco  bombarded  by  Capt.  Perry. 

Nov.  14.     Tampico  taken  by  Capt.  Conner. 

Nov.  Ifi.  luffependerice  of  Cracow  abrogated  liy 
Prussia,  Russia,  and  Austria. 

Dec.  6.  Gen.  Kearney,  after  a  march  of  2200.miles 
through  the  wilderness,  with  100  dragoons,  defeats 
160  Californians  at  San  Pasqual. 


Dec.  25.  Battle  near  El  Paso,  New  Mexico.  Don- 
iphan,  with  450  Missouri  volunteers,  defeated  ilOO 
Mexicans. 

1847. 

Jan.  8,  9.  Kearney  fights  the  battles  of  San  Ga- 
briel and  La  Mesa,  against  the  Californians. 

Jan.  24.  Battle  near  Canada,  in  Chihuahua;  400 
volunteers,  under  Price,  defeat  1500  Mexicans  and 
Pueblo  Indians. 

Feb.  8.  Frederic  William,  King  of  Prussia,  gives 
his  subjects  their  long  promised  Constitution. 

Feb.  22,  23.  Battle  of  Buena  Vista  ;  Santa  Anna, 
with  22,000  Mexicans,  defeated  by  Taylor  with  4759 
Americans,  mostly  volunteers,  6000  Mexicans  and 
267  Americans  killed. 

Feb.  23.  Battle  of  Sacramento  Pass.  Doniphan 
with  924  men,  defeats  Heridia  with  4000  Mexicans. 

March  1.  Gen.  Kearney  proclaims  the  Californi- 
ans citizens  of  the  United  Stales. 

March  23.  The  U.  Stales  sloop  of  war  Jamestown, 
under  papt.  Forbes,  sails  from  Boston  to  Cork,  with 
provisions  for  the  relief  of  famine  in  Ireland. 

March  29.  Vera  Cruz  and  San  Juan  de  Ulloa  sur- 
rendered to  Scou  and  Perry. 

April  4.  Bucharest,  capital  of  Wallachia,  burnt  up ; 
loss,  more  than  317,000,000. 

April  15.  Prince  C.  L.«Napoleon  AchiUe  Murat, 
sen  of  the  ex-King  of  Naples,  died,  a  country  gentle- 
man, in  Florida,  aged  46. 

April  18.  Tuspan  taken  by  Capt.  Perry  ;  14  killed 
and  wounded.  Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo.  Scott  with 
8500  Americans  defeats  Santa  Anna  with  12,000  Mex- 
icans. 

April  26.  The  Bogue  Forts,  China,  taken  by  the 
British  ;  87G  cannon  spiked. 

May  I.  The  corner  stone  of  the  Smithsonian  In- 
stitute laid  at  Wasnington. 

May  15.  Daniel  O'Connel,  the  famous  Irish  patriot, 
died   at  Genoa,  aged  72. 

May  31.  Rev.  Dr.  Chalmers,  Scotland,  died,  aged 
69. 

June  7.  Abbot  Lawrence  gave  350,000  to  Harvard 
University,  to  found  a  school  of  the  Practical  Sciences. 

July  18.  U.  States  frigate  Macedonian  sailed  with 
provisions  for  relief  of  the  famine  in  Ireland. 

Aug.  9.  George  Rapp,  founder  of  the  Rappites, 
a  politico-religious  sect  of  socialists  at  Economy,  Pa., 
died,  aged  92. 

Aug.  20.  Battles  of  Conlreras  and  Churubusco, 
near  Mexico  ;  7000  Americans  defeat  30,000  Mexi- 
cans ;  lose  1000,  and  kill  6000  men. 

Sept.  8.  El  Molino  del  Rey,  Mexico,  defended  by 
14,000  men,  taken  by  the  Americans.  12,  14.  Che- 
pultepec  taken.  On  the  14th  the  Americans  enter  the 
city  of  Mexico  in  triumph,  (130  killed,)  after  three 
days'  fighting,  and  at  seven,  A.  M.,  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  wave  over  the  "  Halls  of  the  Montezumas." 

Oct.  1.  Violent  tornado  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  ; 
a  roof  weighing  70,000  pounds  carried  200  feet. 

Oct.  5.  Liberia  independent;  J.  J.  Rokerts  chosea 
President. 

Oct.  9.  Slavery  abolished  by  Sweden  at  St.  Barts. 
or  St.  Bartholomew  Island,  West  Indies. 

Oct.  24.  Reform  Banquets  commence  in  France, 
at  Chartres,  to  carry  out  reforms  intended  by  the  rev- 
olution of  1830,  wHich  had  not  been  carried  into  exe- 
cution. 

Nov.  21.  Steamer  Phcenii  burnt  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan ;  240  lives  lost. 

Nov.  25.  Thirteen  states  made  this  a  Thanksgiv- 
ing day.  Reformers  in  France  proclaim  their  princi- 
ples, requiring  tliat  all  who  pay  taxes  shall  vote. 

Nov.  29.  Missionary  killed,  and  thirteen  others, 
in  Oregon,  by  the  Indians  ;  first  blood  shed  there. 

Dec.  17.  lilaria  Louisa,  widow  of  Napoleon,  Arch- 
duchess of  Parma,  died. 

Dec.  22.  Abd-el-Kader,  the  famous  Arab  chief,  in 
Algeria,  surrenders  to  the  French  general,  Lamori- 
ciere. 

Dec.  23.  Louis  Philippe  opens  the  session  of  the 
French  Legislature  in  a  speech  ;  alluding  to  Reform 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


601 


Banquets,  which  gives  much  offence,  and  helps  on  the 
revolution. 

This  year  la  noted  for  the  discoveries  of  Layard  in 
the  ruins  ol  Nineveh,  puhlished  in  1349.  .^IsoYor  the 
discovery  of  the  effects  of  Ether,  in  suspending  sen- 
sation during  surgical  operations,  thus  saving  a  vast 
amount  of  suffering. 

1848. 

Jan.  I.  Girard  Orphan  College,  Philadclphi.i,  at 
last  opened,  16  years  after  the  death  of  its  founder. 

Jan.  1.  Revolt  of  the  Italians  against  the  Austri- 
ans  commenced  liy  the  Milanese  refusing  to  use  to- 
bacco, so  as  to  diminish  the  Austrian  revenue. 

Jan.  11.  Mercury  froze  in  the  thermometer,  at  30° 
below  zero,  in  Kranconia,  New  Hajnnshire. 

Jan.  12.  The  Sicilian  revolution  liroke  out  in  the 
chief  cities;  after  great  carnage  the  people  of  Palermo 
were  successful.  On  the  13th,  a  provisional  govern- 
ment was  appointed. 

Jan.  19.  Isaac  D'Israeli,  the  author  of  Curiosities 
of  Literature,  died,  aged  82. 

Jan.  20.  Christian  Vlll.,  King  of  Denmark,  died, 
in  his  G2d  year.  The  new  king  offered  his  people  a 
constitution. 

Jan.  23.  The  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies  signsacon- 
slilntion  ;  and  in  Feb.  offers  the  constitution  of  1312 
to  tlie  Sicilians. 

Feb.  — .  The  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany  gives  his 
people  a  freer  constitution. 

beh.  8.  Debate  in  llie  French  Chamber  of  Depu- 
ties about  the  "Reform  Banquets;"  sixty  members 
threaten  to  resign. 

Feb.  8.  The  King  of  Sardinia  proclaims  the  basis 
of  a  constitution. 

Feb.  9— 12,  Lola  Montez,  a  Spanish  singer,  and 
mistress  of  the  King  of  Bavaria,  is  the  cause  of  seri- 
ous riots  at  IMimich. 

Feb.  13.  100  French  deputies,  and  more,  resolve  to 
at*end  the  Reform  Banquets  ;  also  live  }ieers. 

Feb.  13.  Major  Gen.  Scott  gives  up  the  command 
of  the  army  in  Slexico,  to  Gen.  Butler. 

Feb.  21 — 26.  TninD  FnENcM  Revolution.  Mon- 
day. The  French  Chamber  of  Deputies  disturbed 
by  the  entrance  of  200  deputies,  asking  if  the  Reiorm 
Banquets  are  to  be  suppressed.  On  the  minister's 
answering  in  the  affirmative,  the  sitting  closes  in 
tumult.  The  garrison  of  Paris  is  increased.  Tlie 
Banquet  of  the  morrow  is  abandoned. 

Feb.  22.  Tuesdai/.  Bodies  of  the  disaffected  pa- 
rade  the  streets  of  Paris  all  day  ;  in  the  afternoon  an 
attempt  to  keep  the  mob  ia  check  results  in  blood- 
shed. 

Feb.  23.     J.  Q.  Adams  died,  aged  81. 

Feb.  23.  Numerous  bodies  of  insurgents  erect  bar- 
ricades in  the  streets  of  Paris  ;  much  blood  shed. 

Fell.  24,  Thursdiitj,  A  conciliatory  proclamation 
is  made  in  vain  in  Paris,  at  11  A.  M.  At  1  P.  M., 
King  Louis  Philippe,  abdicates  the  throne  in  favor  of 
his  grandson,  the  Count  of  Paris,  and  escapes.  Tbe 
cry  is,  "No  more  Kings!  Long  live  the  Republic!" 
and  a  Provisional  Government  is  named.  Lamartine 
president  of  the  provisional  government. 

Feb.  23.  The  city  and  ibrts  of  Paris  are  in  the 
hands  of  the  mass  of  the  people. 

Feb.  26.  Lamartine  proclaims  "  The  French  Re- 
public, LiDKRTY,  EqU.^LITV,  FRATERNITY." 

Feb.  29.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Baden  grants  his 
people  freedom  of  Ihe  press,  a  burgher  guard,  trial  by 
jurv,  and  right  of  public  meeting. 

Feb.  29.  Neufchatel  declares  herself  an  indepen- 
dent republic. 

Marclt.  John  Jacob  Astor,  the  millionaire,  died  in 
New  York,  ajed  84. 

Mirch  1.  The  Elector  of  Hesse  Cassel,  after  a 
severe  riot,  grants  his  people's  demands  of  freedom. 

March  a.  The  King  of  VVirlemberg  grants  liberty 
of  the  press. 

The  King  of  Prussia  promises  freedom  of  the  press. 

The  Grand  Duke  of  Saie  Weimar  promises  reforms. 

The  King,  Leopold,  of  Bdgium,  gives  his  raiaisters 
leave  to  propose  reforms. 


March  4.    The  Duke  of  Nassau  grants  his  people 

their  rights. 

March  4— 6.  The  King  of  Bavaria  grants  the  de- 
mands of  his  people,  after  an  insurrection. 

March  10.  Tbe  Duke  of  Saxe  Meiningen  giants  a 
liberal  government  to  his  people. 

March  11.  Died,  Hon.  Henry  Wheaton,  diploma- 
tist and  author,  a  truly  great  man. 

March  13.  Tumult  at  Vienna.  Metternich  resigns 
his  ministry  and  flees.  This  stronghold  of  legitimacy 
and  king-craft  surrenders.  The  Emperor  of  Austria 
grants  freedom  of  the  press,  and  a  national  guard,  and 
jiromises  a  constitution. 

March  13—20.  An  outbreak  at  Berlin.  The  King 
of  Prussia,  going  to  Potsdam,  decrees  a  Federal  Union 
of  Germany;  granls  liberty  of  the  press,  and  poliiical 
amnesty.  During  these  days  barricades  arc  creeled 
and  the  citizens  and  students  fight  the  military.  Some 
2;4  of  the  soldiers  are  killed  and  wounded. 

March  14.  The  King  of  Holland  requests  his  Leg- 
islature to  make  what  reforms  they  please,  and  he  will 
sanction  them. 

The  Ducbies  of  Sleswig  and  Holstein,  demand  to 
he  separated  from  Denmark.  On  tbe  2Glh,  they  revolt 
and  come  inlo  the  German  Federal  Union.  The  King 
of  Prussia  supports  them.  War  ensues  between  Den- 
mark and  the  Duchies,  and  trade  is  ruined. 

The  King  of  Denmark  grants  freedom  of  the  press, 
and  of  public  meetings. 

March  17.  Tbe  King  of  Hanover  grants  freedom 
of  the  press,  and  a  public  convention,  and  political 
amnesty. 

March  13.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  proclaims  free- 
dom of  the  press,  and  calls  a  convention,  but  the  peo- 
ple are  not  satisfied,  and  take  the  cilv. 

March  13.  All  Lombardy,  South  Tyrol,  Venice  and 
Trieste,  rebel.  19th.  Parma  revolts,  with  barricades 
and  loss  of  life. 

M.irch  20.     Modcna  rises  and  imprisons  its  Duke. 
March  22.      The   King   of  Bavaria   abdicates   his 
throne  in  favor  of  his  son,  Maximilian  II. 

March  23.     Sardinia  declares  war  against  Austria. 
March  30.     Great  riots  in  Posen. 
March  31.     The   Congress    of   German    Deputies 
meets  at  Frankfort. 

April  10.  Great  Chartist  demonstration  in  London. 
The  Chartists  of  England  demand  a  written  constitu- 
tion, universal  education,  universal  suffrage,  vole  by 
Iiallot,  no  property  (lualification,  annual  parliaments, 
payment  o(  members,  and  equal  electoral  districts. 

April  13.  The  Sicilian  Parliament  declares  the 
independence  of  Sicily.     Messina  bombarded. 

April  23,  24.    Election  of  the  National  Assembly  of 
France  ;  which  meets  on  the  4  th  May. 
April  25.     Cracow  rebels,  but  unsuccessfully. 
April  29.     Bloody  riots  in  Posen, 
May  1.     Riot  at  Rome. 

May  7.     Bloody  Riot  at  Madrid.  ; 

May  12.     Lord  Ashburton  died,  aged  74. 
May  14.     The  Deputies  at  Najdes  disagree  with 
the  king:  who  conquers  the  city  alter  bloody  fighting. 
1440  bodies  are  buried. 

May  15.  A  mob  enters  the  French  Assembly,  and 
some  of  the  members  side  with  it.  It  is  put  down  by 
the  Nalional  Guard  and  its  leaders  arrested. 

May  13.  The  German  Parliament  meets  at  Frank- 
fort.    The  Emperor  flies  from  Vienna. 

May  22.  The  Constitutional  Assembly  of  Prussia 
meets. 

May  26.  James  Blitchell  convicted  of  treason  in 
Dublin,  Ireland. 

May  2'.i.     Prague  proposes  a  gov.  for  Bohemia. 
May  30.     Treaty  of  Peace  between  Mexico  and  the 
U.  States,  (signed  Feb.  2d,  1848,)  ralified  in  Mexico. 
June  1.     Paredes  revolts  in  Mexico,  with  Jurauta. 
June  9.     Lombardy,  by  more  than  half  a  million 
votes,  unites  with  Piedmont. 

June  12.  The  last  detachment  of  American  troops 
leaves  Mexico. 

June  13.  The  English  in  India  rout  tbe  forces  of 
Moultan  ;  also,  on  July  I. 

June  22 — 26.  Terrible  revolt  of  workmen  in  Paris 
—  who  lake  half  the  city.     Cavaignac  made  Dictator. 


002 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


It  is  put  down,  but  not  till  3  or  4  thousand  are  killed 
and  wounded. 
June  18—28.     Revolt  in  Wallachia  and  provisional 

government  formed. 

June  29.  Archduke  John,  of  Austria,  elected  by  the 
German  Parliament,  "  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Germany." 

July  4.  Chaleauhriand  died,  aged  80.  Corner 
stone  of  VVashin^lon  monument  laid  at  Washington. 

Ju._  6.     Herrera  President  of  Mexico. 

July  25.  Habeas  Corpus  Act  suspended  in  Ireland 
to  put  down  the  disturbances  there. 

July  29.  The  Niagara  suspension  bridge  crossed  — 
it  is  220  feet  high,  8  wide,  and  762  long. 

Au^.  I.  Vera  Cruz  evacuated  by  the  Americans, 
and  the  Mexican  flag  hoisted. 

Aug.  4.  Milan  capitulated  to  the  Austrians.  The 
Sardinian  army  retired  to  Tessino. 

Aug.  4.  Capital  Punishment  abolished  in  the  Prus- 
sian Assembly  ;  also,  on  the  same  day,  in  the  German 
Parliament  at  Frankfort. 

Aug.  5.  The  Irish  rebellion  quelled  after  a  few 
trifling  encounters. 

Aug.  9,  10.     Free  Soil  Convention  at  Bufialo. 

Aug.  14,  Territorial  government  established  in  Or- 
egon. 

Aug.  17.  Destructive  fire  at  Albany;  loss,  three 
million  dollars. 

Aug.  18.     Venice  declared  herself  an  independent 


republic. 

Aug.  24. 

Sept.  1. 
Union. 

Sept.  1. 


Ship  Ocean  Monarch  burnt ;  170  lives  lost. 
Railroads.     5703  miles  of  railroad  in  the 


Ibrahim  Pasha  nominated  Viceroy  of 
Egypt  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkej',  in  consequence  of  the 
imbecility  of  Mehemet  All,  now  in  his  dotage. 

Nov.  — .  The  King  of  Persia,  Mohammed  Shah, 
died,  and  was  succeeded  by  Naziri-din,  his  eldest  son. 

Nov.  10.  Ibrahim  i^asha,  Viceroy  of  Egypt,  died, 
aged  59  ;  after  a  reign  of  two  months  and  ten  days. 
Abbas  Pasha,  his  nephew,  (being  the  eldest  male  of 
Mehemet  Ali's  family,)  succeeded  to  the  viceroyalty. 
Ibraiiim  entered  the  army  at  the  age  of  17  ;  in  1816, 
he  was  sent  against  the  Wahabees,  and  conquered 
them,  and  on  Dec.  Ilth,  1319,  was  received  with  great 
triumph  at  Cairo,  and  had  the  title  of  Pasha  of  the 
Holy  Cities  given  him  by  the  Sultan.  In  1824,  he 
sailed  to  Greece  with  163  ships,  16,000  infantry,  700 
horse,  and  four  regiments  of  artillery,  to  assist  in  quell- 
ing the  Greek  revolution.  He  committed  great  ex- 
cesses and  cruelties.  In  1327,  the  fleet  was  destroyed 
at  Navarino,  and  very  few  of  the  troops  returned  to 
their  country.  In  1S31,  he  led  an  army  of  24,000  in- 
fantry, four  regiments  of  cavalry,  and  40  pieces  of  artil- 
lery, to  the  conouest  of  Syria.  He  destroyed  all  the 
troops  sent  by  tne  Sultan  against  him,  and  at  Konieh, 
22d  Dec,  1832,  defeated  60,000  Turks,  with  his  army 
of  30,000.  He  now  advanced  on  Constantinople,  where 
20,000  Russians  were  opposed  to  him,  and  he  fell  hack 
on  Syria.  He  introduced  admirable  regulations  into 
his  Syrian  government.  In  1839,  he  defeated  another 
Turkish  army,  and  a  second  time  had  Constantinople 
within  his  grasp.  But  the  European  powers  inter- 
fered and  drove  nim  out  of  Syria,  confining  the  Egyp- 
tian power  to  Egypt.  Ibrahim  was  always  very  re- 
spectful to  his  father,  but  his  manners  were  more  rougli, 
and  he  was  of  a  penurious  disposition.  He  spoke 
Arabic,  Turkish,  and  Persian,  and  read  history  several 
hours  daily.  The  European  newspapers  were  regu- 
larly translated  to  him.  He  left  three  sons,  Ahmed, 
Ismael,  and  Mustapha. 

Ndv.  16.     Count  Rossi  assassinated  at  Rome. 

Nov.  24,25.  The  Pope  of  Rome,  Pius  IX.,  fled 
from  Rome  to  Gaeta,  in  Naples,  and  a  provisional 
government  proclaimed  his  abdication. 

The  Roman  Republic  was  soon  organized  by  the 
Roman  people,  and  Mazzini  was  made  president. 

Other  striking  occurrences  of  this  most  eventful 
year  are - 

The  general  introduction  of  Ether  and  Chloroform, 
as  anaesthetic  agents  to  prevent  pain  in  surgical  oper- 
ations. 

The  improvement  in  Photography,  by  which  colors 


are  reproduced  on  the  plate,  as  well  as  shades  and    ! 

lines. 
The  abdication  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  in  favor   ; 

of  his  son. 

Thirty-two  thousand  houses,  at  a  loss  of  12,000,000 
rubles,  destroyed  by  fire  in  13  northern  provinces  of 
Russia,  during  1848  ;  instead  of  the  usual  average  of 
2000.  Consequently,  friction  match  factories  were 
forbidden  without  license. 

Chinese  hemp  naturalized  at  Marseilles,  France. 
Stalk  5  to  6  inches  round  and  25  feet  high. 

1849. 

March.  Inundation  at  New  Orleans  ;  water  sixteen 
inches  higher  than  ever  known  before. 

March  3.  Home  Department  established  in  the  U. 
States  administrative  government. 

March  3.  Minesota  established  as  a  territory.  Leg- 
islature to  meet  first  at  St.  Paul. 

March  5.  Zaohary  Taylor  inaugurated  as  President 
of  the  United  States, 

Succession  of  Presidents.  Geo.  Washington, 
1789  to  1797.  John  Adams,  1797  to  1801.  Thomas 
Jeflerson,  1301  to  1809.  James  Madison,  1309  to  1817. 
James  Monroe,  1817  to  1825.  J.  Q..  Adams,  1825  to 
1829.  Andrew  Jackson,  1829  to  1837.  Martin  Van 
Kuren,  1837  to  1841.  William  Harrison,  1841  to  April, 
1841.  John  Tyler,  April,  1841  to  1845.  James  K. 
Polk,  1845  to  1849.     Zachary  Tajlor,  1849. 

March  5.  A  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  district 
of  St.  FranciPt'O  met  for  the  first  time  at  St.  Francisco, 
California. 

March  6.  Souluque,  President  of  Hayti,  invades 
the  Dominicans,  ana  is  routed. 

March  8.     Insurrection  at  Pernambuco  ;  500  killed. 

March  10.  Largest  merchant  ship  launched  at  N. 
York  ;  the  tonnage  2000  tons. 

March  12.  Great  Land  Suit,  involving  $15,000,000, 
decided  at  New  Orleans. 

March  17.     Flood  at  Chicago;  SlOO.OOO  damage. 

March  23.  Tremendous  Tornado  in  Kentucky.  Im- 
mense damage,  and  many  lives  lost. 

March  — .  The  Austrians  beaten,  with  great  loss, 
in  several  engagements,  by  the  Hungarians.  General 
Bern  compels  a  large  force  to  fly  into  Wallachia.  Geor- 
gy  was  conducting  the  war  in  iJpper  Hungary  ^Dem- 
binski  on  the  Theiss. 

March  24.  Charles  Albert,  King  of  Sardinia,  de- 
feated at  Novara,  by  Radetsky,  the  Austrian  general, 
said  to  be  81  years  old.  50,000  troops  on  a  side. 
Three  other  battles  ensued,  and  the  Pieamontese  were 
driven  to  the  mountains.  Charles  Albert  then  abdi- 
cated in  favor  of  his  son,  Victor  Emanuel,  and  a  truce 
was  made.  The  new  king  is  29  years  old,  and  re- 
spected for  his  uprightness. 

March  27.  North  Carolina  Gold  Region  reported 
very  productive. 

March  28.  Insurrection  at  Genoa  ;  put  down  after 
a  sanguinary  conflict,  by  Gen.  Marmora. 

March  30.  Terrible  disasters  reported  of  Col.  Fre- 
mont's party  crossing  the  mountains  to  California. 
130  mules  buried  in  the  snow,  and  11  men  starved  to 
death. 

March  31.  Brescia,  L'-mbardy,  taken  with  great 
slaughter,  by  the  Austrians,  after  it  had  revolted  and 
massacred  its  Austrian  garrison. 

April  1.  Barb6s,  Albert,  Blanqui,  and  Raspail, 
transported  from  France  for  political  offences. 

April  3.  The  King  of  Prussia  declines  the  imperial 
crown  of  Germany. 

April  4.  The  Danes  surrender  two  ships,  the  Ad- 
miral and  1000  men,  at  Eckenforde. 

April  14.  The  Hungarian  Parliament  declare  the 
independenceof  Hungary,  and  Transylvania, excluding 
the  nouse  of  Hapsburg  from  the  throne.  Ludvig 
Kossuth  elected  President. 

April  17.  Punjaub  war  ended;  100,000  square  miles, 
and  3,500,000  population,  annexed  to  the  British  Em- 
pire. 

April  21.  MonMONisM.  The  Mormons  say  they 
have,  in  1849,  five  churches  in  London,  a  newspaper 


5K^^^ 


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TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


003 


/  in  Wales,  where  mnny  have  j<>iticd  iho  sect,  and 
S    meetin^r-huufcs  in  Liverpoul  and  in   Manchosler. 

>  Seven  hundred  eniinrants  of  ihe  sect  lately  cm- 
/  barkol  in  G.  Britain  for  the  Salt  Valley,  in  the 
5  Rocky  MiMiriiains.  Seven  lunidrcd  have  formed 
i  a  setilerncnt  tjn  an  island  in  the  northern  pari  of 
i    Lake  Mirin'*ran. 

5        April  22.     French  Kxpedition  of  14,000.  sent  by 
J   the  National  Assembly  (o  reinstate  the  Pope. 
t       April  24.     Rioi  in  Montreal,     Parliament  house 
J   destroyed.     Governor  burnt  in  effigry. 
5        May.     Disturbances  take  place  throughout  Ger- 

<  many,  daily. 

\  May  5.  Garibaldi,  the  Roman  general,  defeats 
5   the  Neapoliian  army. 

I  May  6.  First  National  Council  of  the  Roman 
J  Catholic  Church  convened  at  Raliimorc;  26  Bisli- 
5   ops  present. 

i  Russia  sends  120,000  Russians  into  Hungary, 
^   with  350  cannon. 

5        May  8.     Neapolitans  take  Palermo. 
$       May  10.     Drentlful  Macready  riot  at  Aslor  Place 
^  Theatre,  New  York;  25  to  30  killed. 
5       May  12.     New  King-  of  Holland  inaugurated  at 
i   Amsterdam. 

>  May  16.  Steamer  Empire  sunk  on  the  Hudson; 
5   30  lives  lost. 

5  New  elections  to  the  National  Assembly  in 
#    France,  reuirn  210  to  240  socialists. 

>  May  17.  Gnat  fire  at  St.  Louis;  20  persons 
I  killed,  1..SS  SI, 070.000. 

J  May  30.  First  Gold  Dollar  coined  ;  it  is  of  Cal- 
5   ifornia  gold. 

J  June.  6r)fi4  and  a  half  miles  of  railroad  in  oper- 
^   ation  in  th»'  llnileii  Stales. 

5  Jutie  13.  liipurreciion  of  25,000  in  Paris,  headed 
I  by  Lcdru  Roliin  and  Fiicniic  Arago  of  the  Mount- 
i  ain  parly.  Suppressed.  Ten  Socialist  and  Red 
J  Republican  Journals  suppressed. 
J  June  15.  Insurreriion  of  Red  Republicans  at 
i  Ly(ms,  France;  quelled  with  great  slauglucr. 
\  June  15.  Father  Matthew,  the  Apostle  of  Tem- 
5    perance,  arrived  at  New  York. 

i       June  27.     Tlie  ship  Charles  Bartlett  run  down 
\   in  the  Ailatiiic,  in  a  fog,  by  the  Europa  steamer, 
5   and  134  lives  lost. 
i       July.     Hereafter,  in  Ohio,  a  man's  Homestead, 

>  up  to  tlie  value  of  $600,  is  exempt  from  execution. 
J  July  2.  The  French  army  under  Ou<linot  enter 
i  Rome,  afier  a  brave  resistance.  The  Pope  soon 
i  after  returned  to  Rome,  and  the  insurrection  was 
i    thoroughly  put  down. 

5       July.     Pine-apple  naturalized  in  Florida. 
/       July  23     The  garriscm  at  Ra8la<It,  in  the  Grand 
'    Duchy  of  Baden,   surrenders   unconditionally  lo 
I   the  forces  of  Prussia. 

J       July  27.    Tlie  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  re-enter- 
5   ing  his  capital,  resumes  his  authority. 
J       July  2S.     The  death  of  Charles  Albert,  late  king 
i   of  Sardinia,  occurs  at  Lisbon. 
'       Au<r.   1.     The  Legislative  Chamber  opened  by 

<  the  Kinc"  of  Sardinia.  His  speech  was  "  moderate," 
i   and  cor<lially  received. 

J  Aug.  1.  Ratifications  of  a  treaty  of  peace  and 
5  commerce  between  Great  Britain  and  Liberia,  are 
i   exclianged,  . 

J  Aug.  2.  Garibaldi,  the  Roman  Chief,  accom- 
5  paii-ie<l  by  several  himdred  followers,  escapes  in 
i  some  fishing  vcesels  at  a  port  on  the  Adriatic. 
\  Aug.  2.  The  Pacha  of  Egypt,  Mchemet  Ali, 
J  dies  at  Alexandria,  aged  80  years. 
\  A'.ig.  7.  General  Dudinot  surrenders  the  civil 
^  administration  of  the  Papal  stales  into  the  hands 
5  of  the  Pope's  three  commissioners,  who  enter  on 
i   the  work  of  restoring  the  former  stale  of  things. 


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Aug;-.  11.  Gorgey,  to  whom  the  Hungarian 
Diet  had  entrusted  its  powers,  surrenders  liis  army 
to  the  Russian  general,  which  led  to  the  subjuga- 
tion of  Hungary. 

Aug.  22.  Marshal  Radetsky  effects  the  capitu- 
lation of  Venice. 

Aug.  29.  After  a  siege  of  four  months  the  Rus- 
sians carry  by  assault  the  fortress  of  Achulga,  the 
residence  of  Schamyl  the  renowned  Circassian 
chief: 

Sep.  12.  The  Pope  issues  a  manifesto  from  Na- 
ples to  his  subjects,  in  whicli  he  promises  certain 
reforms  in  government,  and  a  limited  pardon  to 
political  offenders. 

Sep.  18.  The  Council  of  State  at  Rome,  in 
agreement  with  the  Pope's  manifesto  on  the  12th 
inst.,  announce  pardon  to  political  offenders  with 
certain  exceptions.  The  exceptions,  it  is  said, 
anioiMit  to  more  than  13,000  persons,  who  are  thus 
excluded  from  the  arincsty. 

Sep.  27.  The  fortress  of  Comorn  in  Italy  sur- 
renders (o  (he  Austrians. 

Oct,  7.  The  late  Prime  Minister  of  Hnnirary, 
Connl  Louis  Batihyanni,  is  shot  at  Pcsth,  at  the 
sole  agency  of  Haynau. 

Oct.  15.  The  United  Stales*  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  makes  known  in  a  Treasury  Circular, 
that  after  January  1st,  1850,  British  vessels  from 
British  ports  or  other  foreign  ports,  will  be  allowed 
lo  enter  ttur  ports  with  cargoes,  the  produce  of  any 
part  o(  the  wi^rhl,  on  the  same  terms,  as  to  duiies, 
iinp«.ists,  and  charges,  as  vessels  of  the  United 
States  and  their  carirocs. 

Oct.  16.  The  Island  of  Tigre,  in  llic  Gulf  of 
Fonesca  and  state  of  Hiinduras,  is  taken  posses- 
sion of  in  the  name  of  the  British  Queen,  by  Mr. 
Chatficld,  under  cover  of  an  armed  force. 

Nov.  12.  The  political  trials  at  Versailles  are 
brought  to  a  close:  11  are  acquitted,  20  are  con- 
victed and  sentenced,  17  to  transportation  for  life, 
and  3  to  imprisonment  for  five  years. 

Nov.  15.  Lcdru  RoIlin  and  thirty  accused  indi- 
viduals absent  from  trial,  are  sentenced  to  trans- 
portation for  life. 

Dec.  2.  Adelaide,  widow  of  King  William  IV., 
queen  dowager  of  England,  dies. 

Dec.  20.  A  wide  crevasse  in  the  Levee  of  the 
Mississippi  occurs  at  B()nnet  CarriS,  a  distance  of 
ajjout  forty  miles  above  New  Orleans: 

Aintmg  the  events  of  the  latter  pari  of  this  year 
wc  may  notice  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera  at  the 
South  and  West: 

Gold  from  California  to  the  amount  of  millions 
continues  to  flow  into  ihe  great  cities  of  the  United 
States: 

Tubular  Bridge  across  Menai  Strait,  England,  is 
contplelcd:  It  consists  of  two  tubes  of  iron  riv- 
eted together,  each  a  quarter  of  a  niile  in  length: 
The  rail-road  cars  cross  on  this  stupendous  siruc- 
tnre  abnni  a  hundred  feel  above  the  level  of  the 
ocean  at  high  tides: 

Revolution  in  Hungary  terminated  by  the  tri- 
umph of  the  Austrians,  aided  by  a  powerful  army 
of  Russians: 

1850. 

Jan:  II:     An  Arctic  expedition  in  search  of  Sir  J 

John  Franklin  sails  from  Woolwich,  England:    It  ? 

consisted  of  the  Enterprise,  Capt:  Collcnson,  and  J 

the  Investigator,  Commander  McClure:  < 

Jan:   IS:      Another  Crevasse  in  the  bank  of  the  ► 

Mississippi  takes  place  at  Suave's  plantation:  ' 

Jan:  26:     Lord  Jeffrey,  famous  for  his  long  con-  < 

nection  wiih  the  Edinburgh  Review,  dies  at  Edin-  t 

burgh:  > 


^ 

I  604 


-^ 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


>  Feb.  4.  A  steam-boiler  in  A.  V.  Taylor's  ma- 
i   chine  establishment  in  Hagfue  street,  New  York, 

>  bursts,  throwing-  down  and  setting-  the  building- 

>  on  fire.     Nearly  seventy  persons  are  killed  or  die 

>  of  their  wounds,  and  thirty  are  injured. 

>  Feb.  A»  great  eruption  of  Mount  Vesuvius 
i  occurs. 

»       March   8.      Twenty  thousand  pounds  sterling- 

?   offered  by  the  British  g-overnnient  for  the  discov- 

J  ery  and  effectual  relief  of  the  ships  Erebus  and 

5   Terror,  or  ten  thousand  pounds  for  the  discovery 

J  and  effectual  relief  of  any  of  the  crew  of  the  ves- 

\  aels,  or  for  ascertaining-  their  fate- 

•       March  23.     The  jury  bring-  in  a  verdict  of  guilty 

J   against  Prof.  John  Webster  for  the  murder  of  Dr. 

i   George  Parkman.     The  trial  lasted  six  days. 

5       Apiil  13.     Pope  Pius  IX.  returns  to  Rome  from 

5   his  exile. 

I       April  23.     William  Wadsworlh,  the  poet,  died  at 

J   his  residence  at  Ilydal  Mount,  aged  80.     He  was 

5  poet-laureate  of  Great  Britain  at  the  time  of  his 

i   decease. 

\       April  27.    Collina's  line  of  steamers,  designed  as 

5  packets,  goes  into  operation,  by  (he  sailing  of  the 

<  Atlantic  steamer  from  New  York  to  Liverpool. 

»  .  May  23.  The  Advance  and  Rescue,  the  two 
S  vessels  equipped  by  the  liberality  of  Mr,  Henry 
i  Grinnell  of  New  York,  and  designed  for  the  dis- 
s  covery  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  sail  from  that  port. 
S  May  24.  Sir  John  Ross  and  Commander  Phil- 
I  lips  leave  Lochryan  on  their  expedition,  in  search 
H   of  Sir  John. 

>  May  27.     The  great  Mormon  Temple  at  Nauvoo 

>  is  destroyed  by  a  hurricane. 

f  May.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Sefelege  shot  the 
i  king  of  Prussia  in  the  arm  with  a  pistol. 

>  June  17.  The  steamer  Griffith,  on  her  passage 
i  from  Erie  to  Cleveland,  is  burned  to  the  water's 
I  edge.  Less  than  forty  out  of  330  passengers  and 
I  crew  were  saved. 

June  29.  In  consequence  of  a  fall  from  his  horse 
Sir  Robert  Peal  is  severely  injured,  and  died  July 
3d,  aged  62. 

July  8.  Adolphus  Frederic,  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge, seventh  son  of  George  III.,  died,  at  the 
age  of  76  years.  He  had  served  in  the  army. 
5  July  9.  Three  hundred  and  fifty  buildings  in 
5  Philadelphia  are  burned,  involving  a  loss  of 
5  $1,500,000,  and  accompanied  with  a  great  destruc- 
i    lion  of  life- 

\  July  9.  Zachary  Taylor,  President  of  the  United 
5  States,  dies,  and  is  succeeded  by  Millard  Fillmore, 
i   the  Vice-President. 

5       Aug.  26.    Louis  Philippe,  ex-king  of  the  French, 
i  died  at  Claremont,  England.      His  age  was  77. 
i       Sep.  4.      Marslial    Haynau,  the  Austrian  com- 

>  mandcr  in  the  war  against  Hungary,  on  a  visit  to 

>  an  extensive  brewery  in  London,  is  attacked  by  a 
i  mob  composed  of  the  workmen  in  the  establish- 
i   ment,  and  the  draymen  and  coal-heavers  outside. 

>  He  is  severely  treated,  and  barely  escapes  with  his 
J  life.  Through  the  assistance  of  the  police  he  is 
t   carried  off  to  a  place  of  safety  amidst  the  shouts 

>  and  execrations  of  the  mob. 

I        Sep.  7.     The  bill  admitting  California  into  the 

t  Union  passes  the  House  of  Representatives  by  150 

I  yeas  to  56  nays. 

J       Sep.  12.      The  fugitive  Slave  Bill,  as  it  came 

i   from  the  Senate,  is  passed  in  the  House  of  Repre- 

?   aentatives  by  a  vote  of  109  yeas  to  75  nays. 

5       Oct.     Jenny  Lind,  the  Swedish  songsiresq,  cre- 

<  ales  an  unwonted  enthusiasm  in  the  United  State? 
I   by  her  musical  performances. 

5  Oct.  29.  The  Portuguese  frigate  Donna  Maria 
i   II.,  of  32  guns,  is  accidentally  blown  up  in  the 


harbor  of  Macao,  and  completely  destroyed.    One  t 

hundred  and  eighty-eight  out  of  two  hundred  and  ' 

furty-four  men  on  board  perish  in  the  explosion.  < 

Dec.  13.     President  Fillmore  issues  his  procla-  < 

niation    declaring    that    the  Act   of  Congress  of  ' 

Sep.  9,   1850,  relative  to  the  boundaries  of  Texas  < 

and  the  payment  to  her  by  the  United  St;tfit  of  < 

810,000,000,  is  in  full  force  and  operation,  the  con-  '. 

djtion  therein  having  been  performed  by  Texas.  j 

Dec.  29.     The  English  forces,  in  an  engagement  S 

with  the  Caffres  in  South  Africa,  suffer  a  defeat,  i 

and  are  obliged  to  retire  to  their  fort.  \ 

At  the  close  of  this  year  the  following  statistics  J 

and  facts  are  presented  :  ^ 

Army,   Nary,    (|*c — The    army   of  the    United  J! 

States   includes   8867   men,    and    the   navy  com-  S 

prises  forty  large  and  forty  smaller  vessels  of  war.  I 

The  annual  revenue  of  the  government  is  about  a 

$50,000,000,  chiefly  derived  from  customs  on  ini-  / 

ported  goods.     Two-fifths  of  the  expenses  of  the  <• 

government  are  for  the  army  and  navy,  and  is  now  ? 

about  $5,000,000.      The   tonnage  of   the   United  | 

Slates  (viz:  3,535,000   tons,)  is  larger  than  that  of  < 

any   nation,    except    Great    Britain,    which    has  5 

4,300,000  tons.  ^ 

Rail-roads.      There   are  in   the   United   Stales  < 

16,000  miles  of  rail-road.  J 

Telegraphs.    There  are  about  26,000  miles  of  lel-  J 

egraph  in  the  United  States:   15,000  conducted  on  ? 

Morse's  plan,  11,000  on  those  of  House  and  Hain.  ^ 

Canals.      The  aggregate   length   of    canals   is  \ 

4,500  miles.  C 

Exports.     The  total  amount  of  the  exports  of  ^ 

the  United  Slates  in  1850  was  $178,133,318:    the  } 

imports  $151,898,720.  S 

Chief  Productions.     The  annual  products  of  the  i 

chief  branches  of  industry  in  the  United  Stales  J 

are  estimated  as  follows  :  i 

Manufactures,     ....    $1,020,300,000.  5 

Mines 120.000.000.  } 

Agriculture,      .....     1,200,000,000.  S 

Population  of  the  United  States  by  the  new  cen-  5 

sus,  23,257,723.  i 

Gold  discovered  in  abundance  at  New  Holland,  \ 

now  called  Australia.  e 

1851.  I 

Jan.  23.     The  Caffres  to  the  number  of  3,000  at-  i 

tack  the  colonists  and  their  allies,  near  Fort  Hare,  ? 

Cape  of  Good  Hope,  but  are  driven  back  with  liie  \ 

loss  of  100  killed.  < 

Feb,   17.      The  government  of  Austria  and  the  ? 

Ottoman  Porte  came  to  the  following  settlement  ^ 

respecting  the    Hungarian    refugees;    a  full    and  J 

entire  amnesty  is  granted  on  condion    tliai  they  * 

will  not  attempt  to  enter  Hungary.    An  exception  ^ 

is  made  of  eight  refugees,  among  whom  are  Kos-  j 

auth  and  Bathyany.  ^ 

April  2.    An  earthquake  of  Great  violence  is  ex-  ^ 

perienced  in  Valparaiso,  South  America:  several  i 

houses  are  thrown  down,  and  many  of  the  public  t 

buildings  injured.      The  destruction  of  property  } 

is  great,  though  few  lives  are  lost.  S 

May  1.     The  Queen  of  England  inaugurates  the  ; 

exhibition  of  the  works  of  industry  of  all  nations.  > 

May  3.     A  large  portion  of  the  business  part  of  S 

the  city  of  San  Francisco  is  laid  in  ashes.     Many  i 

persons  are  burned  to  death,  and  from  one  to  five  | 

millions  of  property  are  destroyed.  i 

June  22.     Another  (the  sixth)  great  fire  occurs  { 

in  San  Francisco,  destroying  hundreds  of  houses  r 

and  millions  of  property.  J 

July  14.     Mclfi,   a   city   of    10,000   inhabitants,  < 

about  100  miles  souih-cast  of  Naples,  is  destroyed  J 


by  a  severe  shock  of  an  earthquake. 


"^ 


-X 


TEN    TIIOISAND    FACTS, 


605 


Aiic.  3.  The  expedition  under  General  Lopez 
a^ainsl.  Cuba  is  unsuccossful,  and  meets  with  a  ter- 
rihle  disaster.  Many  of  the  men  are  killed  in  en- 
counters with  the  Spanish  troops.  Othcis  are  cap- 
tured and  condemned  to  ten  yearsi'  labor.  A  portion 
of  them  uiuk-r  Colonel  Crittenden's  command  being 
taken,  art;  shot  in  ilavaiui. 

Aug.  21.  A  great  riot  takes  place  at  New  Orleans, 
which  arose  out  of  the  Cuban  expedrtion.  The  oltiee 
of  the  Spanish  paper,  La  Patria,  is  destroyed.  The 
cigar  shops  kept  by  Spaniards  are  nearly  all  demolish- 
ed. The  Spanish  consul  seeks  protection  from  the 
a,uthorittes,  and  is  placed  for  safety  in  the  city 
prisoti. 

Sep.  9.  At  Hartford,  Connecticut,  Rev.  Thomas  n. 
Gallaudet  died.  He  was  one  of  the  fonndrrs  of  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb  A.sylum  in  that  city,  the  first  in  the 
United  States. 

Sept.  II.  A  riot  with  loss  of  life  takes  place  at 
Christiana,  Pa.,  in  consequence  of  an  attempt  being 
made  to  arrest  a  fugitive  slave.  The  owner  of  Ibe 
sitive  is  kdled.  and  his  son  mortally  wounded.  The 
United  States'  marshal  and  Ins  attendants  are  driven 
from  Ihe  ground  by  armed  negroes. 

Sept.  li.  James  Fennimore  Cooper,  the  cele- 
brated American  novelist,  died  at  Cooperslown.  New- 
York. 

Sept.  22.  Louis  Ko.ssulh  and  thirty-five  of  his 
countrymen  are  sentenced  to  death  at  Pesth,  for  not 
appearmg  after  citation. 

Se()t.  23.  Thecaiile  telegraph  wire  between  Dover 
and  Calais  is  this  day  laid. 

Sept.  and  Oct.  Mr.  Grinnell's  vessels,  sent  in 
search  of  Sir  John  Frankim,  return. 

Dec.  2.  Louis  Napoleon  destroys  the  constitution 
of  the  French  Repultlic,  by  a  decree  called  the  Coup 
(V  F.fat.  The  Assem!)ly  are  confined  or  banished  ; 
40,000  persons  in  France  are  incarcerated,  and  on  the 
4th  of  December,  I'JOO  individuals  are  shot  without 
necessity  upon  the  boulevards. 

Dec.  5.  Louis  Kossuth  arrives  at  Staten  Island 
from  Southampton,  Kngland.  At  New  York  and 
many  other  pl.^ees  lie  is  received  with  unlxjunded  en- 
thusiasm by  the  citizens. 

Dec.  26.  A  large  portion  of  the  Chinese  quarter  of 
Hong  Kong  is  destroyed  by  fire.  Nearly  500  bouses 
are  burnt,  as  also  the  finest  public  buildings,  ainl 
many  lives  arc  lost. 

1852. 

Jan.  22.  Louis  Napoleon  orders  the  confiscation 
of  the  Orleans  property  Ity  a  decree  of  this  ddte. 

March  1.1.  Ninety-five  of  the  Americans  who  were 
engaged  in  the  Lopez  exi)edition  against  Cubi,  and 
were  captured  and  sent  to  Spain,  arrive  at  New 
York,  having  been  liberated  by  the  Spanish 
queen. 

June  l.").  Tlie  British  queen  issues  her  proclama- 
tion against  Roman  Catholic  ecclesiastics  wearing 
the  habits  of  their  order,  exercising  the  rites  and  oere- 
mnnies  of  the  Koman  Catholic  religion  in  high-ways 
and  places  of  public  resort. 

June  20.  At  Washington,  D.  C,  Henry  Clay 
died,  age<l  "5. 

July  29.  The  steamer  Henry  Clay,  in  her  passage 
down  the  North  River,  is  burned,  just  Itclow  ^'onkers. 
Fifty-six  passengers  perished  by  being  burned  or 
dniwned. 

Sept.  Louis  Napoleon  commences  his  tour  through 
the  sovithern  part  of  France.  Upon  his  return  he 
makes  a  pompous  entrance  into  Paris. 

Sept.  14.  Field  marshal  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
dies,  at  the  age  of  83,  at  Waimcr  Castle  in  Kent. 
He  is  succeeded  in  his  dukedom  by  his  son,  the  mar- 
quis of  Douro. 


Oct.  8.  A  violent  biirrieanc  destroys  g^jOO.OOO 
worth  of  property  in  Floiula. 

Oct.  24.  Dariel  Webster  died  at  his  home  in 
Marsbficld,  Massacluiselts,  aged  70. 

Oct.  20.  A  furious  storm  occurs  in  Alliens,  over- 
throwing one  of  the  columns  of  tlie  temple  of  Jupiter 
Olympus. 

Nov.  2.  A  fire  in  Sacrcmcnto  City,  Californiat 
destroys  2500  buildings. 

Nov.  7.  The  French  senate  decree  the  re-cstab- 
lisbmentof  the  empire,  subject  lo  the  ratification  of 
the  people. 

Nov.  18.  The  five  powers,  England,  France, 
Prussia,  Havaria,  and  Greece,  holding  a  conven- 
tion in  London,  agree  that  none  but  a  prince  of 
tlio  Greek  religion  is  hereafter  to  ascend  the  throne  of 
Greece. 

Nov.  21  and  22.  The  majority  of  voles  given  in 
Franco  at  these  dates  relative  to  the  re-establishment 
of  the  empire,  is  7,824,189.  The  whole  number  of 
votes  ami  blank  ballots  cast  was  8,140,000. 

Dec.  2.  Louis  Napoleon  is  publicly  proclaimed  in 
Paris  emperor  of  tlie  French,  under  the  name  of 
Napoleon  IIL 

1853. 

Jan.  30.  The  marriage  of  Napoleon  HI.  and 
Eugeniede  Montigo,  Countess  de  Teba,  is  cele- 
brated in  Paris. 

Feb.  0.  An  insurrection,  under  the  planning  of 
Mazzini,  breaks  out  in  Milan.  A  deadly  attack  was 
m:ide  upon  Ibe  soldiery  in  various  paits  of  the  city, 
bvil  the  outbreak  is  soon  suppressed,  and  severe 
measures  of  punishment  are  adopted  by  Marshal 
Radetsky. 

Feb.  18.  The  emperor  of  Austria,  while  walk- 
ing upon  the  ramparts  at  Vienna,  is  attae.kod  by  a 
Hung.-^rian,  and  receives  a  severe  blow  w  ilh  a  knilc  in 
the  neck.  The  assassin  is  seized,  and  on  the  20th  Is 
cxecultd. 

March  19.  Nankin  is  taken  by  the  rebels,  who 
have  for  some  time  past  been  extending  iheir  con- 
quests in  China.  They  massacre  on  the  ocsi^ion 
nearly  20,000  of  the  Tartar  garrison. 

March  4.     Franklin    Pierce,  of  New  Hampshire,  ") 
inaugurated  president  of  the  United  Slates.  / 

April  \.  Ceneral  Santa  Anna  arrives  at  Vera 
Cruz,  liaving  been  chosen  president  of  Mexico  by  a 
large  majority  of  the  slates. 

April  22.  An  attempt  at  insurrection  is  made  at 
Friburg,  Switzerland,  liy  the  Jesuit  party.  It  is  soon 
suppressed,  but  with  some  loss  of  hie. 

May  fi.  A  terrible  catastrophe  is  experienced 
on  the  New  York  and  New  Haven  railroad  at  Nor- 
walk,  Connecticut,  in  conscipiencc  of  the  draw- 
brid-ic  having  been  carelessly  left  open.  Several 
of  ibe  cars  are  precipitnled  in  the  water,  and  forty- 
five  persons  are  killed,  and  many  otliers  severely 
injured. 

May  9.  The  city  of  Schiraz  in  Persia  is  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  an  earlh(piake.  Twelve  thou- 
sand lives  are  lost. 

July  2.  The  troops  of  Russia,  under  Prince 
GortschakolT,  ctoss  the  Pruth,  and  invade  Turkey,  on 
the  Sultan's  refusal  to  submilto  the  insulting  demands 
of  the  (^zar.  ' 

July  8.  The  expedition  which  sailed  some  time  \ 
before  from  the  United  States  lo  open  communi- 
cations with  that  connlry.  arrives  in  Japan.  On 
the  Mill  Commodore  Perry  delivers  to  ihe  Imperial 
('oininissioner  the  letter  from  llic  American  Pres- 
ident. 

July  14.  The  Crystal  Palace  in  New  York  is 
opened  in  the  presence  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States  and  olber  persons  of  distinction. 


^- 


-3K 


606 


TEN    THOUSAND    FACTS. 


August  and  September.  The  yellow  fever  makes 
frightful  ravages  in  New  Orleans  and  in  othersouthern 
cities.     In  New  Orleans  more  than  HOOOpersonsdied. 

Oct.  3.  The  Sultan  of  Turkey  issues  his  mani- 
fesro,  containing  the  declarar  ion  of  war  against  Russia, 
which  is  read  in  all  the  mosques. 

Nov.  4.  A  hatlle  occurs  hetween  tlie  Turks  and 
Russians,  with  considerable  loss  to  the  lalter. 

Nov.  30.  The  Russians  destroy  at  Sinope  a 
Turkish  squadron,  consisting  of  three  fri;iates,  two 
steamers,  and  some  transports.  Five  thousand  Turks 
are  killed. 

1854. 

Jan.  5.  Two  hundred  and  forty  human  beings 
perish  inconsequence  of  tiie  foundering  of  the  steam- 
er San  Francisco  at  sea.  Many  of  them  were  United 
Slates  troops. 

Jan.  6.  The  Russians  are  defeated  by  the  Turks 
near  Calafat,  with  a  loss  of  2500  men. 

Jan.  Tiie  whole  number  of  Patents  issued  for  the 
year  1854  is  set  down  at  1900,  or  more  than  double  the 
number  of  the  previous  year. 

March  2.  Si.xteen  workmen  in  an  extensive  car 
faclory  at  Hartford,  Ct.,  are  crushed  to  death  or  other- 
wise perished  in  a  building,  which  was  destroyed  m 
consequence  of  the  bursting  of  a  large  and  new  boiler 

March  11.  The  memorial  of  3000  clergymen  of 
difTerent  religious  denommations  in  New  England,  in 
which  they  solemnly  protest  against  the  passage  of  the 
Nebraska  Bill,  is  presented  by  Senator  Everett  to  the 
United  States  Senate. 

March  28.  War  against  Russia  is  formally  declared 
by  Great  Britain  and  France  to  take  place  on  the  fol- 
lowing 30th  of  April. 

May  31.  The  President  of  the  United  States  signs 
the  Kansas  Nebraska  Bill,  which  is  designed  to  or- 
gaidzc  two  new  territories  ;  it  also  annuls  the  Mis- 
souri Compromise  act  of  1820,  anrl  is  the  cause  of 
serious  agitation  throughout  the  country. 

June  1.  The  cholera  prevails  in  many  places,  and 
between  two  thousand  and  three  thousand  fall  victims  to 
it  in  N.  York  in  the  course  of  the  summer  and  autumn. 

June  2  Anthony  Burns,  a  colored  man,  having 
been  declared  by  the  Commissioner  to  be  a  fugitive 
from  labor,  is  conducted  from  the  Court-house,  Boston, 
Mass.,  to  the  revenue  cutter  Morris,  by  one  hundred 
and  fifty  armed  citizens,  in  the  employ  of  the  United 
States  marshal,  and  by  a  company  of  marines  from 
the  Navy  Yard,  and  of  United  States  .troops  from  Fort 
Independence,  with  a  nine  pound  field  piece,  whom 
the  marshal  had  called  out  for  his  assistance.  The 
streets  were  kept  clear  by  a  large  body  of  volunteer 
militia,  called  out  by  the  mayor.  No  serious  outbreak 
occurs,  though  crowds  throng  the  streets,  and  hoot, 
and  hiss,  and  groan,  and  throw  missiles  at  the  military 
as  they  are  carrying  off  the  prisoner.  He  is  taken  in 
the  cutterlo  Norfolk,  and  delivered  to  his  alledged 
master.  Mr.  Suttle.of  Virginia. 

June  16.  A  sortie  from  Silistria  is  made  by  the 
Turks,  which  comj)letely  defeated  the  Russians,  forc- 
ing them  to  re-cross  the  Danube. 

June  30.  The  total  tonnage  of  American  vessels 
engaged  in  foreign  fishing  anrl  co.asting  trade  for  the 
past  financial  year,  is  5,661,416  tons. 

July  7.  The  Turks  defeat  the  Russians  in  a  com- 
bat at  Giurgevo,  the  latter  losing  1700  men  in  killed 
and  wounded. 

July  13.  The  American  sloop  of  war,  Cyane. 
Captain  Hollins,  bombarded  San  Juan,  in  Nicaragua, 
and  a  party  landing  from  the  vessel,  laid  the  whole 
place  i  n  ashes.  The  alledged  cause  of  this  destruction, 
was  the  failure  of  the  authorities  to  comply  with  some 
demand  made  upon  them.  Claims  have  been  institu- 
ted upon  the  United  States  Government,  by  many 
individuals,  for  compensation  for  damage  done  to  their 
pro|terty. 

Aug.  18.  The  Austrian  troops  are  ordered  to  enter 
Wallachia,  and  commence  crossing  the  frontier  at 
Turnu-Severin. 


Aug.  28.  A  rerolution  havingtaken  place  in  Spain, 
liy  whicli  a  liberal  government  is  estaljltsheil,  Donna 
Maria,  the  queen's  mother,  escapes  to  Portugal  and 
thence  goes  to  Paris.  She  is  indebted  to  the  stale 
71,000,000  reals 

Sept.  5.  A  monument  is  raised  at  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, in  front  of  the  Asylum  for  the  deaf  and  dumb, 
to  the  memory  of  Thomas  H  Gallaudet,  who  was  the 
principal  agent  in  founding  that  institution. 

Sept.  27.  The  Arctic,  one  of  the  Collins  line  of 
steamers,  in  a  thick  fogoff  the  banks  of  Newfoundland, 
was  run  into  by  the  French  screw-steamer  Vesta,  ami 
sunk  within  a  few  hours.  More  than  300  persons, 
consisting  of  the  passengers  and  crew  of  the  Arctic, 
perished  in  conscipience  of  the  accident.  Some  sev- 
enty persons,  chiefly  of  the  crew,  are  known  to  have 
been  saved  in  boats. 

Oct.  10.  Messrs.  Buchanan,  Soulg  and  Marcy 
meet  at  Ostend,  to  confer  as  to  the  course  proper  to 
be  pursued  by  the  United  States  Government  in  re- 
gard lo  the  acquisition  of  Cuba. 

Oct.  24.  Pierie  Soulfi,  minister  of  the  United 
States  to  Spain,  being  on  his  way  from  London  to 
Paris,  is  stopped  at  Calais,  in  Spain,  the  French  gov- 
ernment being  jealous  of  him,  he  having  lieen  once  a 
French  citizen,  and  known  as  a  red  republican.  Mr. 
Soule  is  at  length  permitted  to  pass  through  France  on 
his  way  to  Spain,  but  not  to  remain  in  the  country. 

Dec  19.  The  ship  St.  Patrick  from  Liverpool, 
with  400  emigrants,  went  ashore  at  Bamegat,  Vessel 
and  cargo  lost,  liut  the  crew  and  passengers  saved. 

Dec.  20.  The  police  of  New  York  arrested  12 
Belgian  convicts  who  hud  been  sent  to  this  country 
by  their  government,  and  measures  were  taken  for 
sending  them  back. 

Dec.  27.  Thomas  W.  Dorr,  whose  name  is  indis- 
solubly  connected  with  the  history  of  Rhode  Island,  as 
the  heroof  the  'rebellion  '  in  1842.  died  at  Providence. 

Dr.  Rae.  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  search  for 
Sir  John  Franklin  for  some  time,  at  length  obtained 
certain  information  of  the  fate  of  these  adventur- 
ers, from  the  Esquimaux.  The  natives  had  in  their 
possession  articles  of  European  manufacture,  such 
as  silver  spoons,  forks,  &lc.,  one  of  which  was  known 
to   be    Sir  John's  from  the   engraving  of  his  name. 

The  year  has  been  distinguished  by  dis^istrous 
events,  causing  an  immense  loss  of  life  and  property, 
by  railroad  accidents  and  fires  in  the  United  States, 
and  by  tlie  severe  and  bloody  battles  which  have  taken 
place  in  the  South-east  of  Europe  between  the  allied 
powers  of  England  and  France  and  Russia. 

1855. 

March  2.  Nicholas,  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias, 
died  at  St.  Petersburg. 

March  14.  The  nevv  Suspension  bridge  at  Niagara, 
is  first  crossed  by  a  locomotive  train  of  cars. 

March  30.     The  election  takes  place  in  Kansas  for 
members  of  the  territorial  legislature.     The  polls  are   ) 
invaded  and  the  election  carried  by  "  emigrants  '*  from   ) 
Missouri.  ; 

April  9.  All  the  English  and  French  batteries  open  ) 
on  Sebastopol  ;  the  Russians  sustain  the  shock,  with  ) 
a  loss  of  less  than  1000  rnen.  ) 

May  1,  An  extraordinary  eruption  at  Vesuvius 
commences  and  continues  for  some  days. 

May  10.  Joseph  Hiss  is  expelled  from  the  Massa- 
chusetts legislature  for  misconduct. 

May  31.  The  propellor  Arctic  and  barque  Return, 
leave  Brooklyn  Navy  yard  under  command  of  Lieut. 
Hartstene,  U.  S.  N.,  in  search  of  Dr.  Kane  and  his 
companions  in  the  Arctic  seas. 

June  23.  Colonel  William  Walker,  now  called 
General  Walker,  arrives  off  San  Juan  del  Sud,  in  the 
brig  Vesta,  and  lands  his  forces,  his  object  being  to 
conquer  Nicaragua.  At  the  present  time,  April  1867, 
his  force  is  much  reduced,  and  his  piospects  are 
uncertain. 

Aug.  9.     Santa  Anna  abdicates  the   presidency  of 


ffk- 


H 


TEN    THOUSAND    TACTS. 


607 


>,  M-\iro,  and  rnlires  to  Carraccas ;  after  a  time 
(  (-'omnnfort  surcceds  him. 

S  Aij;;.  22.  M;uipiiioisRlle  Rachel,  the  French  Ac- 
,  tress  and  her  troupe,  arrive  at  New  York. 
}  ^"S-  25.  The  yellow  fever  rages  fearfully  at  Nor- 
l  folk  and  Porlsmoulh,  in  Virginia.  It  contmueii  till 
J  Oeloher,  sweeping  ofT  one-third  of  the  resident  pop- 
julalion. 

S  Sept.  5.  The  allies  make  a  tremendous  combined 
^  attack  on  Schastopol.  The  Russian  defenses,  in- 
)  clurimu  ihe  trenches,  formed  a  line  of  70  miles.  The 
'  Frejich  batteries  in  the  assault,  extended  four  miles, 
,  Irnin  which  the  deadly  slonn  of  mrssiles  was  contin- 
I  ucd  day  and  nii;ht.  The  whole  scene  was  one  of  the 
)  most  ternhle,  in  ihe  history  of  human  warfare.  On 
)thc9lh.  the  Russians  retired  to  the  norlliern  side  of 
)  Scliaslopol,  and  the  allies  took  possession  of  Ihe 
'  Malakoir,  Redan,  and  other  forts,  against  which  they 
J  had  conlpiiiled  for  a  year,  with  a  loss  almost  uiipar- 
1  alleled,  in  Ihe  same  space  of  time. 

Sept.  !.■).  Lieul.  Hartsteiie  finds  Dr.  Kane  and  his 
)  companions  at  ihe  isle  of  Disco,  Greenland,  they  hav. 
^  ins  left  Iheir  vessel,  ihe  Advance,  in  the  ice.  May 
'  17lh,  anil  arrived  at  Upper  Navick,  where  they  had 
[shipped  in  the  Danish  brig,  Maria  Anne,  for  Denmark. 
^  Lieut.  Haristenc  ariives  at  iSew  York  with  Dr.  Kane 
)  and  Ids  crew,  Oct.  llth. 

Nov.  25.  The  town  of  Kars,  In  Asia  Minor,  sur- 
)  renders  after  a  long  ami  destructive  siege,  to  the 
'  Russian  general,  Mouravieff. 

Nov.  The  |iarliainenlary  grant  of  £5000  for  the 
J  discovery  of  a  North-west  passage  to  Ihe  Pacific,  is 
awarded  to  the  officers  of  her  majesty's  ship  Inves- 
I  llg.ator,  Capt.  McClure,  who  had  in.ade  Ihis  liiscov- 
>cry  by  passing  through  Hohring's  Straits,  and  g<ung 
[eastward  till  they  reached  the  points  attained  by  Capt' 
[  Perry  and  others. 

^'  Nov.  Robert  Schuyler,  of  New  York,  who  had 
)  defrauded  the  New  Haven  Railroad  Company  of  a 
'  million  of  dollars,  dies  al  his  residence,  near  Genoa,  in 
'lay,  w  here  he  had  been  living,  unknow  n  to  his  family. 
Dec.  23.  The  British  Ship,  Resolute,  abandoned 
in  the  Arctic  seas  by  her  officers  and  crew,  is  brought 
I  into  New  London  by  Capt.  Buddmgton,  of  the  George 
,  Hcory,  a  whaler. 


1856. 

Jan.  23.     The  Collins  steamer,  Pacific,  Capt.  El- 
)  dredge,  leaves  Liverpool,  and  is  not  again  heard  of. 
She  is   supposed   to  have   been  lost   by    coming   in 
[  contact  with  ice. 

^  Feb.  2.  Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  Jr.,  is  elected  Speaker 
)Of  Ihe  House  of  Representatives,  at  Wasliiuglon, 
)  after  a  contest  of  nine  weeks. 

Feb.  ■!.  The  nominalion  of  George  M.  Dallas, 
>  minister  to  England,  is  confirmed  by  the  Senate. 

Feb.  25.  Tlie  National  American  Convention  as- 
[sembled  al  Philadelnhia,  nominates  Millard  Fillmore 
,  as  President  of  the  United  Slates,  and  A.  J.  Donelson 
)  as  Vice  Presirlent. 

Fell.  25.  All  the  plenipotenlaries  lo  the  peace 
)  Congres.5,  assemble  at  Paris  ;  Count  Walewski  pre- 
sides. An  armistice  till  MarchSlst  issianed.  Alrealy 
[  was  agreed  upon  March  30tli,  and  having  been  ratified 
,  by  the  several  governments,  went  into  operation  April 
5  27lh.  ' 

March  16.  An  heir  i.s  bom  to  Louis  Napoleon  ;  he 
'  IS  named  king  of  Algeria. 

April;).  President  i;onionforl  returns  in  triumph, 
J  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  having  suppressed  the  rebellion. 
)  April  2:1.  Mr.  Huchanan  arrives  nt  New  York, 
)  from  London,  via  I*aris. 

May  8.  P.  T.  Herbert, a  memberof  Congress  from 
I  California,  kills  an  Irish  waiter  in  Willard's  Hotel,  in 
'  an  affray. 

May  22.  Charles  Sumner,  senator  from  Massachu- 
;  setts,  is  violently  Bssaidled  in  Ihe  Senate  Chamber 
)  by  Preston  S.  Brooks,  member  of  the  House  from 
I  South  Carolina  ;  Sumner  being  pinioned  by  his  desk, 
IS  .struck  down  by  heavy  blows  of  a  gutta  percha  cane. 
Brooks  IS  aliendcil  by  L.  M.  Keiit,  of  South  Carolina, 
;  also  a  member  of  Congress.    The  suliject  undergoes 


investigation  in  the  House.  Brooks  and  Keitt  admit , 
that  the  attack  was  premedilalcd.  Both  are  censured  t 
by  voles  of  the  House,  whereupon  they  resign,  liut  ( 
are  bolh  rc-elecled  almost  unannnouslv.  Brooks  is  j 
greatly  complim.-nled  by  his  friends  in'  South  C.iro- 
lina,  but  IS  generally  coiidrmned.  He  died,  suddenly  J 
ol  croup,  al  Washington,  in  Feb.  1857.  Mr.  Sumner) 
was  unable  to  resume  his  .feat  in  the  Senale,  until  t 
Feb.  Olh,  1857.  ' 

June  2.  The  Democratic  Convention,  at  Cincin-i 
nati,  nominates  James  Buchanan  for  President,  and  ^ 
John  C.  Breckcnridge  for  Vice  President.  ' 

June  18.     A    convention  of  delesales,   opposed  lo ) 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  and  lo  the  ( 
adminislialion  of  Mr.  Pierce,  gcnerativ,  a.ssembled  at  < 
Philadelphia,  anil  nominated  .1.  C.  Fremont  for  Presi- 
dent, and  \V.  L.  Daytim  for  Vice  President. 

Aug.  21.  The  famous  Charier  Oak,  at  Hartford,  is  < 
blown  down  in  a  storm. 

Aug.  29.  A  gran<l  meetini;  of  welcome  and  con 
gralulation  to  Preston  S.  Brooks,  for  his  attack  on 
Sumner,  is  held  at  Columbia,  S.  C.  The  mayor  gives 
him  a  cane,  and  other  testimonials  of  approlration  are 
offered. 

Sept.  17.  The  schooner.  Dean  Richmond,  from 
Chicago,  via.  Montreal,  arrives  at  Liverpool,  after  a 
passage  of  GO  days. 

Nov.  5.  In  the  general  election,  .T.ames  Buchanan 
was  elceled  President,  and  J.  C.  Rreckenridge  Vice 
President.  Mr.  Fillmore  only  earned  the  slate  of 
Maryland.  Fremont  had  large  majorities  in  all  the 
free  states,  except  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Illinois, 
Iniliana  and  ('alilornia. 

Dec.  A  dilhetilty  occurred  between  the  British  and 
Chinese,  at  Canton,  in  consec|uenee  of  which  the 
former  ilestroyed  some  of  the  Chinese  forts,  and  the 
latter  burnt  the  factories  or  estalilishmenls  of  the 
foreign  residents. 

Dec.  26.  The  "  Barier  forts  "  fired  upon  the  Amer- 
can  ship  Portsmouth;  the  American  squadron  rallied 
and  destroyed  these  forts. 

China,  since  1851,  has  been  agitated  by  a  rebellion, 
headed  by  TaiPing-Wang.  who  seems  10  be  a  chief 
of  talent,  with  real  or  pretended  religious  fanaticism, 
bill  whose  oslensilile  aim  is  lo  overturn  the  rei.'nin« 
Tartar  dyn.asty,  and  to  establish  a  n.ative  government 
in  Its  place.  He  has  his  head  quarters  at  Nankin, 
which  city  he  has  now  hehl  for  two  years.  The  rebels 
have  possession  also,  of  several  important  places  in 
the  North,  and  are  supposed  to  threaten  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  present  government. 

Dec.  The  government  of  Ihe  United  Slates,  having 
purchased  the  British  Bark,  Resolute,  found  by  Capt 
Buddinglon,  and  ordered  her  lo  be  refilled,  and  sent  to 
England  as  a  present  to  the  government,  under  Capt. 
Hartslene,  he  and  liis  crow  are  received  with  entl.usi 
aslic  ardor  at  Portsmouth. 

1857. 

March.  Congress  pass  a  new  tariff  act  reducing  ) 
the  duties  on  spirits,  sugar,  glass,  woolens,  books,  raw  ( 
hides,  &c.  { 

March.  Congress  pass  an  act  lo  encourage  a  scheme  < 
fora  magnetic  telegraph  .across  the  Atlantic,  from  New.  J 
foundhind  to  Ireland.  The  Brilish  government  have) 
passed  a  similar  enactment. 

March  1.  James  Biiclianan  inaugurated  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  T^'nited  .Stairs. 

The  United  .Slates  Court  at  Washington  pronounce  • 
an  opinion,  which  causes  great  excilenient,  lo  the  < 
effect  that  a  colored  man  cannot  be  a  citizen  of  the  j 
United  States;  that  ihe  Mi.ssoiiri  Coinpronii.se  was) 
unconstitutional ;  that  slaves  are  recognized  as  prop-  S 
eriy  by  Ihe  Cimslitution,  and  that  shave-holders  may  J 
he  protected  in  holding  iheir  slaves  in  the  free  stales,  ( 
if  they  are  there  transiently  and  not  for  permanent  < 
resilience. 

March.  Lord  Napier  arrives  al  New  York,  as  J 
minister  from  Great  Britain  lo  the  United  States,  he  i 
being  the  successor  of  Mr.  Crainpton  who  had  been) 
dismissed  by  our  government. 


% 


X 


-X 


WONDERS  OF  HALF  A  CENTURY. 


'        We  close  niir  record  of  ten  thousand  fncts,  the  memorabilia 
'    of  the  Inst  fifty  years,  with  q  few  remarks  which  nre  obvious 
iu  the  rnpid  rctr<i9[»ect  of  the  busy  hiilf  century  which  is  just 
passing  from  us. 

First,  in  g;lanciiig  ot  the  pohtical  horizon  in  nur  own  coun- 
try, we  ctin  rount  tifty  years  of  comparative  |>euce  und  solid 
|tros|ierity.  And,  though  the  country  has  heen  engaged  in 
wars,  yet  hut  one  of  these  has  fur  a  moment  interrupted  the 
steady  march  of  our  national  greatness.  The  war  of  J81'2, 
with  England,  ruined  the  external  commerce  of  the  country, 
far  a  while,  and  curried  misery  to  many  a  hearthstone.  Hut 
it  developed  our  internal  resources,  and  originated  a  naval 
power  which  has  made  us  respectable  and  furniidable  upon 
the  seas.  The  war  with  the  Itarhary  Ptiites.  the  Indian  wars 
of  the  west,  the  Creek  war,  the  Black  Hawk  war.  the  Florida 
war,  and  the  Me.\icnn  war,  were  liardly  known  to  most  of  our 
penjile  but  through  the  newspapers. 

\Ve  have  now,  for  half  a  century,  presented  the  spectacle  of 
a  nation  respected  without  an  immense  military  establish- 
ment, and  capable,  without  a  large  standing  army,  of  calling 
into  play,  at  once,  tlie  terrible  energies  of  war,  on  a  scale  com- 
mensunite  with  any  force  that  any  nation  can  bring  against 
us.  Without  endangering  our  institutiuns,  thus  far,  our  na- 
tion has  opened  its  frnternal  arms  to  the  oppressed  of  all  the 
family  of  man.  We  have  not  only  become  established  our- 
selves, but  have  lived  to  see  Europe  adopting  the  republican 
principles  our  fathers  matured.  Our  population  has  increased 
sixfold;  our  territory  has  been  nearly  trebled  in  extent;  dur 
wealth,  of  all  kinds,  has  increased  almost  beyond  tlie  powers 
of  calculation  to  estimate;  and  a  career  is  opening  upon  the 
American  nation,  for  the  next  fifty  years,  as  brilliant  and  full 
of  hope  as  ever  before  dawned  upon  any  nation. 

In  comparing  our  continent,  in  1850.  with  its  condition  in 
1800.  we  may  well  be  jiroud  and  grateful  to  observe  what  tri- 
umphs American  labor,  skill,  and  capital  have  effected  in  the 
interval.  Was  there  ever  a  nation,  that,  in  fifty  jears,  felled 
such  a  world  of  forest,  or  opened  to  culture  such  a  breadth  of 
soil ;  wove  such  on  interminable  length  of  broad  and  gnod 
rtinds,  over  such  a  continent  of  wood,  mountain,  and  morass  ; 
built  so  many  cities,  towns,  and  villages, — mills,  factories, 
docks,  %vare-hoiises,  churches,  court-houses,  alms-house?,  hcts- 
jiitals,  custum-hoiiaes, — and  connected  them  togetlier,  physi- 
cally and  intellectually,  by  such  n  complicated  net-work  of 
iron  railroads  and  telegraphic  wires  I 

Our  cities  have  swollen,  in  population,  from  hundreds  to 
tens  of  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands.  Thousands  of 
towns,  with  all  the  comforts  and  blessings  of  the  highest  civil- 
ization, now  occupy  sunny  hills  or  quiet  prairies,  or  bask  up- 
on the  banks  of  laughing  streams,  where,  in  J800,  the  savage 
beast  C'intended  witli  savage  man  in  his  gloomy  lair,  or  Ihc 
wild  biscm  fled  from  his  no  less  wild  pursuer,  or  the  eagle 
soared  screaming  frfjin  his  unmolested  nest. 

Ill  J800,  the  Uocky  Mountains  were  unknown ;  the  niightv 
streams  of  Oregon,  Missouri,  and  their  fellows,  rolled  through 
their  primeval  stilitudes,  unseen  but  by  the  eye  of  the  Creator 
lin«l  of  the  red  man.  Now  the  chi,nk  of  the  steamboat's  piston 
is  daily  heard  upon  almost  every  stream,  and  thousands  crov,'d 
the  banks  to  welvome  thousands  that  pour  from  her  lu.\urio[)s 
decks.  Tens  of  thousands  also  trcud  the  solitude?  «)f  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  on  their  wav  to  the  Pacific,  2000  miles, 
with  less  fear  and  fatigue  than  did  the  little  Imnd  of  pilgrims 
which,  two  centuries  ago,  went  from  infant  Bost<^in,  200  miles 
west,  to  found  the  colonies  of  Connecticut.  What  was.  in 
1800,  n  )>ainful  journey  of  months,  or  u  simple  inipossibilitr, 
is  now  the  pleasant  triji  of  n  few  hours,  or  the  jaunt  of  a  day 
or  a  week.  Tlie  next  Imlf  century  will  sec  Americans  visit 
ing  China  as  we  now  do  England ;  and  taking  an  excursion, 
by  railroad,  to  the  Pacific,  as  in  1820  we  took  a  jaunt  t<i  New 
York.  Ill  fine,  the  American  cliilii,  born  to-day,  opens  his 
eves  upon  a  theatre  fur  his  patriotic  or  business  enterprises 
which,  without  losing  the  shadow  of  the  stars  and  stripes,  is 
us  broad  as  was  the  Roman  empire  in  its  palmiest  days  I 

Itut  we  should  takeeven  wider  views  of  the  progress  of  our 
race  during  the  eventful  period  which  has  just  elapsed. 
What  has  been  the  result,  in  a  political  point  of  view,  of  the 
thousand  battles  which  have  stained,  and  the  continual  strug- 
gles which  have  signalized,  the  hist  fifty  years  ?  Besides  the 
peaceful  triumphs  of  discovery  and  colonization,  which  have 
occupied  the  national  energies  which  war  had  developed,  and 
which  are  opening  to  industry  and  ho|>e  the  interior  of 
wretched  Africa,  by  stationing  powerful  civilizing  agencies 
upon  her  east,  north,  south  and  west,  and  which  have  found- 
ed a  broad  empire  in  New  Holland, — besides  the  efforts  which 
have  carried  European  civilization  into  the  islands  of  the 
Pacific,  and  China,  Turkey,  Iiidio.  and  the  wilds  of  Tartary 
an«I  Siberia, — besides  the  empires,  founded  on  free  principles, 
whicli  have  sprung  from  the  bloody  contests  of  Soutli  Ameri- 
ca,— besides  all  these  glorious  results,  the  close  of  the  half 
century  finds  yet  nobler  things  accomplished  or  accomplishing 
in  Enrojte. 

In  that  focus  of  the  intelligence  and  power  of  our  race,  con- 
stit-itional  liberty,  which,  in  the  early  p.irt  of  the  century, 
was  crushed  in  the  serpent  folds  of  milit:iry  despotism,  or  trod- 
den down  by  a  Holy  Alliance  of  kings,  is  now  diffused  over  uU  , 


her  nationsexcept  Russia  and  Turkey.  The  rights  of  the  people 
are  at  this  moment  enshrined,  more  or  less  safely,  in  written 
Constitutions,  in  Austria,  the  stronghold  of  legitimacy  ;  in  vo- 
luptuous Naples  and  Venice,  where  tlie  last  spark  of  liberty 
seemed  extinguished  ;  in  Florence,  the  beautiful  queen  of  the 
fine  arts;  in  Uorne,(?)  the  centra]  seat  of  spiritual  and  temporal 
despotism;  in  Prussia,  whose  subjects  have  been  so  long  dra- 
gooned by  arbitrary  military  regulations;  in  Lombardy.  Sar- 
dinia, and  all  the  petty  German  States;  Bnvario,  Belgium, 
Holland,  Denmark,  Sweden,  Portugal,  Spain,  and,  finally,  in 
France,  the  great  propogandist  of  European  liberty! 

May  we  not  hope  that  the  nest  half  century  will  confeder- 
ate these  nations,  after  the  example  of  our  Union,  into  a  great 
federal  brotherhood  of  independent  sovereignties,  not  for  the 
few,  but  for  the  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number? 
May  we  not  hope  that,  instead  of  the  precarious  "  balance  of 
power."  upheld  by  the  law  of  force,  requiring  each  frontier 
to  be  bristled  with  bayonets,  and  absorbing  most  of  the  hard- 
wrung  taxes  to  pay  an  unproductive  soldiery,  a  confederation 
of  republ'cs  in  Eurofie  will  find  o  truer  balance  of  ftower 
linsed  on  the  common  interest  of  the  masses, — and  this  both 
peaceful  and  permanent? 

A  glance  at  the  scientific  aspect  of  the  times  shows  us  that 
the  nineteenth  century  has  been  an  age  of  scientific  wonders, 
an  age  thus  fur  distinguished  ab()ve  all  ages  for  progress  in  all 
those  sciences  and  arts  which  tend  to  mold  nature  and  her 
powers  to  the  use  of  man, — for  all  those  ap[)liance3  of  mind 
to  matter  which  bend  its  stubborn  inertia,  and  direct  its  om- 
nipotent energies  to  the  promotion  of  the  physical  comfort 
and  general  improvement  of  our  race.  Franklin,  who  con- 
tributed more  than  any  other  man  to  give  this  practical  bear- 
in"  to  science,  used  to  wish,  toward  the  close  of  his  useful  life, 
that  he  could,  after  a  fifty  years'  absence  in  the  other  world, 
return  and  see  how  matters  went  on  at  the  period  in  which 
we  now  U\e.  He  wished  to  see  the  fruit  of  the  seeds  that 
were  planting  nil  around  him.  We  are  gathering  now  the 
fruit  he  hid  hoiMJd  for  then,  and  we  may  also  look  beyond  us 
to  a  period  of  fifty  years  to  come,  with  equal  hmgings  to  real- 
ize anticipations  for  the  future  more  glowing  than  the  sober- 
minded  Franklin  dared  to  imagine. 

Steam  navigation,  canatt,  macadamized  roads,  railroads, 
electric  telegraphs. — balloon  steaming,  may  we  not  soon 
n,i,|  T — have  their  entire  history  within  the  nineteenth  rentury. 
To  it  also  belongs,  besides  many  other  discoveries  and  inven- 
tions, those  of  Etherization,  Animal  Magnetism,  Plirenology, 
Photography.  Gun-cotton,  Gutta  Percha ;  the  preparation  of 
various  abilndaitt,  but  before  unknown,  esculents  tor  food; 
Homoiopathy,  Hydropathy  ;  teaching  of  the  blind,  deaf  and 
dumb;  cure  of  the  insane;  association.  Guano  and  poud- 
rette  ore  at  hand  to  save  the  farmer  from  the  curses  of  bugs 
and  weeds;  steam  and  electricity  relieve  the  weary  muscles 
of  the  tolling  millions  from  herculean  labors,  lo  send  them, 
after  a  fair  day's  work,  lo  ctimfortable  lioioes,  with  time  and 
means  to  cultivate  their  lietter  natures,  and  taste  the  sweets  of 
intellectual  and  moral  recreation.  Freed  by  science  from  the 
delays  of  wind  ami  tide,nii<I  a  thousand  obstacles  which  beset 
her  i-nth,  cotninercc  hastens  across  the  harmless  sens,  or  the 
leveled  pathway"  of  iron,  to  |ioiir  plenty  into  every  hip.  With 
a  hundredth  [la'rt  uf  the  expenditure  of  time  and  labor,  the 
peasant,  in  his  cottage-door,  shares  a  thousand  fold  more  com- 
forts uiiw  than  did  the  prince  upon  liis  throne  before  these 
m-jdern  triumphs  of  intellect  over  matter  were  achieved. 

But  it  is  as  an  a^e  of  benevolence  that  the  last  half  century 
has  been  most  especially  distinguished.  The  Refurmatitjn, 
and  consequent  increase  of  intelligence  among  the  masses, 
had  given  a  more  thorough  understanding  of  the  practicnt 
principles  of  the  Christian  religion  to  the  millions  who  had 
hitherto  allowed  others  to  do  most  of  their  Christianity  for 
them.  As  a  necessary  consequence  of  this  increased  intelli- 
gence, the  sympathies  of  the  masses  were  enlarged.  The 
principles  of  justice  between  man  and  man  had  been  so  far 
develo[ied  and  settled  by  an  age  of  trade,  that  people  could 
trust  one  another,  and  associations  of  private  individuals  in 
powerful  companies,  for  great  ends,  became  practicable  and 
common. 

Christian  sympathy  seized  this  powerful  engine  of  modern 
times,  and  swayed  association  to  its  holy  purposes.  Love  to 
mankind,  which  had  burned  out  uselessly  in  the  solitary 
breast,  now  communicated  its  flame  to  millions,  who  united 
to  extend  the  blessings  they  themselves  enjuycd  to  the  whole 
suffering  fiiniily  of  man.  Philanthropic  societies  of  every 
name,— Bible  Societies.  Education,  Tract,  Peace,  and  Mis- 
sionary Societies,  Geogrnphical,  Political,  Commercial  and 
Scientific  Societies.— in  fine,every  form  of  association  sprang 
rapidly  into  existence,  tilt,  in  I^-W,  we  find  tliousands  of  mis- 
sionaries employed  in  their  self-denying  labors,  among  the 
"  habitations  ofcruelty,"  und  vice, and  misery,  throughout  the 
earth,— tens  of  millions  of  Bibles  circulated, — scores  of  mil- 
lions of  tracts  distributed,— in  fine,  the  means  of  knowledge 
and  happiness  Ux  all  multiplying  infinitely  on  every  hand. 


and  a  race  of  true  glory  commenced  by  nations  which  prom-  ■ 

ises  developments  and"  results,  during  another  half  century,  ^ 

upon  which  angels  may  look  down  with  hope,  if  not  with  \ 

appri)bation.  ) 


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